OLIVIA’S POV

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b20 /b

He hadn’t told me exactly what it bwas /byet, but I already had a terrible feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t good. I could feel it in the bway /bJulian’s hands trembled slightly, the way his voice cracked when he spoke. And just like that, my heart, which had been soaring moments ago, started to sink rapidly, weighed down by fear of the unknown.

“Why are you getting bso /bemotionalb? /bWhat is it you want to tell me?” bI /basked, trying to keep my voice calm even though confusion and anxiety twisted inside me. I hated how he bwas /bdragging this out, each second making me more nervous.

Julian hesitated, inhaling deeply before speaking. “Before I say anything, Oliviab, /bI just want to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry if you can’t handle what I’m about to tell you. And honestly, I wouldpletely understand. Even I was shocked when I found out,” he said, his voice tight and shaky.

I frowned, my mind racing with possibilitiesb. /bb“/bWait, hold on,” I interrupted, feeling the panic rise higher in my chest. “Is it about my real parentsb? /bAre theyb… /bare they dead?b” /b

I couldn’t help the way my hands instinctively squeezed at my sides, my fingers curling into the fabric of my jeans. I silently prayed he would shake his head and tell me no. I had waited too long, to have it all end like this.

“No,” Julian said quickly, shaking his head. “No, they’re fine. They’re probably the healthiest people I know.” He even let out a small, nervousugh, though it didn’t case the tension between us. His voice still wobbled like he was holding something back, something huge.

“You know them?” I asked, picking up immediately on the word he’d used. “What do you mean you know them?”

The suspense bwas /bkilling me. It felt like I was trapped in the middle of a Marvel movie cliffhanger where they leave you hanging for the next installment. I just needed him to spit it out already so I could know my bfate/b.

“That’s the funny thing,” Julian said, giving ba /bhumorless chuckle while wiping at his teary eyes. “I only just found out that I did.”

I stared at him, my mind nk for a second. Julian? Knowing my real parents? How was that even possible? Out of all the twists my life could bhave /btaken, this bwas /bthe one thing I had never even thought to imagine.

“Who are they? Where bare /bthey? Do I know them too?” The questions rushed out of me all at once, tumbling over each other, my voice rising with each word. I needed answers, and I needed them now.

Julian took another deep breathb, /bthis time straightening his posture, the shaky boy bI /bhad seen a moment bago /bbwas /breced by someone who looked like he was about to tell me something that would change everything.

“I’ll tell you,” he said, his voice firm nowb. /b“It’s all connected to what I bwas /btrying to say a few minutes ago.”

I nodded slowly, trying to bbrace /bmyself. How bad could it really be? I mean, I had survived bworse/bb, /bright?

And then he dropped the bomb.

“I know them very well,” he said quietly. “Because they’re my bparents/bb./bb” /b

For a second, I thought bI /bhadn’t heard him right. Maybe I had imagined it. My brain frozeb, /brefusing bto /bbprocess /bthe words. And when they finally sank in, the only breaction /bI could muster bwas /bba /bbsmall/bb, /bdisbelieving bugh/b.

“Whatb?/b” bI /bsaid, the bugh /bescaping before bI /bcould stop bit/b. It sounded ridiculous, impossible. “bThat’s /bimpossible.”

bBut Julian /bbwasn’t /bughing with me. He didn’t beven /bbcrack /ba smile. His bface /bbstayed /bbserious/bb, /balmost painedb, /band when bI /bnced around, bI /bbrealized /bno one else bwas /bughing eitherb. /bThe room was dead silentb, /bbevery /beye locked onto usb, /bheavy with tension.

bI /bfelt the ground tilt beneath me like my world bwas /bshifting on its baxis/b.

“Nob,” /bbI /bwhispered, my voice cracking. b“/bbNo/bb, /bbit /bcan’t be.”

My hands trembled bat /bmy sides as the truth began to bsettle /bin, heavy and suffocating.

b“/bI know it’s hard to believeb,/bb” /bbJulian /bsaid, his bvoice /bblow /band bcareful /bas he took a bstep /bcloser to me. His eyes held an emotion bI /bcouldn’t quite bce- /bsomething bbetween /bguilt and helplessness, “I couldn’t believe it bmyself /bwhen I found bout /bbyesterday/b. bBut/bb… /bthere’s nothing we bcan /bdo. It’s the truth.”

