Chapter 3: The Child He Never Mentioned
I read the message three times.
Then four.
Each time, the sentence looked different.
*You deserve to know why he never told you about the second child.*
My fingers went numb.
A second child.
The words didn’t make sense.
They couldn’t.
Jordan had already hidden one child from me.
One entire human being.
A daughter.
A life.
A part of himself he had carefully removed from the version of him he gave me.
But two?
I stared at the picture again.
Jordan was standing in a kitchen I had never seen.
The little girl in his arms looked about five years old.
She had his eyes.
That was the first thing I noticed.
The second thing was the woman standing beside him.
Alyssa.
She wasn’t looking at Jordan.
She was looking at the camera.
Like whoever took the photo was someone she trusted.
Like this was a family moment.
A moment Jordan had never wanted me to see.
My apartment suddenly felt too quiet.
I dropped my phone onto the counter and stepped back.
“No.””
The word came out as a whisper.
Because if there was another explanation, I needed it.
I needed something.
Anything.
Maybe the message was fake.
Maybe someone was trying to hurt him.
Maybe my father had been wrong.
Maybe Jordan had made mistakes, but he wasn’t the person this picture made him look like.
I grabbed my phone again and typed a reply.
*Who is this?*
The message delivered immediately.
The three dots appeared almost instantly.
Someone was waiting.
A response came.
*Someone who has been trying to warn you for months.*
My heartbeat quickened.
*Warn me about what?*
The answer came seconds later.
*About the life Jordan had before you.*
I stared at the screen.
*Who are you?*
This time, the typing bubble appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally:
*Meet me tomorrow. Alone.*
I should have ignored it.
I knew that.
Everything about the situation felt wrong.
A stranger contacting me.
Sending pictures.
Making accusations.
But the worst part was that I wasn’t shocked.
Not completely.
Because some part of me already believed there was more.
And that terrified me.
I spent the rest of the night searching for answers I wasn’t ready to find.
I opened old photos.
Old messages.
Old conversations.
I looked for signs.
Anything I had missed.
And suddenly, little moments started rearranging themselves.
The nights Jordan disappeared for “family emergencies.””
The weekends he said he was helping a friend.
The times I asked about his childhood and he changed the subject.
The way he always seemed uncomfortable when I mentioned meeting his family.
I had thought he was private.
Now I wondered if he was hiding.
At 2:13 in the morning, I was still awake when my phone rang.
Jordan.
I watched his name appear.
I didn’t answer.
A second later, a message came.
*Please pick up.*
Another one.
*I know you’re upset.*
Then:
*I can explain everything.*
I stared at those words.
Explain everything.
Everyone used that phrase when there was already too much to explain.
I finally answered.
“Hello?””
His voice came immediately.
“Thank you for answering.””
“Why are you calling?””
“Because I don’t want you sitting there thinking the worst.””
I looked around my apartment.
The same apartment where he had eaten dinner.
The same apartment where he had kissed me goodbye.
The same apartment where he had accepted my money.
“Then tell me the truth.””
“I will.””
“Now.””
Silence.
“Jordan.””
“I need to talk to you in person.””
“No.””
“Nia—”
“No. Because every time you tell me something, there’s another thing behind it.””
He sighed.
“I understand why you feel that way.””
“Do you?””
“Yes.””
“Do you really?””
My voice cracked.
“Because I don’t think you understand what it feels like to realize the person you sleep beside has an entire life you never knew existed.””
He didn’t respond.
That silence hurt more than an argument.
“Who sent me that picture?””
A pause.
Too long.
“You got a picture?””
My stomach dropped.
“You know who it is.””
“Nia, listen—”
“Who sent it?””
“I don’t know.””
“Don’t lie.””
“I’m not lying.””
“You knew exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned Alyssa.””
“Because Alyssa has caused problems before.””
“What problems?””
“She’s angry.””
“Why?””
“She doesn’t like that I moved on.””
I laughed quietly.
“Moved on?””
“Yes.””
“With me?””
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
“Did Alyssa know about me?””
Jordan didn’t answer.
That was enough.
“Jordan.””
“I was going to tell her.””
“What?””
“I mean—”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“You were going to tell her about me?””
“No, that’s not what I meant.””
“Then what did you mean?””
“I mean everything is complicated.””
“There’s that word again.””
“Nia.””
“No. I’m tired of that word.””
I stood up and walked around the room.
“You keep calling this complicated because that makes it sound like you had no choice.””
“I did have a choice.””
“Yes.””
His voice became quieter.
“And I made the wrong ones.””
For a moment, I almost softened.
Almost.
Then I remembered the picture.
The child.
The hidden life.
The money.
“How many things don’t I know?””
“Nia.””
“How many?””
“I don’t know what you want me to say.””
“The truth.””
He was quiet.
Then:
“There’s something else.””
My heart stopped.
I gripped the phone.
“What?””
“I wanted to tell you tomorrow.””
“No.””
“Nia—”
“No. Tell me now.””
He breathed heavily.
“I have another child.””
The room spun.
Even though I already suspected it.
Even though I had seen the message.
Hearing him say it made it real.
“How old?””
“Nine.””
Nine.
I sat down.
The chair scraped against the floor.
Nine years.
A nine-year-old child existed.
And I had been with Jordan for two years.
Two years.
“How?””
He sounded confused.
“What do you mean?””
“How do you hide a nine-year-old child from someone you love?””
“Nia—”
“No, answer me.””
“I didn’t hide him.””
“Him?””
Jordan went silent.
I froze.
“The picture said second child.””
He didn’t respond.
“Jordan.””
“My son.””
I covered my mouth.
Another child.
Another secret.
“How many children do you have?””
“Nia—”
“How many?””
His voice became barely audible.
“Two.””
I closed my eyes.
The pain wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t dramatic.
It was quiet.
That was the worst part.
Because my entire relationship had changed without making a sound.
“You let me believe you were starting a new life.””
“I was.””
“No.””
I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me.
“You were continuing an old one.””
“That’s not fair.””
“Fair?””
My voice rose.
“You want to talk about fair?””
“I love you.””
“Stop saying that.””
The words surprised both of us.
But they were true.
Because every time he said it, I felt like he was asking love to cover everything else.
“You love me,” I whispered.
“Then why did you make me the last person to know?””
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
“Of losing you.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You didn’t lose me because you had children.””
I looked at the picture again.
“You lost me because you lied.””
The call went silent.
Then Jordan said something that made my entire body go cold.
“Nia, there’s something you need to understand about that picture.””
“What?””
“That photo wasn’t taken recently.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“It’s old.””
I looked at the image.
The timestamp wasn’t visible.
“What do you mean old?””
“I mean someone is trying to make you think something happened that didn’t.””
My grip loosened slightly.
“Then explain.””
“I will.””
“When?””
“Tomorrow.””
I almost ended the call.
Then he said:
“But before you meet whoever sent that message…”
I stopped.
“What?””
His voice changed.
For the first time, he sounded afraid.
“Ask them why they waited two years to contact you.””
I stared at the phone.
“What are you saying?””
“I’m saying Alyssa isn’t the only person in this story who has been lying.””
The call ended.
I sat there for a long time.
Then my phone buzzed again.
Another message.
Same unknown number.
This time, there was no picture.
Only a sentence.
*Jordan told you I was the problem, didn’t he?*
My blood ran cold.
May you like
A second message appeared.
*Ask him who was standing beside him the night his son disappeared.*