"Linda was married then," Patricia said, voice trembling, tears streaking her cheeks, hot against his skin. "Had two-year-old twins—Sarah and Emma. Sterling didn't want Maria there. But her labor was so close, and Linda couldn't turn her away. Not her best friend. Not when she was that pregnant and alone."

The regret in her voice was crushing, a weight that pressed down, her body shuddering, fingers twisting in the sheets.

"I should have helped," she sobbed, full-body convulsions shaking them both, tears flooding.

"I should have gone there. Should have put aside my anger and been there for my friend. But I couldn't. All I could think about was that the baby was probably Richard's. That she was pregnant with my husband's child. It consumed me. The rage. The betrayal. The humiliation."

Her hands fisted in the sheets, knuckles white, nails digging into fabric.

"And then she died. Maria died giving birth." She cried harder, sobs wracking her frame, chest heaving, tears soaking his chest.

"Even though I was so angry. Even though I felt so betrayed I could barely breathe. Even though I hated what she'd done... I still ran to Mercy Hospital that night. I had to see her. Had to say goodbye. Had to... I don't know. Forgive her maybe. Her to forgive me for not being there for her when she needed it most? I don't know..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible, choked with grief.

"But when I got there, Maria wasn't there. The doctor said she'd died during delivery. And Linda was just... standing there holding this tiny baby boy." Her voice changed—filled with something soft despite the tears. Something like wonder, a tender glow piercing the pain.

"He was so beautiful, Eros, my Peter was so beautiful..." she whispered, eyes distant, a faint smile through sobs. "So tiny and perfect. These little fingers. These eyes that looked up at me when Linda let me hold him. And despite everything—despite all the anger and betrayal and pain—I fell in love with that baby instantly."

Eros felt his chest tighten. She was talking about him. About the night he was born. About holding him for the first time. His throat constricted, breath shallow, world narrowing.

"I already had Jack," Patricia continued, voice thick. "He was two. But seeing this little boy in my arms..." She smiled through tears, bittersweet. "I was dying to keep him. He was Maria's son. My best friend's son. And no matter how much anger I had for her, no matter what she'd done... this baby was innocent. And I loved him."

She cried harder. Eros held her, arms iron, his own mind reeling, truth crashing like waves.

"So I made sure they ran a DNA test," Patricia said, her voice thick, tears streaming. "I needed to know if he was Richard's son."

Eros froze. This was it. The story he'd grown up with. The story Linda had reluctantly told him when he'd pushed. Patricia Morrison had demanded the DNA test to prove Peter wasn't Richard's son. To make sure the bastard son of an escort couldn't come back years later claiming inheritance.

To wash her hands of the entire situation.

But Patricia's next words shattered everything he thought he knew.

"If he was Richard's son," she whispered, voice breaking, "then that little boy had a father. A family. I would have raised him. I had it all planned out, you see... I had put aside everything I felt about Maria. I would love that boy like he was mine. He would have had a brother in Jack. A mother who would have protected him. A home. A family."

Eros couldn't breathe. His world tilted, heart pounding, truth rewriting his life.

"I wanted him, Eros" Patricia sobbed, tears choking her. "God, I wanted that little boy so badly. But the test came back negative. He wasn't Richard's. And Sterling wouldn't let Linda keep him. He said no. Said it wasn't their responsibility. Said Linda needed to choose—him or the baby."

She laughed bitterly, a hollow, pain-filled sound. "Linda chose the baby. Eventually divorced Sterling partly because of it. She fought for that little boy when no one else would. She kept him. Adopted him. Raised him."

Patricia turned in his arms. Looked up at his face in the dim light from the windows, city glow illuminating her tear-streaked cheeks, eyes shining. "My biggest regrets..." Her voice cracked. "My biggest regrets are not being there when Maria died. Not saying goodbye to my friend one last time. And not being able to raise that little boy. Peter."

She reached up, touched his face gently, fingers trembling, tracing his jaw. "You know, Eros... Peter grew up to be incredible. Better than I could have imagined. Better than my own son."

She smiled—sad but genuine, warmth breaking through pain. "He's going seventeen now. Tall. So handsome. Looks just like Maria. Smart—gods, so smart. Kind. Selfless. I heard he helped Linda buy a Mercedes GLE recently. Can you imagine? A barely seventeen-year-old helping his mother like that?"

Eros's throat was tight. He couldn't speak, emotions choking him, tears pricking his eyes.

"I'm so proud of him," Patricia whispered, drawing patterns on his chest, fingers soft. "Even from a distance. Even though I can't tell him. I see him sometimes at school functions. Watch him. And I'm just... so proud."

She looked up at him with shining eyes, voice warm, filled with love. "Do you know Tommy Chen? The kid who built that software and sold it for millions?"

Eros nodded carefully, voice rough. "Everyone in LH knows Tommy."

"Tommy said his friend Peter helped him build it," Patricia said, her voice warm. "But I know the truth. I know Peter built the entire thing and gave it to Tommy. I know because that's exactly the kind of person Peter is."

"That's impossible," Eros said, his voice rougher than intended, emotions surging. "No one would give away millions like that."

Patricia smiled. "Peter would. He's shy. Doesn't like attention. Would rather see his friend succeed than take credit himself. That's who he is."

She punched his chest lightly, playful despite tears. "Don't laugh at me. I know him. I've watched him grow up even if I couldn't be part of his life."

"Why couldn't you?" Eros asked, voice strained, heart aching. "Why not be part of his life if you love him so much like you claim?"

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