"I know my Dad is here somewhere." The young boy that she had met at the hospital a few days ago grabbed her hand and dragged her across the room.
Caught by surprise, she didn't have time to react as the little rascal pulled her all over the place in search of his father.
The highly spirited boy had already bumped into a couple of guests and a waiter. Luckily, the woman didn't fall flat on the floor, and the waiter saved the drinks before they splattered all over the exquisite clothes of the distinguished guests.
"Wait!" Eventually, she stopped the kid before they created total mayhem and got in trouble.
"Where are we going, Caleb?" She held the boy by his arm before he ran again somewhere. Usually, events like this were not exactly kid-friendly. Therefore, she was surprised to see him at the exclusive party.
Truthfully, after she had slammed into him at the hospital, she thought she would never see him again. So, what was the likelihood that they would meet here again?
"My Dad should be around here, Mom." He answered while extending his neck to look for him.
Mom?
Again, why did he keep calling her Mom?
Suddenly, she could not help but wonder how old the boy was. Thinking about it, if her son had survived the accident, he might be around the same age as him.
Anyway, "Did you get separated from your Dad?"
Deciding to help, her eyes scanned the room, but strangely, nobody seemed to be looking for the boy. On the other hand, Caleb appeared to be quite familiar with the place as he navigated easily through the massive space.
"What did your Dad look like?" She knelt, not caring if her long gown touched the floor, until she was eye level with him.
"My Dad is handsome, tall, with big shoulders and dark hair." Caleb gave her, more or less, a general description, which basically described most of the male guests present at the party. "And he's wearing a suit the same as mine." He added as if that should narrow her search.
It didn't exactly help, noticing that almost all men were wearing black tuxedo suits.
"What is his name?" She thought of being more specific. "Your Dad?"
"Oh! My Dad..." He finally looked at her, excitedly, with a wide smile, as if he could not wait to introduce her to him. "His name is..."
"Caleb?"
But before the boy could give her the name, someone called him.
"Caleb..."
The boy immediately looked behind her where the voice had come from.
"Caleb, there you are. Your grandma had been looking all over for you." A man's voice spoke behind her, addressing the boy who was still in her hold.
Damn! Why did she feel suddenly cold? As if a chill just ran down her spine.
That voice did sound familiar. It seemed like she had heard him before. But where?
"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I didn't mean to make you worry." The young child politely replied. "But look. I found my new Mom."
Again, what's with the Mom?
Although she felt awkward that he kept calling her that, she could not help the giddy sensation the thought brought to her heart.
How many times had she longed for her son to call her that?
If her son had lived, what would his voice sound like?
Would he be as kind, courteous, charming, and a bit mischievous as Caleb?
"Oh! Is that her?" The man asked, as if he had been aware of her existence. "The woman from the hospital?" The older man's warm, cordial voice clarified. "Have she met your father yet?"
It appeared the boy had been busy talking about her to his family. At this point, she decided to turn around and meet the young boy's grandfather.
"That's the thing..." Caleb was clearly complaining to his grandfather. "I couldn't find him. Have you seen him?" He asked instead.
"No! Not since earlier. But he must be just somewhere around here." The older man said. "Hi. I'm Caleb's grandfather." He extended his hand to her, but all she could do in that instant was stare.
For years, she had imagined different scenarios where she would stand face to face with this man again, but she had never thought of this moment.
What the fuck!
Her mind was in chaos, but thankfully, her body remained calm as she stood before him.
"Maximus Morton. Just a retired grandfather." He continued, still patiently waiting for her hand. "And you must be Sophia."
The mention of her fake name ultimately snapped her back from her stupor. "I'm sorry. I must be starstruck." Quickly thinking of an alibi, before the man became suspicious of her strange behavior.
"I think the pictures in the news didn't do you justice. You're far more charming in person." Slowly, she offered her hand to him, which he gracefully lifted to his lips for a decorous greeting.
Although her entire body was screaming, "MURDERER," she still kept a polite smile. This was not the time to lose her shit. Not yet.
Instead, "Sophia Maddison, representing the Sinclair Group." Speaking of her company, she remembered seeing her boss earlier, but she still hadn't reported to her. But she guessed her boss would have to wait.
After several minutes or more, she studied the older Morton, wondering if he even hinted at who she was. But the way he was being friendly with her, it appeared he had no clue.
In fact, she had never thought that he would ever warm to her, not even in her wildest dream. But then again, she wasn't the same person he met six years ago.
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Morton, but I really need to excuse myself." She knew this encounter was just the beginning. So, she had to be more prepared for the next time. "Caleb, since you already found your grandpa, I'll leave you to him."
"But Mom, you still haven't met my Dad," Caleb complained.
"I'm really sorry, but I really need to see my boss." She showed the boy her phone, pretending that she had received a message.
"Okay, Mom." The boy finally conceded to let her go. "But you have to come and find me later." He made her promise."
"I'm sure Ms. Sophia will be more than happy to see you again later." Mr. Morton assured his grandson.
She eventually did swear, finding it hard to look at the boy's sad and disappointed face. It somehow broke her heart to see him in such a state.
But she was still baffled at the way the older man behaved toward her. It was far from how he had treated her those many years ago.
But anyway, she doubted that he had changed. He was probably being nice because of his grandson.
Then, the boy tugged on her dress to call her attention again.
"You know you have to meet my Dad if you're gonna marry him."