Chapter 5
Noah's grandmother was named Patricia Collins.
She was sixty-one years old, a retired school cafeteria manager who lived in a modest house outside Atlanta.
For months, Nia had told me Patricia died when she was young.
Now I was sitting across from her in Rochelle's office.
She wore a simple blue blouse.
Her hair was braided close to her head.
Her hands trembled as she held a small handbag.
When she looked at me, her eyes filled with tears.
"Mr. Bennett."
I nodded.
"Please call me Marcus."
She swallowed.
"I'm sorry."
My chest tightened.
"For what?"
"For what my daughter did."
I looked down.
"You didn't do it."
She shook her head.
"But I knew she was lying to somebody."
I stared at her.
"How much did you know?"
Patricia began crying.
"Not everything."
Rochelle sat beside me.
Patricia's attorney remained across the table.
I took a breath.
"Tell me what you can."
Patricia wiped her eyes.
"Nia and Daniel have been involved for years."
I nodded.
"I know that now."
"They had Noah four years ago."
Her voice broke.
"At first, they lived together."
I listened.
"But they fought constantly."
"About what?"
"Money."
My stomach tightened.
Patricia continued.
"Daniel wanted to start a business. Nia wanted a bigger house. Expensive clothes. A different life."
I looked away.
That sounded painfully familiar.
"Then what happened?"
"Daniel's business failed."
She swallowed.
"They lost their apartment."
"And Noah?"
Patricia looked down.
"They asked me to keep him temporarily."
My chest tightened.
"How long ago?"
"Almost two years."
I stared at her.
Two years.
Nia had been living with me for eighteen months.
She had told me she was childless.
Meanwhile, her son had been living with his grandmother.
"Does she visit him?"
Patricia began crying.
"Sometimes."
My throat tightened.
"How often?"
"Less than she should."
I looked down.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
I had spent months preparing to become a father.
Nia already had a son.
And she had chosen to hide him.
Patricia reached into her bag.
Then she placed a photograph on the table.
A little boy smiled at the camera.
He had short curls and bright brown eyes.
He wore a red sweater.
My chest tightened.
"Noah?"
Patricia nodded.
"Yes."
I stared at the photograph.
He looked happy.
Innocent.
Completely unaware of the lies surrounding the adults in his life.
I felt tears gathering.
"He's beautiful."
Patricia began crying.
"He's a good boy."
I nodded.
Then Rochelle gently moved the conversation toward the financial documents.
Patricia explained that Nia had asked her to sign paperwork related to a savings account for Noah.
She believed the account would help pay for his education.
But later, she received notices about transactions she didn't recognize.
She contacted the bank.
The bank told her some documents listed Noah as a beneficiary of a private financial arrangement.
Patricia didn't understand the details.
She simply knew something was wrong.
Rochelle reviewed the records.
Then she looked at me.
"Marcus, these documents appear connected to Collins Family Holdings."
My stomach tightened.
The same company that received transfers from my accounts.
I stared at Patricia.
"Did Nia ask you to sign anything involving me?"
She shook her head.
"No."
Then she hesitated.
"She did mention a wealthy businessman."
I felt cold.
"What did she say?"
Patricia looked ashamed.
"She said he could change all our lives."
I closed my eyes.
I had been a financial opportunity.
Not a partner.
Not a husband.
Not a father.
An opportunity.
Patricia continued.
"I told her money doesn't make a family."
Her voice broke.
"She got angry."
I swallowed.
"Did she tell you about the pregnancy?"
Patricia nodded slowly.
"Yes."
My heart tightened.
"Did you know it was fake?"
She began crying harder.
"Eventually."
I stared at her.
"When?"
"About two months ago."
I felt anger rising.
"Why didn't you warn me?"
Patricia covered her face.
"I didn't know how to find you."
I looked at her.
She continued.
"Nia refused to give me your number."
I swallowed.
"She told me if I interfered, she'd stop letting me see Noah."
That stopped me.
I looked toward Rochelle.
She nodded gently.
Patricia lowered her hands.
"I was afraid."
I took a breath.
For the first time, I understood that Nia had been using fear to control more than one person.
Evelyn.
Patricia.
Daniel.
Maybe even Noah.
But none of that erased her responsibility.
It simply showed how far the damage reached.
After the meeting, I sat alone in my car.
I stared at Noah's photograph.
For months, I had imagined becoming a father.
Now I was looking at a real child who needed adults to protect him.
I wasn't his father.
I had no legal claim to him.
And I wasn't going to pretend I could rescue him simply because I felt sorry for him.
But I could help ensure the investigation didn't overlook his interests.
I called Rochelle.
"Please make sure Patricia has access to appropriate legal and family support resources."
She agreed.
"And Marcus?"
"Yes?"
"Try to take care of yourself too."
I smiled sadly.
"I'm trying."
That evening, I met my father for dinner.
He listened as I explained what I had learned.
When I finished, he sat quietly.
Then he asked, "Do you still love Nia?"
I looked down.
For a long time, I couldn't answer.
Then I whispered, "I don't know."
He nodded.
"That's understandable."
I swallowed.
"I loved who I thought she was."
My father sighed.
"That person may not have existed the way you believed."
I felt tears gathering.
"I keep thinking about all the nights we planned our future."
He reached across the table.
"Those feelings were real for you."
I nodded.
"But the relationship was built on lies."
He looked at me.
"And you can acknowledge both things."
I wiped my face.
Then he asked something unexpected.
"What do you want now?"
I stared at him.
For months, my answer would have been simple.
A wife.
A baby.
A family.
Now I didn't know.
"I want peace."
My father smiled gently.
"That's a good place to start."
I nodded.
Then my phone rang.
Rochelle.
I answered.
"Marcus, investigators have traced several transfers."
My heart tightened.
"What did they find?"
"Funds moved through Collins Family Holdings into another company."
I swallowed.
"Whose company?"
"Daniel Price's."
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Then Rochelle continued.
"There's evidence suggesting the transfers were used to support a property purchase."
My stomach tightened.
"What property?"
She hesitated.
"A house."
I frowned.
"Where?"
"North of Atlanta."
I felt cold.
"Who owns it?"
Rochelle paused.
Then she said something that made my heart stop.
"The records identify Nia and Daniel as beneficial owners."
I stared at the wall.
They had been buying a house together.
With money connected to my accounts.
While Nia stood beside me choosing nursery furniture.
While she pretended to carry our baby.
While I paid for a wedding she never intended to honor.
I closed my eyes.
Then I whispered, "I want every transaction reviewed."
Rochelle nodded.
"We're already working on it."
After ending the call, I sat silently.
My father watched me.
"Son?"
I looked at him.
Then I said the words that finally made everything clear.
"She wasn't planning to build a family with me."
May you like
My voice broke.
"She was planning to use me to pay for the family she already had."