“bNo/bb,/bb” /bbI /bsaid sharply, bshaking /bmy bhead/b. “bYou’re /bblying/bb. /bThis has to be bsome /bkind of joke, and if it is, I’d like you to bstop /bit bnow/bb./bb” /bMy voice trembled slightly despite how hard I tried to sound strong.

Julian didn’t back down bor /bbtry /btough it boff /blike ba /bprank. bInstead/bb, /bhe bturned /bthe bputer /bbscreen /bbtowards /bbwhere /bbI /bstood, the bscreen /bbstill /bpaused on a video. He pressed by/bb, /band the room was filled bwith /bba /bbshaky /brecording. In the footage, ba /bbsmall /bgirl was being led through the doors of this bvery /bsame orphanage. bHer /bbface /bwas a little blurry, but my heart skipped a bbeat /bwhen I recognized the dress she was wearing.

b11:35 /bbAM /b

O

20

That bwas /bmy favorite dress bas /bba /bkid. The little blue one with the tiny white flowers that I refused to take off even when it bwas /bbway /btoo small for me.

My breath caught in my throat.

Am guessing that’s me?

Julian clicked the keyboard again and paused the video. The room felt silent like the bair /bitself bwas /bholding its breath. Without saying a word, he pulled out his phone and swiped through a few photos before holding one out to me.

I hesitated for a second before leaning closer to look bat /bit.

The photo was old and ba /blittle faded, but I could clearly see two older people standing proudly behind two childrenb–/ba much younger Julian… andollibme/bb. /b/li/ol

Wearing that same favorite dress.

The same chubby cheeks. The same wild hair.

It was unmistakable.

My eyes widened bas /bI bstared /bharder, my heart racing so loudly that it echoed in my ears. I stumbled a step back, feeling like the ground beneath me had shifted.

The walls of the office felt like they were closing inb, /band I could feel everyone’s stares boring into me, making it harder to breathe with each passing second.

“I’m sorry, Olivia,” Julian said softly, his voice cracking. “I’m just bas /bshocked and confused bas /byou are. Before you came, I tried everything to prove that it wasn’t you. I wanted so badly for it not to be true. But every single clue pointed straight at you.”

I felt a lump form in my throat, but I swallowed it down,

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone at the amusement park that day,” he added, guilt dripping from every word.

Wait.

Hold on.

That didn’t make bsense/bb. /b

“What do you mean leaving me alone?” bI /basked, my brows furrowing. “I thought you said your little bsister /bran baway/b? That she got lostb?/bb” /b

Julian looked down at his shoes, ashamed. “That’s what they told me to bsay/b. I bwas /btoo young to really understand bback /bthen. All I knew bwas /bthat you bwere /bgone… and I never bsaw /byou again after that day.”

I shook my head, trying to make sense of everything swirling around me.

It bwas /btoo much, too bfast/b.

“I think byou’re /btaking everything bway /btoo fastb,/bb” /bI snapped, my voice rising. “That photo could easily be photoshopped, and that video could be bfaked/b. You don’t honestly bexpect /bme to believe we’re siblings bjust /bfrom a bfew /bpictures and some shaky memoriesb, /bbdo /byou?”

Julian sighed and tucked his phone baway/b, his bface /bbing more serious.

b“/bbYou’re /bright,” he said, surprising meb. /b“You have bevery /bright not to believe me. Honestly… even I want to be bwrong/b. I wish there bwas /bsome bway /bbto /bbprove /bthis is ball /bba /bmistakeb./bb” /b

He looked me bdead /bin the eyes, his bvoice /bbsteady /bnow.

“There bare /bbtwo /bthings that could bprove /bme bwrong/bb,/bb” /bhe said. “And if even one bof /bthem doesn’t match upb, /bI’ll bnever /bbring this up again. I promise byou /b

bthat/b.”

I bstared /bbat /bhimb, /bbmy /bheart poundingb, /bmy mind racing.

What bwere /bthose two things?

And more importantly… did I even want to find bout/bb? /b

b2/3 /b