Chapter 2
Elise suddenly remembered the winter two years ago.
She was burning up with a fever of 102°F, chilled to the bone under the covers. Alina stood at the doorway for half an hour, yelling at her because the soup didn't suit her taste. She accused Elise of "pretending to be sick to slack off" and sneered, "People from humble backgrounds are always so sensitive."
Gavin was also home that day.
He heard it all but said lightly, "Mom's getting old. Just give her a break."
She'd been putting up with it for three years.
And now, after all that, she was left with nothing.
At the bottom of the steps, a shiny black Bentley was parked, drawing attention. People coming and going at the Civil Hall couldn't help but steal a few glances.
Elise saw it, too, but didn't pay it any mind.
It wasn't until the back door of the car was pushed open from the inside and a well-dressed middle-aged woman stepped out. When her eyes landed on Elise, her eyes instantly grew misty.
That look was really unusual.
It was like she'd been suppressing her feelings for years, and now, after finally seeing Elise, she couldn't tear her eyes away.
Elise paused, caught off guard, and instinctively stopped walking.
Then, the other car door swung open.
A man in his fifties got out, tall and steady, carrying the aloofness of someone used to being in charge. But as he looked at Elise, the icy look in his eyes softened, little by little.
There was also a young man, probably twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wearing a black shirt and sporting sharp, deep-set features. He stood by the car, his gaze locked on Elise, his eyes holding a mix of emotions she couldn't quite decipher.
Elise frowned.
She was certain she'd never seen them before.
The middle-aged woman hurried up to Elise, her eyes brimming with tears that spilled over in an instant.
"Elise..." she called softly.
Her voice was gentle, as if weighed down by twenty years of hardship and longing, the last syllable trembling with emotion.
Elise was stunned.
It was rare for anyone to call her by that name.
She was an adopted daughter.
Her adoptive mother used to call her Little Elise, but after she married into the Wright family, everyone called her Elise or Gavin's wife.
"Maybe you've mistaken me for someone else," Elise said, taking a small step back, her voice polite but distant.
The woman looked like she'd been stabbed by Elise's words. Her eyes reddened even more, and she quickly shook her head. "I'm not mistaken, I'm not... Do you have a tiny red mole under your left collarbone?
"When you went missing as a child, you were wearing a pale yellow dress with a little bunny embroidered on it, and a silver bell on your right wrist..."
Elise's breath suddenly hitched.
There was a tiny red mole beneath her left collarbone.
She had no memory of that pale yellow dress.
But that silver bell, she remembered it clearly.
When her adoptive mother took her in, the bell was already on her wrist. As it grew old and broken, her adoptive mother carefully tucked it away in a wooden box, promising to tell Elise where it came from once she was grown.
But before that day ever arrived, her adoptive mother fell ill and never got the chance.
Elise's fingertips turned icy, her voice tense as she asked, "Who... Who are you guys, really?"
The woman opened her mouth, her tears falling harder and harder. It was like so many words were stuck in her throat, she couldn't get a single one out.
Finally, the middle-aged man spoke up.
His voice was deep and restrained, with a barely noticeable tremor in it.
"I'm Jeffery Schmitt," he said. "And she's Alieen Schmitt.
"Elise, we're your birth parents."
Out of nowhere, the wind kicked up.
The gusts buzzed in Elise's ears.
In that instant, Elise stood frozen, feeling like someone had hit pause on the whole world.
Fresh out of the Civil Hall with her divorce papers, Elise had just walked out of a messy marriage, and her ex-mother-in-law had called to tear her down, making her feel worthless.
Then, someone stood before her and said...
"You're not someone nobody wants."
"You were just lost, for a very long time."
Elise's eyes grew misty in an instant.
But she didn't cry.
She just clung to the strap of her bag like it was the only thing keeping her afloat, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Impossible..."
Her first reaction wasn't excitement. It was just ridiculous.
It was way too much to take in.
At her absolute lowest, someone suddenly told her she actually had a whole other life she never even knew about.
It felt just like a dream.
But when a dream was too good, it didn't feel real.
"I know it's hard to believe right now," Alieen said, wiping her tears, her hands shaking. "It's okay. We can do a paternity test, and we can show you all the proof. Elise, we've been searching for you for twenty-five years. We never once gave up..."
"Twenty-five years?" Elise repeated, her voice barely above a whisper, like she couldn't even process the number.
"Yes," Jeffery said, his eyes aching with sorrow as he looked at her. "You went missing at the Ventris Train Station when you were two. After that, we searched everywhere.
"All these years, your mom has gone back to Ventris every single year. On your birthday, she's never dared to celebrate, because she never knew if you were doing okay, or even if you were still alive."
Alieen couldn't hold back anymore. She covered her mouth and started crying her heart out.
Elise stood frozen, like someone had punched her right in the chest. The ache was so deep, she could barely breathe.