She looked at him then, eyes wide with terror. “The senator. You know his name. Everyone fears him. Months before I vanished, he cornered me. I tried to fight, but he made it clear—if I resisted, you would pay the price. So I ran. I disappeared to protect you.”

The doctor staggered back, his chest heaving. The senator—a man untouchable, powerful enough to crush lives with a word.

“Does he know about this child?” he asked, voice low.

“No,” she whispered. “And he must never know. If he learns, he’ll take him… or worse.”

For a long moment, silence thickened the air. Then the doctor slowly placed a trembling hand over hers.