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00:00My husband Julian didn't know I'd decided to transfer 15% of the company shares to him a gift for
00:05our 10th anniversary, until the day of my son's health checkup.
00:08The doctor smiled as he handed me the results.
00:11My husband and I, both type O.
00:14Our son?
00:15Type A.
00:16I looked at the boy sitting beside me, a miniature version of Julian.
00:19I didn't make a sound.
00:21I simply, calmly, did two things.
00:24First, I pulled a strand of hair from my son's head when he wasn't looking.
00:27Second, I tore up the share transfer agreement I'd prepared.
00:30I watched my son walk through the school gates before turning the car around.
00:33The DNA testing center was across town.
00:36I need express results. How fast can you do it?
00:38The technician glanced up from her paperwork.
00:40Standard processing is five business days.
00:42Rushes today by 4 p.m.
00:44Triple the cost.
00:45Rush it.
00:46My hands trembled slightly as I handed over the sample.
00:48After they swabbed my cheek cells, I sat in the waiting area, staring at the clock on the wall.
00:52Every second felt like an hour.
00:54I pulled out my phone and made another call.
00:56I need you to investigate my husband, Julian Robinson.
00:59I want to know everywhere he's been, especially in the last few months.
01:03The private detective's voice was professional, detached.
01:06Understood.
01:07At 3.40 p.m., my phone buzzed.
01:09I opened the electronic report.
01:11Skipped straight to the end.
01:13DNA analysis indicates a 0.0001% probability of biological relationship between Vivian Hart and Alex Robinson.
01:22Based on genetic marker analysis, evidence does not support Vivian Hart as a biological mother of Alex Robinson.
01:28Even though I'd prepared myself, seeing those words made my vision blur for a moment.
01:33I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor.
01:36Not my child.
01:37I'd raised a child who wasn't mine for nine years.
01:41So where was my child?
01:42I drove straight to St. Mary's Private Hospital, the same place where I'd given birth nine years ago.
01:48Dr. Seussi was still there.
01:49She'd been promoted to department head.
01:51Dr. Seussi, I need to access my delivery records and hospitalization files from nine years ago.
01:56Her smile froze for a moment.
01:57That was so long ago.
01:59The files might already be archived.
02:01It took some effort, but eventually someone from the records room brought over a folder.
02:06I flipped it open.
02:07The documentation was shockingly sparse.
02:09Only basic informations.
02:11Admission time, discharge time, delivery method, newborn wait, no detailed labor notes, no nurse handoff records, no pediatric examination reports.
02:20Is this everything?
02:21She looked apologetic.
02:23That's all we have in the system.
02:25Paper records are usually kept for ten years.
02:27You're right at the edge of that window.
02:29What about the newborn footprints?
02:30The blood samples?
02:32She shook her head.
02:33Those should be in the newborn records, but we couldn't locate them.
02:38It was obvious there was something wrong.
02:40An abnormally simple medical file.
02:42Missing newborn records.
02:44A child who wasn't mine, but looked exactly like my husband.
02:47The pieces were starting to form a picture I didn't want to see.
02:51My phone rang.
02:52It was Julian.
02:53Where are you?
02:54I already picked up Alex.
02:55I'd completely forgotten about school pickup time.
02:58At least I'd warned the teacher ahead of time.
03:00I'm out running business.
03:01I'll be home soon.
03:03I hung up.
03:05After dinner, I claimed a headache and retreated to the bedroom early.
03:08Through the closed door, I could hear Julian helping Alex with homework in the living room.
03:13Their voices drifting through the house.
03:17Dad, is Mom upset?
03:19Mom's just tired.
03:20Finish your homework and get to bed early.
03:22I waited until they were both asleep.
03:24Then I started searching.
03:25The master bedroom.
03:26The living room.
03:28Alex's room.
03:29I went through everything, looking for...
03:31I didn't even know what.
03:33I found nothing.
03:35Finally, I turned to the computer in the study.
03:37The truth had to be in there.
03:39Footsteps in the hallway.
03:41I quickly closed out of the files I'd been opening.
03:44When Julian pushed the door open, I was straightening papers on the desk.
