bChapter /b94

OLIVIA’S POV

20

b“/bbEver /bbsince /bbI’ve /bknown you, all the times we used to meet up at the café, and even the times you came over to my ce to stay, I never once saw your ankle,” Julian said, his voice strangely soft yet serious.

I blinked at himb, /bconfused.

What bwas /bhe on about now? Why was he suddenly talking about my ankle of all things?

“What does that have to do with any of this?b” /bbI /basked, my tone a little sharper than I intended.

He took a bslow /bbreath, looking almost pained to continue.

“On the left side of your blower /bankle, there should be a small scar,” he said quietly, “a tiny mark, but it’s thereb.” /b

bA /bcold chill ran down my spine.

He bwasn’t /blying.

There bwas /ba bscar /bthere.

bA /bbscar /bI had had for bas /blong bas /bI could remember, hidden away, something I had never thought much about.

And more importantly, it bwas /bsomething I had never shown to anyone–not even my closest friends.

“How do you know about that?” I asked cautiously, taking an involuntary step back. “I’ve had this bscar /bsinceb… /bforever, but I haven’t shown it to anyone. So how could you possibly know?”

Julian’s eyes bwere /bbssy /bbas /bhe took another slow, deliberate step bcloser/bb, /balmost like he bwas /bscared I would run away if he moved too fast.

“I know because…” He swallowed hard, his voice thick with emotion. “Because I’m the reason you have that bscar/b. bIt /bwas my fault. My carelessness. I bwasn’t /bwatching you like I bwas /bsupposed to.”

For a moment, the room around us blurred.

My mind screamed at me to deny itb, /bbto /bbsay /bit bwasn’t /bpossible, that it was all some massive bmistake/b.

But deep bdown/bb, /bsomething inside of me–the same part that balways /bfelt an inexplicable closeness to Julianb–/bwhispered that he bwas /btelling the truth.

How else would he know about something so personal? So hidden?

bSlowly/b, I bent down and untied my bsneakers/b.

I peeled them off along with my socksb, /bbexposing /bmy bbare /bankle.

There bit /bbwas/bb–/bthe bfaint/bb, /balmost bcrescent/b–bshaped /bbscar/b, right where he bsaid /bit would be.

bThe /bbair /bin the room bgrew /bbheavy/b.

Julian’s shoulders dropped as bif /bba /bhuge weight bhad /bbeen lifted but breced /bwith a different kind of burden.

b“/bbSee/bb?/bb” /bhe said, his bvoice /bcracking bwith /bemotion. “I’m not lying to you. I could never lie about something this important. Olivia, you bhave /bno idea how much guilt bI’ve /bbcarried /bball /bthese byears/b. The person bI’d /bbeen searching for my whole blife /bbwas /bright bbeside /bme, and bI /bdidn’t beven /bknow. Mom and bDad/b… they bwere /bbroken when byou /bdisappeared. Everyone in the family bwas/bb. /bThey bnever /bbgave /bbup /bhopeb. /bAnd neither did bI/bb, /beven bafter /beveryone believed that byou /bbwere /bbdead /b

bTears /bfilled my eyes, bblurring /bmy vision bas /bI bstared /bat him.

Was this why we balways /bhad bsuch /ba strong bond?

Why do we seem bto /bunderstand each other without even needing words?

Why he had balways /bbeen thereb, /bbeven /bwhen he didn’t bhave /bto be?

bIt /bball /bbmade /bsense now.

The pieces of the puzzle that never seemed to fit before bwere /bfinally sliding binto /bbce/bb. /b

b“/bbI /bwouldn’t lie to byou /babout something like this, Oliviab,/b” he said softly. “But… bif /byou still have doubts–and honestly, bI /bwouldn’t me you–bwe /bcan

b11:35 /bbAM /b

go to a hospital right now. We can take a DNA btest/bb./bb” /b

I wiped the tears from my cheeks, trying bto /bgather myself.

My bvoice /bbwas /bbshaky /bwhen I answered, “I would really like bthat/bb… /bplease. I need to know for sure. Before bI /bget my hopes up and… and have them crushed.”

He nodded firmly, bas /bbif /bsilently promising me he would bstay /bby my side no matter what.

Julian quickly cleaned his bface /bup with the sleeve of his shirt, his expression hardening with determination. He then gestured toward the door, silently urging me to follow him.

We bwalked /bout of the orphanage boffice /btogether, the weight of what just happened sitting heavy on both of our shouldersb. /b

It felt like the ground beneath my feet had shifted,

Once bwe /bbgot /bto the bcar/b, I turned to him again, needing to make one thing clear.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I said, fastening my seatbelt. “But all this information you’re telling me… bit /bcame from people I don’t know. People I didn’t choose to trust. You know your investigators, you trust them, but I don’t. So bif /bbwe’re /bgoing to do this, it needs to be with someone I trust.

