A recent photo. In it, smiling with disarming innocence, was Sofia… and a child. A child of about four or five years old, with messy brown hair and bright blue eyes.

Alex’s world stopped. His heart, already pounding, lurched painfully and stopped completely. Those eyes. They were unmistakable. Identical to his own, the same deep shade of blue, the same almond shape. His breath caught in his throat. He felt an icy chill run down his spine, despite the warmth of the room.

He turned slowly toward Sofia, who was returning with the glass of water in her hand. Her face was pale, her mouth dry, her eyes fixed on the photograph, then on her. Sofia watched him with an unreadable expression, a mixture of pain, resignation, and a silent truth that needed no words. The water pitcher slipped from her hands, shattering into a thousand pieces on the floor, but neither of them seemed to notice. The boy in the photograph was his son.

Alex froze, unable to tear his gaze away from Sofia. The silence was deafening, broken only by the dripping water escaping from the shattered shards of the pitcher. His mind raced, processing the image of the boy, his undeniable features, the truth Sofia was conveying without a single word. Reality hit him like a freight train. He wasn’t just his son; he was the son he hadn’t known he had, the heir to a part of his life he had completely ignored.

“Who… who is he, Sofia?” Alex finally asked, his voice barely a rough, unrecognizable whisper. He pointed at the photograph with a trembling hand.

Sofia bent down slowly to pick up the shards of glass, her back to him. Her movements were slow, deliberate, as if each action required immense effort. “His name is Daniel,” she replied, her voice subdued. “He’s five years old.”

Alex felt a knot in his stomach. Five years. That meant he’d been conceived just before he left her, just as his company was starting to take off and he’d convinced himself he didn’t have time for relationships, that Sofia was a “distraction” on his path to the top. Guilt choked him.

“Is… is it mine?” the question slipped from her lips before he could stop her, though the answer was already seared into his heart.

Sofia straightened up, her eyes fixed on his, without a hint of hesitation. “Yes, Alex. He’s yours.” Her gaze was a mixture of resentment and a deep sadness that broke his heart. “He’s our son.”

He staggered, leaning back against the sofa. “But… why? Why didn’t you tell me anything? Why did you keep it a secret?” Indignation mingled with shock, a defense mechanism to avoid succumbing to the avalanche of emotions.

“Tell you what, Alex?” Sofia replied with a bitter, hollow laugh.

“When I told you I thought I was pregnant, what did you say? Do you remember your exact words? ‘Sofia, this is a distraction. I don’t have time for this. My future is in the company, not in diapers and bottles. If it’s true, fix it.’ Do you remember that, Alex? Or does your memory only retain the successes and the millions?”

Sofia’s words struck him like daggers. Each phrase an echo of his own cruelty, his selfishness. He had erased that conversation from his memory, justified it as the “necessary decision” for his success. Now, the stark truth confronted him in the form of an innocent child and a wounded woman.

“I… I didn’t mean that,” Alex stammered, feeling cold sweat on his forehead. “I was under a lot of pressure. I was young, stupid.”

“You weren’t stupid, Alex. You were ambitious. And selfish,” Sofia corrected him, her voice taking on a firmness he remembered well. “When they confirmed the pregnancy, and after your reaction, I decided I didn’t need you. That Daniel didn’t need you. I didn’t want him to grow up with an absent father, or worse, with a father who saw him as a burden. I didn’t want him to know that his father had rejected him before he was even born.”

Alex felt a sharp pain in his chest, a pain that money could never cure. “But you could have looked for me later. When things calmed down. When my company took off.”

“And what for, Alex?” Sofia raised an eyebrow, defiant. “So you could see I wasn’t a ‘burden’? So you could offer me alimony to ease your conscience? No, thank you. I’ve always been able to take care of myself and Daniel. I worked hard, had two jobs, sometimes three. My mother helped me. Daniel has never lacked love or the basics.” Her eyes softened when she mentioned her son. “He’s a happy child, Alex. Intelligent, full of life. He’s never lacked anything essential.”

Alex remained silent, processing the magnitude of his mistake. He had spent five years building an empire, amassing wealth, while Sofia, the woman he once loved, struggled to raise their son— their son—in poverty. The image of his empty mansion and this small house teeming with life contrasted starkly.

“I want to meet him,” Alex said firmly, looking up to meet Sofia’s gaze. “I want to be a part of his life.”

Sofia looked at him skeptically. “After five years, you’ve suddenly developed a paternal instinct? Or did the millionaire discover he has an heir and now wants to claim him?” Her tone was scathing.

“It’s not about the money, Sofia,” Alex replied, trying to sound convincing, though a part of him wondered if his subconscious had played a part in the sudden urge to return. “It’s for Daniel. He’s my son. And for you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what I did, what I said. I was a coward. But I want to make it right. I want to compensate you for everything.”

Sofia let out a bitter laugh. “Compensate me, Alex? How? With a million-dollar check? Do you think you can buy back lost time, sleepless nights, the fears of a single mother? Do you think you can buy the love of a child who doesn’t know you?” Sofia’s voice cracked slightly. “Daniel thinks his father is an astronaut on a very long mission in space. It’s a story I made up to protect him, so he wouldn’t feel the absence of someone who didn’t want to be there.”
“It’s not about the money, Sofia,” Alex replied, trying to sound convincing, though a part of him wondered if his subconscious had played a part in the sudden urge to return. “It’s for Daniel. He’s my son. And for you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what I did, what I said. I was a coward. But I want to make it right. I want to compensate you for everything.”

Sofia let out a bitter laugh. “Compensate me, Alex? How? With a million-dollar check? Do you think you can buy back lost time, sleepless nights, the fears of a single mother? Do you think you can buy the love of a child who doesn’t know you?” Sofia’s voice cracked slightly. “Daniel thinks his father is an astronaut on a very long mission in space. It’s a story I made up to protect him, so he wouldn’t feel the absence of someone who didn’t want to be there.”

The revelation of the astronaut’s story broke Alex’s heart.

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