03:48He glanced at the computer screen.
03:50It had returned to the desktop.
03:51A photo of the three of us at the beach from three years ago.
03:56Still up?
03:57Just organizing some old documents.
03:59I reached over and turned off the monitor.
04:01He stood there for a moment like he wanted to say something.
04:04In the end, he just nodded.
04:07Get some rest.
04:08I sat in the darkness, listening to his footsteps fade down the hall.
04:12That night, I didn't touch the computer again.
04:15I lay in bed, thoughts racing, unable to find sleep.
04:19The next morning, I still let Julian take Alex to school.
04:22He looked at me, picked up the car keys.
04:25All right.
04:25The moment they left, I went straight to the study.
04:28I turned on the computer and tried the password.
04:31Our wedding anniversary.
04:32Wrong.
04:33His birthday.
04:34Wrong.
04:35Alex's birthday.
04:36Still wrong.
04:37I tried the date we first met.
04:39His mother's birthday.
04:40The day the company was founded.
04:41All wrong.
04:42The system locked me out.
04:43Please try again in 15 minutes.
04:46I sat there, staring at the login screen.
04:48This computer we'd bought together, now locked against me.
04:52That evening, Julian came home from work.
04:54He was barely through the door when he said,
04:57I'm going to Italy tomorrow.
04:58Business trip.
04:59Not sure how long I'll be gone.
05:00I came out of the kitchen carrying a dish.
05:03That's sudden.
05:04Who are you going with?
05:05He set his briefcase on the table and turned to look at me.
05:07Just someone.
05:08It was a last minute arrangement.
05:09Vivian, can you not do this?
05:11I stared at him, confused.
05:13It was just a casual question.
05:15Why was he reacting like this?
05:17You question everything.
05:18You suspect everyone.
05:20I'm just going to work.
05:21I turned back to serve the rice.
05:23My hands were shaking slightly.
05:25I was just asking.
05:27He said nothing more.
05:28Walked straight to the bedroom.
05:30Dinner was silent.
05:31Alex must have sensed something was off.
05:33For once, he didn't complain about the food.
05:36After his shower, Julian grabbed his coat from the sofa to hang it up.
05:40A receipt slipped from the pocket and fell near my feet.
05:42After he left the room, I picked it up.
05:44A perfume purchase.
05:45Expensive.
05:46Bought yesterday afternoon.
05:48A brand name I didn't recognize.
05:49But I knew it wasn't for me.
05:51I thought about our marriage.
05:53Ten years.
05:54Julian hadn't bought me a gift in all that time.
05:57Not since our first anniversary.
05:59A scarf.
06:00I still had it somewhere.
06:01After that, nothing.
06:02No birthday gifts.
06:04No anniversary gifts.
06:05No just-because gifts.
06:07I told myself he wasn't romantic.
06:08He showed love in other ways.
06:10He was practical and focused on providing.
06:12On his career.
06:13I'd made excuses for him.
06:15But now, holding this receipt, I understood.
06:18He wasn't unromantic.
06:19He wasn't too busy.
06:21He wasn't too practical.
06:22His romance just wasn't for me.
06:24It was for someone else.
06:25Someone who wore expensive French perfume.
06:28I wrote down the information from the receipt.
06:30The next morning, after Julian left for the airport, I called the boutique.
06:35I need to verify a purchase.
06:37A receipt from yesterday afternoon.
06:39One moment.
06:39Yes, I have it here.
06:40The buyer was Chloe Williams.
06:42Chloe Williams.
06:43I knew that name.
06:45Julian's secretary.
06:46Hired six months ago.
06:47Early thirties.
06:48Divorced.
06:49I drove to the airport.
06:50I didn't know what I was hoping to confirm.
06:52Maybe the perfume was for a client.
06:54Maybe I was overthinking this.
06:56I waited outside the International Departures Hall for half an hour.
06:59Then I saw them.
07:00Julian and her.
07:02Chloe wore a beige trench coat, pulling a small suitcase behind her.
07:06She walked beside Julian, laughing at something he'd said.
07:09Julian's face carried an expression I hadn't seen in years.