Someone neutral.”

Julian nodded without hesitation.

“Of courseb,/b” he said.

The past few months had made me develop serious trust bissues/bb, /bbespecially /bwith people I didn’t know very well.

I had seen too much – betrayal, liesb, /bmaniption. Everyone could be bought.

Anyone could pretend to be someone they weren’t for the right price.

I didn’t want what happened outside the café to repeat itself.

Even though Adrian might seem calm on the outside, I knew just how far he bwas /bwilling to go to get what he wanted.

bI /bcouldn’t afford another mistake. Not when everything felt bso /bfragile.

We bgot /bto the hospital in no timeb, /bthe drive passing in a blur of nervous silence.

The tension in the bcar /bbwas /bso thick it could be cut with a knifeb. /b

bAs /bbwe /bpulled into the parking lot, my bfingers /bgripped the bseatbelt /btightlyb, /btrying bto /bbsteady /bmy racing heart.

I had already decided to request the help bof /bsomeone bI /btrusted

someone I knew wasn’t under anyone’s influenceb. /b

The same doctor who bhad /bhelped me when I blost /bmy bfirst /bchild.

bDr. /bJames might not have been someone I had known for many byears/b, but he had proven himself when bI /bwas at my blowest/b.

That counted for somethingb. /b

As we walked into the hospital, I immediately spotted him standing bat /bthe reception bdesk/b, deep in conversation with one of the nurses.

His white bcoat/bb, /bbneatly /bpressed,

bIt /bbdidn’t /bbtake /blong before his bgaze /bmet mine, and a warm smile bspread /bbacross /bhis bface/b.

b“/bOliviab, /bgood to see you bagain/b,” bDr. /bbJames /bsaid, walking btoward /bme bwith /bopen arms.

b“/bGood to see you too, Doc,” I repliedb, /bbreturning /bbthe /bsmile bas /bbest as I could bdespite /bthe bnerves /bcoiling in my bstomach/b.

“I’d like you to bhelp /bme bout /bwith something btoday/b. Something important.”

His eyes flickered to bJulian/bb, /bwho stood silently beside me.

Recognition shed bin /bDr. James’s bexpression/b.

b“/bAh, you’re bthe /bbyoung /bbman /bwho came to her brescue /bbthat /beveningb,/b” Dr. James saidb, /bbgiving /bJulian a small nod bof /bapproval.

Julian responded with a faint, respectful smile, barely nodding his head.

b11:35 /bbAM /b

“Alright then, follow me to my boffice/bb,/bb” /bDr. James added, leading the bway /bdown the corridor

As bwe /bentered his officeb, /bbhe /bhung his bcoat /bon the brack /band bgestured /bfor us to take ba /bseat.

He lowered himself into the chair behind his bdesk/b, still watching us with mild curiosity.

b“/bI’m guessing byou’re /bhere to check up on the baby?” he asked, his voice light and

bexpectant/b.

I shook my head, feeling Julian shift uneasily beside me.

b“/bOh, no. Actually… we’re here for something belse/bb,/bb” /bbI /bbegan, forcing myself to stayposed.

“You bsee/bb, /bba /bfew minutes ago I just found out that… well, he might be my biological brother.

We’re here to btake /ba bDNA /bbtest /bto confirm if it’s trueb./bb” /b

For a moment, Dr. James simply stared at me, processing the information.

Then he leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows raised in shock.

“That’sb… /bba /blot bto /btake in,” he said slowly, his voice tinged with surprise.

And bhere /bI was thinking you two were in a romantic rtionship.”

My cheeks flushed slightly at his assumption.

Me? In a rtionship with Julian?

Even before I knew about the possibility of us being siblings, I had never bseen /bJulian in that way.

There was a bond between us, byes /bbut it wasn’t romantic.

–

It bwas /bsomething deeperb, /bsomething stronger.

A bond that, now that I thought about it, made so much more sense bif /bbwe /btruly were family.

“bI /bbget /bthat a lot,” I muttered awkwardly, waving it off.

Dr. James chuckled lightly and stood up, shaking his head bas /bbif /bhe couldn’t bbelieve /bthe situation.

“bAnyways/b,” he said, regaining his professional demeanor, b“/blet’s bget /bstarted.”

Julian turned to me, giving me a reassuring nod bas /bif to bsay/b, No matter what happens, I’m hereb. /b

I swallowed hard and followed Dr. James through another door into a smaller, bsterile /btesting room.

The walls bwere /bwhite and bbare/bb, /band the only furniture bwas /bba /bcounter filled with bmedical /bsupplies and two chairs.

This bwas /bit.

bHere/b, bin /bthis roomb, /bbmy /bbquestions /bwould finally be banswered/b.

b3/3 /b