CHAPTER 2 The Secret That Stole a Brother
The noise of Manhattan seemed to disappear.
Emily stared at the homeless boy while tears rolled down her cheeks. Ethan looked between the locket and his mother's face, terrified by the silence.
"Mom," he whispered. "Who is he?"
The homeless boy remained where he was, keeping a careful distance as though expecting to be rejected before anyone answered. Emily finally covered her mouth, struggling to breathe through the memories flooding back.
"I was told..." she whispered. "I was told one of you died."
Ethan's eyes widened.
"What?"
"When you were born, there were complications. Your father handled everything. He placed one baby in my arms and told me the other hadn't survived."
The homeless boy slowly shook his head.
"He lied."
Emily stared at him in disbelief.
"The woman who raised me was dying," he continued. "Before she passed away, she gave me this locket. She said I had been taken from a hospital and that if I ever found the woman in these pictures, I should ask why she left me."
Emily broke down.
Not with screams.
Not with excuses.
Only with the quiet sobs of a mother discovering that half of her family had been stolen.
"I never left you," she cried. "I swear... I never knew."
The homeless boy lowered his eyes.
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"For years," he whispered, "I thought nobody came because nobody wanted me."
Those words shattered everything Emily believed about her life.