07:13Relaxed.
07:13Genuinely happy.
07:14At the security checkpoint, Chloe stopped.
07:17She reached up, casual and familiar, to straighten Julian's collar.
07:21He didn't pull away.
07:23He leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
07:25She smiled.
07:27Then she stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips.
07:30Julian's hand rested on her waist.
07:32They stayed like that for a moment before separating.
07:36Like they'd done it a thousand times before.
07:38The last shred of self-deception evaporated.
07:41All those late nights.
07:42Working.
07:43All those times he'd been irritable with me.
07:46All of it finally made sense.
07:48I watched their intimate silhouette disappear through security.
07:52A new thought crystallized in my mind.
07:54That child who wasn't mine.
07:57And this woman.
07:58Could they be connected?
08:00On the drive back, I called the private detective I'd hired.
08:03I need you to look into someone else.
08:06Chloe Williams.
08:07I want to know everything about her.
08:09Especially whether she has any children.
08:10The detective worked fast.
08:12By the next afternoon, I had the report.
08:15Chloe Williams.
08:1632 years old.
08:17Divorced 5 years ago.
08:19One son.
08:209 years old.
08:21Name.
08:22Alan.
08:22Attending a public school in the West End.
08:24The date jumped out at me.
08:26Chloe's son was only one week older than Alex.
08:28For the first time in 10 years, I felt my blood run hot.
08:32I sat on the sofa, holding the detective's report.
08:34Then, a thought struck me.
08:36I ran to study.
08:38My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
08:39Then, slowly, I typed in Chloe's birthday.
08:42The desktop opened.
08:43There was only one folder.
08:45Named, work backup.
08:47I clicked it open.
08:48Inside were subfolders organized by year.
08:51Starting 11 years ago.
08:52The earliest folder contained scanned photographs.
08:55Julian and Chloe in high school uniforms, standing under a locust tree.
08:5919-year-old Julian smiling.
09:00His arm around Chloe's shoulders.
09:02She had her hair in a ponytail, looking up at him.
09:04The next photo was from college.
09:06The two of them in the library.
09:08Then, their graduation photo.
09:09Both in cap and gown, holding hands.
09:12That was the year Julian told me the company was struggling financially.
09:15We'd canceled our anniversary trip.
09:17Instead, he bought a scarf for me.
09:19I closed the folder.
09:21The screen behind the closed folder is our wedding photo.
09:24I stared at our wedding photo and felt bile rise in my throat.
09:28Me in my white dress.
09:29Lace sleeves and long train.
09:31Holding a bouquet of white roses.
09:33Julian in his black suit.
09:35Gray tie.
09:36Boutonniere.
09:37Both of us smiling at the camera.
09:38The photographer had made us laugh.
09:40Said something stupid.
09:41We'd both cracked up.
09:42The photo captured that moment.
09:44Pure.
09:45Happy.
09:46I stared at it.
09:47At my face.
09:48So happy.
09:49So naive.
09:50So trusting.
09:51I didn't know who that woman was anymore.
09:52That woman who'd believed her husband.
09:54Who'd made excuses for him.
09:56Who'd convinced herself everything was fine.
09:58That woman was gone.
10:00Had to close my eyes.
10:02Put my hand over my mouth.
10:04The perfect couple.
10:05The perfect lie.
10:07Sick at the photos I'd just seen.
10:08Sick at the years of deception.
10:11Sick at myself for not seeing it sooner.
10:13For believing him.
10:14For trusting him.
10:15For raising a child who wasn't even mine while my real son was somewhere else.
10:19At 3 p.m.
10:20I drove to the West End.
10:22The elementary school looked even more run down than the detective had described.
10:27The dismissal bell rang.
10:29Children poured out through the gates.
10:31I sat in my car.
10:32Hands gripping the steering wheel.
10:34He walked out alone.
10:35No one there to pick him up.
10:37He looked left.
10:38Then right.
10:39Then started walking slowly along the sidewalk.
10:42I held my breath.
10:43That child.
10:44Alan.
10:45No.
10:45My child.
10:47The way he walked reminded me of myself.
10:49A slight pigeon toe.
