CHAPTER 2 — THE SECRET IN THE HOSPITAL
Hours later, Alexander sat outside the emergency room.
Emma had fallen asleep beside him.
The doctors were still treating Noah.
A nurse approached carrying a folder.
“Are you family?” she asked.
Alexander shook his head.
“No. Just someone who found them.”
The nurse sighed.
“That's the problem. We can't locate their parents.”
Alexander frowned.
“No relatives?”
“None that we can find.”
Something about that answer bothered him.
The next morning, Emma finally woke up.
The first thing she asked was,
“Is Noah okay?”
“He's stable,” Alexander replied.
Relief flooded her face.
Then she pulled something from her pocket.
A worn photograph.
“We only have this.”
Alexander took the picture.
The moment he looked at it, his heart stopped.
The photo showed a young woman holding two babies.
Standing beside her was a younger version of himself.
Alexander's hands trembled.
The woman in the photograph was Sophia.
The love of his life.
The woman who disappeared nine years ago without explanation.
His eyes slowly moved to Emma.
Then to Noah.
A terrible realization hit him.
“How old are you?” he asked quietly.
“Eight.”
The room became silent.
Eight years.
Exactly eight years.
The same amount of time Sophia had been gone.
May you like
For the first time in his life, Alexander was afraid of the answer forming in his mind.
Could these children be his?
