Shawn sat alone on the edge of the stage, the empty arena echoing with the lingering hum of a crowd that had long since left. His acoustic guitar rested at his feet, forgotten. The adrenaline from the concert was fading, replaced by a restless, gnawing sensation as he mindlessly scrolled through his phone.

Then, a notification popped up—a message from a friend. He almost ignored it, too tired to deal with anything tonight, but something made him click. What he saw stopped him cold.

A link. A headline. "Pop Star's Secret Son—A Child Kept Out of the Spotlight?" Attached was a photo of his ex-girlfriend, sitting on a park bench with a little boy in her lap. The kid had wild brown curls and wide hazel eyes that Shawn recognized instantly because they were his. His breath caught in his throat as the world around him seemed to close in.

The arena, once filled with thousands of fans, now felt too quiet, too empty. His heart pounded in the hollow silence as he stared at the photo, emotions swirling—shock, disbelief, anger, confusion. But more than anything, a deep ache of betrayal. She never told him.

Before he knew it, his hands were moving on their own, dialing her number. It rang only once before she answered, and he could hear the fear in her voice, like she’d been waiting for this moment but dreading it too.

“Shawn...” she said, her voice soft, distant. He pictured her at home, maybe in the baby’s room, cradling their son. Their son.

His voice cracked. “Is it true?”

A heavy silence stretched between them. He heard her exhale, the weight of everything finally breaking through.

His grip tightened on the phone, knuckles white. He stood up, pacing the stage that suddenly felt too small. “It’s true?” He didn’t need to hear the answer, but he asked anyway, his chest tightening.

He ran a hand through his hair, disbelief giving way to something deeper—anger, confusion, but also love. Love for the child he’d never known. A boy who had his eyes, his smile. And she had kept him a secret, hidden away from the chaos.