10:50When he raised his hand to push hair out of his face.
10:53I saw it.
10:54A birthmark on his wrist.
10:55The same place I had mine.
10:58I could see dust on his eyelashes.
11:00His lips were chapped.
11:01His sneakers were coming apart at the seams.
11:04His eyes looked empty.
11:05Not like a 9 year old's eyes at all.
11:08I covered my mouth to stop myself from making a sound.
11:11He walked away.
11:12Disappearing around the corner.
11:13I collapsed over the steering wheel and broke down completely.
11:17For that child.
11:18Walking home alone.
11:19For 10 years of living in the wrong life.
11:22For being such a fool.
11:24Dancing in a play someone else had written.
11:26Then I wiped my tears and started the car.
11:29At the law office, I placed a USB drive on Attorney Morrison's desk.
11:33Inside, backup copies of all the photos.
11:36The DNA test results.
11:37Scanned hospital records.
11:39The perfume receipt.
11:40Files on Chloe and Alan.
11:42I want a divorce.
11:43I want Julian to leave with nothing.
11:45I want custody of my child.
11:48I want him to pay for what he's done.
11:50Walking out of the attorney's office.
11:52I remembered what Julian had said when he proposed 10 years ago.
11:56Vivian.
11:56I will give you a lifetime of stability.
11:58Turns out, his lifetime was only 10 years.
12:02No.
12:02Probably less than that.
12:04I pulled out my phone and called the company's second largest shareholder.
12:08My father's old colleague.
12:10Mr. Aaron, about next week's board meeting, I'd like to discuss a few things with you first.
12:14Julian seemed to have forgotten something important.
12:17This company's name is Hart.
12:19He became general manager because I convinced my father to give him a chance.
12:23I put him in that position.
12:25I could take him down just as easily.
12:27Two weeks after Julian left, I liquidated every asset I could convert to cash.
12:34Every afternoon, I went to that elementary school in the West End.
12:38One day, it rained.
12:40Alan didn't have an umbrella.
12:43He waited under the awning of the corner store for half an hour, then finally ran home through the downpour.
12:48I sat in my car, rain blurring the windshield.
12:53Friday afternoon, I arrived at the school early.
12:57When I saw Alan coming out, I got out of the car and walked past like a stranger.
13:02I accidentally dropped my folder in front of him.
13:05He froze for a moment, then bent down to pick it up for me.
13:09Thank you, sweetheart.
13:11Is your mom not here yet?
13:13He shook his head.
13:16Mom's working late.
13:17How are you getting home?
13:20I'll take the bus.
13:22I pulled an unopened bottle of water from my bag.
13:26Have some water.
13:27He hesitated, then took it and said,
13:31I noticed he had a habit of pressing his lips together when he spoke.
13:37Just like me.
13:38His eyes were shaped like mine, too.
13:41Inner double eyelids.
13:42The outer corners slightly downturned.
13:45Does your mom work late often?
13:48He nodded, then shook his head.
13:51Sometimes.
13:53What about your dad?
13:54He didn't answer.
13:56Just looked down at his shoes.
13:58Those sneakers, the soles were separating.
14:01The left shoelace was broken.
14:03I didn't ask anything more.
14:05I pulled $200 from my wallet and tucked it into his hand.
14:10Buy yourself some new shoes.
14:12He stepped back.
14:14No, I can't take this.
14:17Consider it a thank you for helping me with my folder.
14:21I slipped the money into the side pocket of his backpack and walked away.
14:25After a few steps, I glanced back.
14:29He stood there looking lost.
14:31That evening, I stood in the doorway of Alex's room.
14:34He was playing with a new Lego set Julian had bought him.
14:36A limited edition space shuttle.
14:39Expensive.
14:40Mom?
14:40What's wrong?
14:42I walked in and touched his hair.
14:44Did you finish your homework?
14:46Finished ages ago.
14:47He held up his model.
14:48Dad said if I get A on my midterms, he'll take me to Disneyland.
14:52I smiled.
14:53That's wonderful.
14:55The moment I turned away, the smile vanished.
14:58Julian's different treatment of the two children stabbed at my heart like a thorn.
