Chapter 5
Chapter 5 – The First Inning
The stadium erupted.
Thousands of fans rose to their feet as the announcer's voice echoed across the field.
"Welcome to the State Championship!"
Cheers swallowed every other sound.
But Anna heard none of it.
Her eyes never left the young man in the blue jersey.
Number 41.
Nathan Brooks.
The name printed across the scoreboard.
The name he believed was his own.
She whispered softly,
"Noah..."
Michael gently squeezed her hand.
"Not yet."
The first inning began.
Nathan jogged onto the field.
Confident.
Focused.
His teammates trusted him.
His coaches admired him.
His parents watched proudly from the front row.
Anna studied every movement.
The way he adjusted his cap.
The way he smiled at the catcher.
The way he rubbed his left wrist before every pitch.
Her breath caught.
"He does that..."
Michael looked over.
"What?"
"Ethan."
"He rubs his wrist when he's nervous."
Michael stared at Nathan again.
The same habit.
The same unconscious gesture.
Separated at birth.
Still connected.
Grandpa sat quietly behind home plate, wearing the volunteer badge.
His eyes weren't on the game.
They were scanning the crowd.
Security guards.
Plainclothes officers.
Men pretending to watch baseball.
Too many.
He spoke softly into the tiny radio hidden beneath his collar.
"They're here."
Michael answered through his own earpiece.
"How many?"
"At least twelve."
"This wasn't about stopping us."
"They expected us."
Top of the third inning.
Nathan stepped into the batter's box.
The stadium chanted his name.
"Nathan!"
"Nathan!"
"Nathan!"
Anna's heart broke with every cheer.
That should have been Noah.
That should have been her son.
The pitcher wound up.
Fastball.
Crack!
The ball soared deep into left field.
The crowd exploded.
Home run.
Nathan rounded the bases, laughing with his teammates.
His adoptive father stood and shouted,
"That's my boy!"
Anna quietly turned away.
Not because she was angry.
Because she envied a life that should have belonged to her.
As the celebration settled, Grandpa noticed movement beneath the grandstand.
Richard Lawson.
He wasn't hiding anymore.
He walked calmly through the restricted tunnel, escorted by two security guards who treated him like an honored guest.
Grandpa's eyes narrowed.
"He owns this place."
Michael's voice came through the radio.
"What?"
"Not the stadium."
"The people."
During the fourth inning, Lily called Michael.
He answered immediately.
"Everything okay?"
Instead of Lily's voice...
A man spoke.
"You left the farmhouse."
Michael froze.
The caller chuckled.
"So predictable."
The line went dead.
Michael's blood ran cold.
He dialed back.
No answer.
Then Grandpa's phone vibrated.
A photo arrived.
Ethan.
Alive.
Sitting at the farmhouse kitchen table.
He was smiling.
Completely unaware.
Taken only seconds earlier.
Someone was inside the house.
Watching.
Michael's face drained of color.
"They know where Ethan is."
Anna felt panic rising.
"We have to leave."
"No."
Grandpa looked toward Nathan on the field.
"That's exactly what Richard wants."
Michael understood.
"If we leave now..."
"We lose him again."
Anna closed her eyes.
One son was in the stadium.
The other might already be in danger.
No mother should ever have to choose.
Bottom of the sixth inning.
Rain clouds rolled over the stadium.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
The game paused briefly as officials discussed the weather.
Nathan walked toward the dugout alone.
For the first time all afternoon...
He was by himself.
Anna looked at Michael.
"This is our chance."
Before he could answer...
She was already moving.
She slipped through the crowd.
Down the aisle.
Past the rail.
Toward the players' tunnel.
A security guard shouted,
"Ma'am! Stop!"
She kept running.
Another guard reached for her arm.
She pulled away.
"Nathan!"
The teenager turned.
Confused.
She stopped only a few feet away.
Tears streamed down her face.
"You don't know me..."
His teammates watched in silence.
His coach stepped forward.
"Lady, you need to leave."
Anna ignored him.
"There was a blue blanket."
Nathan frowned.
"What?"
"A stuffed rabbit."
His expression changed.
"The left ear was sewn back together."
Nathan's heartbeat quickened.
"How..."
"You've had the same nightmare since you were little."
His face went pale.
"You dream about crying..."
"...and a woman singing."
Nathan stumbled backward.
"Stop."
Anna's voice trembled.
"I know the lullaby."
She began to sing.
Very softly.
The melody she had sung to her newborn twins.
Just once.
Sixteen years ago.
Nathan froze.
His eyes widened.
Without understanding why...
He quietly finished the final line.
The words escaped his lips before he could stop them.
The entire tunnel fell silent.
Anna couldn't breathe.
"You remember."
Nathan stared at her.
"I..."
"I don't know you."
"But..."
His hands began to shake.
"Why do I know that song?"
A slow clap echoed through the tunnel.
Richard Lawson stepped from the shadows.
"Remarkable."
Everyone turned.
Richard smiled calmly.
"Memory."
He looked at Nathan.
"The human brain buries the truth..."
"But it rarely destroys it."
Nathan looked between them.
"What is happening?"
Richard's smile faded.
"The game is over."
He raised one hand.
Every security guard in the tunnel suddenly turned—not toward Anna—
But toward Richard.
One by one...
They drew concealed weapons.
The crowd outside continued cheering.
Completely unaware.
Richard looked at Nathan.
"It's time you finally learned..."
"...why your real parents paid millions to keep you."
Anna's eyes widened.
"He's lying!"
Richard smiled.
"Perhaps."
He looked directly at Nathan.
"But which story will you believe?"
"The woman you've known for thirty seconds..."
"...or the family who raised you for sixteen years?"
Nathan looked at Anna.
Then toward the stands, where the people he called Mom and Dad were searching for him.
His world was splitting in two.
And somewhere beyond the tunnel...
Sirens began to approach.
Not toward the stadium.
Toward the farmhouse.
Michael's phone rang again.
This time...
It was Ethan.
His voice was barely a whisper.
"Dad..."
"There are men outside."
May you like
"They're asking for me."
End of Chapter 5
