The shopping street seemed to disappear around them. The wealthy woman stared at the small birthmark near the girl's heel, unable to breathe.
Chapter 1: The Birthmark
The shopping street seemed to disappear around them.
The wealthy woman stared at the small birthmark near the girl's heel, unable to breathe.
Ten years.
Ten years of searching.
Ten years of sleepless nights, private investigators, police reports, and empty birthdays.
The little girl backed away.
"Please don't hurt me."
The woman dropped to her knees.
Tears streamed down her face.
"What is your name?" she asked.
The child hesitated.
"Emma."
The name hit the woman like lightning.
Emma.
That was the name she and her husband had chosen before their baby disappeared from the hospital.
The crowd watched in silence.
"Who takes care of you?" the woman asked.
Emma pointed toward an old bus station across the street.
"I stay there sometimes."
"Your parents?"
The girl lowered her eyes.
"I don't know."
The woman felt her heart shatter.
She carefully unfolded the hospital card again.
The date matched.
The footprint matched.
And now the birthmark matched.
Her hands trembled as she whispered,
"My baby was stolen from the hospital the day she was born."
Emma looked confused.
"I don't understand."
The woman reached out but stopped herself.
For ten years she had dreamed of this moment.
But she knew one thing:
If this child truly was her daughter, she had already suffered enough fear.
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"I'm not going to hurt you," she said softly.
"I'm going to find the truth."
