The man lowered his eyes and looked at Liam.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The airport was full of people walking by.
Announcements echoed from the speakers.
Suitcases rolled across the floor.
But in that moment, everything seemed to stop.
Because the boy standing in front of him…
Looked exactly like him.
Same eyes.
Same cold expression when he was annoyed.
Same habit of adjusting his glasses when thinking.
The man slowly bent down.
“What’s your name?”
Liam looked at him calmly.
“Liam Hayes.”
The man’s fingers froze.
Hayes.
Not Blake.
But that didn’t explain the impossible similarity.
Behind me, Noah immediately stepped forward.
He was only five years old.
But his eyes carried a maturity that surprised adults.
“Sir, are you okay?”
The man looked at him.
Then at Emma, who was holding my hand.
Three children.
Three faces.
Three impossible similarities.
His expression changed.
“Are they…”
He couldn’t finish.
I stepped forward and blocked his view.
“I’m sorry again for my son.”
My voice was polite.
Distant.
“Let’s go.”
I held Liam’s hand.
But before we could leave, the man spoke.
“Wait.”
I stopped.
Not because I wanted to.
Because I recognized that voice.
Five years.
Five years since I heard Ethan Blake’s voice.
But this man wasn’t Ethan.
He was older.
More powerful.
And the atmosphere around him was completely different.
“Miss Hayes.”
My body stiffened.
He knew my name.
I turned.
“Who are you?”
The man looked at me.
“My name is Alexander Blake.”
The surname hit me.
Blake.
I remained expressionless.
But inside, my heart moved slightly.
Alexander Blake.
Ethan’s grandfather.
The founder of Blake Corporation.
The man who controlled half of Harbor City’s business world.
Why was he looking at my children like that?
Five years ago.
After leaving the Blake mansion, I disappeared completely.
Nobody knew where I went.
Nobody knew that one hundred million dollars from Ethan became the first investment in my new life.
Nobody knew that the woman he called a gold digger would build an empire of her own.
During those five years, I gave birth to three children.
Noah.
Liam.
Emma.
Three little lives that changed everything.
I never regretted leaving.
Because every night when I looked at their faces, I knew I had made the right choice.
They didn’t need Ethan Blake.
They needed a mother who loved them.
Alexander stared at the children.
Then he asked:
“Miss Hayes, are these your children?”
I smiled.
“Yes.”
“Five years old?”
“Yes.”
His expression became complicated.
Because the calculation was obvious.
Five years.
Triplets.
The same time period when Ethan divorced me.
The same time when he thought he had bought his freedom.
His phone suddenly rang.
He answered.
A few seconds later, his face changed.
“What?”
Everyone nearby noticed his reaction.
I didn’t care.
Until he said one sentence:
“Bring Ethan here immediately.”
My fingers tightened.
Ethan.
Even hearing that name after five years felt strange.
Not painful.
Just unfamiliar.
Thirty minutes later.
A black car stopped outside the airport.
A man stepped out.
Ethan Blake.
Five years had changed him.
He was still handsome.
Still elegant.
Still the man countless women admired.
But the arrogance was gone.
He walked quickly toward Alexander.
“Grandfather, what happened?”
Alexander didn’t answer.
He simply pointed at my children.
Ethan turned.
And froze.
The world seemed to disappear from his eyes.
Because he saw three children.
Three children with his features.
Three children who carried half of his blood.
His face slowly lost all color.
“Sophia…”
His voice was barely audible.
I looked at him calmly.
“Hello, Ethan.”
His lips trembled.
“Who are they?”
I looked at Noah.
Then Liam.
Then Emma.
And answered:
“My children.”
His breathing stopped.
The words he wanted to ask next…
He already knew.
But he still asked.
“Are they mine?”
The airport became silent.
I smiled slightly.
Five years ago, I wanted him to know.
Five years ago, I wanted him to stay.
But he chose Clara.
He chose divorce.
He chose one hundred million dollars instead of a family.
So now…
I gave him the truth.
“Yes.”
Ethan took a step back.
Like those two letters had struck him.
“My children…”
I corrected him.
“No.”
His eyes lifted.
“They are my children.”
The sentence made him freeze.
“You gave up that right five years ago.”
Alexander looked at Ethan with disappointment.
“Ethan.”
His voice was cold.
“You divorced your wife while she was carrying your children?”
Ethan’s face became pale.
“I didn’t know.”
I looked at him.
“That was your choice.”
“No.”
His voice became desperate.
“Sophia, I swear I didn’t know.”
I looked at the man in front of me.
The man who once called my tears an act.
The man who thought one hundred million could end everything.
Now he looked like the person losing everything.
Before I could answer, my phone rang.
My assistant’s voice came through urgently.
“Miss Hayes, there’s a problem.”
“What happened?”
“The Blake Corporation shares suddenly dropped.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
A pause.
Then:
“Someone released information about Ethan Blake’s divorce five years ago.”
I looked at Ethan.
His expression changed.
Because he knew.
Someone was using the past to destroy him.
And the next sentence from my assistant made everyone silent.
“The person who released the documents…”
“Was Clara Monroe.”
