5.Chapter 5 Give Him Back To Me
Melissa was so freaked out, she nearly collapsed, her legs giving way as she spun around and bolted back down the highway.
Bradley was right behind her, grabbing her around the waist and yanking her to a stop. “Are you seriously out of your mind? This is a goddamn highway!”
Tears flooded down Melissa’s face as she grabbed his shirt, shaking with panic. “Is he even your son? He’s been in a damn car accident!”
Bradley shoved Melissa into the hands of one of his guys, his voice ice-cold as he barked orders. “Get the plane ready. Prep the hospital. I want the closest rescue team on standby, now!”
Hours later, Melissa stood in Chassis’s top hospital, staring at Curtis in the ICU. He was unconscious, his head wrapped in bandages, a leg in a cast, his eyes shut tight.
Her heart was shredded. The guilt hit her like a freight train, suffocating her with every breath. “Curtis… I’m so sorry. Mommy should’ve kept you safe… I should’ve been there…”
But Curtis didn’t stir. Not a thing.
Before long, one of Bradley’s men came to pull her away.
The moment she saw Bradley, she lost it. She stormed up to him, her fists landing hard on his chest. “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t dragged him away, none of this would’ve happened!”
Bradley had never been so humiliated in his life, and her punches felt like they were hitting him in the gut. Fury burned inside him, but seeing her on the verge of losing it, he managed to keep his cool.
“He’s not dead. It’s not the end of the world,” he said, his voice unnervingly calm.
Melissa’s face twisted with bitter sarcasm. “Yeah, right. You really are his father, huh? After everything that’s happened, you still think it’s ‘not the end of the world’?”
Bradley’s eyes went cold, like a storm was brewing behind them. “That’s because you’ve never seen real death.”
The shit that went down in high society? The backstabbing, the bloodshed? A hundred times worse than this. Milton’s real mother? She was just one of the many who paid the price.
This was the best hospital in Chassis, and the doctors had just told them Curtis was no longer in critical condition. To Bradley, that meant it wasn’t an emergency anymore.
At that moment, a woman stepped forward, her voice soft but firm. “Ms. Bush, please come home and rest. You can visit Mr. Milton Moore tomorrow morning.”
Melissa shook her head without hesitation. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here with Curtis. If he wakes up and doesn’t see me, he’s gonna freak out…”
The woman tried again to convince her, but when it was clear Melissa wasn’t budging, she glanced at Bradley for help, a silent plea in her eyes.
Bradley noticed Melissa’s swollen, red eyes glued to the ICU, her face as pale as a ghost—like all the life had been drained out of her. He gave a subtle wave, signaling the woman beside them to step away.
Melissa didn’t move from her spot in the hospital corridor all night. She sat there, knees pulled up to her chest, barely budging.
It wasn’t until noon the next day that Curtis finally came around. From behind the glass, he weakly reached out to her, hand trembling.
A massive weight lifted off Melissa’s chest. She fought back tears, forcing a shaky smile as she gave him a “keep fighting” gesture.
Curtis’s lips twitched into a tired but reassuring smile.
Bradley, standing a few steps away, exhaled in relief, though it was barely audible.
“Visiting hours are over. Time to go,” he said flatly, his voice a little colder than it needed to be. He turned and started walking off without waiting for her response.
Reluctantly, Melissa waved a final goodbye to Curtis. She only moved to follow Bradley when he gave her a slight nod, signaling that it was time to leave.
The air between them was oddly calm, probably because they were both so exhausted from worrying about Curtis.
Once inside the hospital lounge, Melissa spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. “What about his real mom?”
After everything that had happened, she still hadn’t seen anyone else from the Moore family show up.
Bradley turned to her, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “You really don’t know?”
Melissa shook her head, looking confused. “Why would I? I told you, Curtis’s my adopted son.”
At the mention of Curtis’s biological mother, Bradley’s face hardened, his expression turning dark. “She died shortly after giving birth to Milton.”
Melissa froze, shocked.
Seeing the exhaustion in Bradley’s eyes, the worry etched in his features, Melissa felt her heart swirled with mixed emotions. She felt for him—it was clear that this wasn’t easy for him, either—but at the same time, it hurt to think that Curtis might not be hers to keep.
For three years, she’d treated Curtis like he was her own. Every time he got sick—even just a little cold—she felt the same kind of panic Bradley had shown last night.
She hadn’t slept a wink, and neither had he. True love for a child didn’t come with conditions.
Melissa didn’t know whether to be relieved or heartbroken. Relieved that Curtis now had a real family, but crushed by the thought that maybe her time with him was over.
Still, despite the gnawing ache in her chest, she clung to a flicker of hope. She swallowed hard, nearly pleading, “I swear to God, I’ll never get married, never have my own kids. I’ll give him everything. Just… can you give him back to me?”
Tears started to spill before she could even finish the sentence.
She gripped Bradley’s arm, voice desperate. “You’ll move on, get married, have your own family one day. Please… Just give Curtis to me. He’s all I have left…”
Bradley looked at her like she was out of her mind.
He scoffed, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. “Melissa Bush, let’s forget the fact that I’ve been searching for him all these years. What exactly can you offer him? You can’t even provide him with a stable life or a decent education. What if he gets sick again, ends up in the hospital?
“You got the money for that? Do you even know how much it costs to stay here for one day? Look at you—you don’t even have a proper job. How are you gonna raise him? Love doesn’t pay the bills, and it sure as hell doesn’t cover medical bills.”
He rarely spoke this much, but seeing the pain in her eyes, the way she was fighting for him—it broke through his usual cold exterior. He knew how much she loved Curtis. Hell, he’d let her stay this long because of it. But even he had his limits.
Melissa’s heart dropped. All the hope she’d been clinging to slowly faded away. She let go of his arm, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. “I want to see the DNA report.”
She wasn’t going to give up on Curtis without solid proof.
Bradley gave a sharp nod. “Once he’s out of the ICU, I’ll make sure you see it. I’ll get the samples in front of you.”
On the third day, Curtis was moved out of the ICU. Melissa put on a forced smile, but when Curtis asked, “Mom, he said you’re not my mom. You’re lying to me, right?” her smile instantly froze.
She looked at Bradley in shock. “What the hell did you say to him?!”
Bradley, unfazed, simply replied, “I just told him the truth.”
Curtis was already crying uncontrollably. “Mom, is what he said… is it true?”
Melissa’s mind went completely blank. “No, no, it’s not true! He’s lying, okay? He’s trying to mess with you…”
Bradley’s voice was cold and distant. “The people from the testing agency are on their way. Don’t waste your breath.”
Melissa felt all the strength drain out of her. She sank down weakly beside Curtis’s bed, her sobs ragged and low. The nurse, who had been taking notes quietly, couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her, her heart aching at the sight.
The doctor, watching Curtis struggle to catch his breath through his tears, turned to Bradley and said respectfully, “Mr. Moore, the child can’t handle any more emotional distress. It’s best if you both step outside for now.”
Bradley shot a glance at Melissa, then grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room.
In the hospital corridor, Melissa pressed her back against the wall, her lips clenched tight, eyes empty as she listened to her son’s heart-wrenching cries echo from inside. It felt like her heart was being torn to shreds.
Not long after, the people from the testing agency arrived, took hair samples from both Curtis and Bradley, and left without a word.
Melissa knew that once those test results came back, it was over for her. She’d be out of the picture for good.
