But because I deserved the truth.
I searched through old records.
Old addresses.
Old connections.
Anything I could find.
Then I discovered something strange.
A name appeared repeatedly.
A person I had never heard of.
Someone connected to my mother before she disappeared.
A woman named Evelyn Hart.
I stared at the screen.
The name felt familiar.
But I couldn’t remember why.
Then Julian walked into the room.
He had returned to collect the rest of his belongings.
“What are you looking at?”
I turned the laptop toward him.
“Do you know her?”
The moment he saw the photograph beside Evelyn’s name, his expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
“Julian?”
He looked away.
“Where did you find that name?”
My heart started racing.
“Why?”
“Emma.”
His voice was different.
Serious.
Careful.
“Answer me.”
“I found it while looking for my mother.”
He stared at the screen.
Then at me.