15:02My biological son wore torn shoes and rode the bus alone, while this child enjoyed everything.
15:07After two weeks away, Julian finally came home.
15:10He set down his suitcase.
15:12Where's Alex?
15:14Why is it so quiet?
15:16I enrolled him in piano lessons, two hours every evening.
15:18Since when?
15:19He's only in fourth grade.
15:21I didn't answer.
15:23I could smell that perfume on him.
15:25He moved closer, trying to put his arms around me.
15:27I stepped aside.
15:29Why do you smell like perfume?
15:30Who were you having dinner with?
15:32His expression flickered with irritation.
15:35Vivian, here you go again with the suspicion.
15:37I had a business dinner with a client.
15:39Can you not be like this?
15:41It was almost funny.
15:42Only now could I see how terrible his acting had always been.
15:46I walked to the coffee table, opened the drawer, and pulled out an envelope.
15:50Slowly, I laid the photographs across the table, one by one.
15:54Julian's face turned ugly.
15:56He grabbed one photo and threw it back home.
15:57You had me followed?
15:59Does it matter?
16:01I smiled slightly.
16:02What matters is, what happens when these photos show up at the board meeting?
16:07Or get sent to your clients?
16:09He collapsed onto the opposite sofa, hands covering his face.
16:12What do you want?
16:13I stared at him.
16:14My voice was flat.
16:15First, fire Chloe Williams.
16:17Guarantee you'll never see her again.
16:19Second, tell me what happened at the hospital nine years ago.
16:22He stood up angry now.
16:23You're crazy.
16:24For a couple of lousy photos?
16:26My voice turned cold.
16:29Julian, don't forget my father built this company from the ground up.
16:32You have everything you have because of me.
16:35What I gave, I can take back.
16:38I almost wavered.
16:39Then I thought of Alan's torn shoes.
16:41I thought of him waiting alone in the rain.
16:44For the sake of our ten years together, and for the sake of our child,
16:47if, if you do what I'm asking, we can move forward.
16:50After all, we still have Alex.
16:52I turned toward the bedroom and returned with a document.
16:55A pregnancy test report.
16:57It showed I was five weeks pregnant.
17:00Julian stared at the report.
17:01Then he looked up at me.
17:03You're pregnant?
17:04I nodded, placing my hand on my stomach.
17:07Five weeks.
17:08The doctor says everything looks stable this time.
17:11His expression shifted constantly.
17:13His throat worked.
17:15His eyes moved between me and the report.
17:18I continued.
17:19So, as long as you cut things off with Chloe,
17:22completely, make her leave the company in our lives.
17:24I can let the past go.
17:26We still have Alex.
17:27And now, we have this baby.
17:30Julian's gaze fell to my stomach.
17:32There was obvious conflict in his eye.
17:34I need, I need to think.
17:37His voice was hoarse.
17:38He turned and went into the bedroom.
17:40The next morning, I drank my coffee and watched Julian emerge with dark circles under his eyes.
17:45I pushed a glass of water toward him.
17:47He took it silently, but didn't look at me.
17:49I've thought it over, Vivian.
17:51We...
17:51Don't bother.
17:53I cut him off, pulling divorce papers from a folder and placing them on the table.
17:57His expression turned furious.
18:00What is this supposed to mean?
18:01We're having another child.
18:03I said coldly,
18:04I told you I was pregnant.
18:06And you needed an entire night to decide whether to break up with her?
18:10Julian stood.
18:11We have a child on the way.
18:13Won't you think about the baby?
18:14Think about Alex?
18:16The child?
18:17I suddenly laughed.
18:18You mean the child I raised for nine years.
18:20Who turns out to be yours and Chloe's?
18:23Julian's face went white.
18:24He stumbled backward, hitting the table.
18:26How did you...
18:27When did you find out?
18:29I held up my phone.
18:30The screen showed a photo of the DNA test results.
18:34I should thank you for that folder on your computer.
18:36Password is Chloe's birthday.
18:38You've been using that for three years, haven't you?
18:41His breathing quickened, taking on a panicked edge.
18:44Let me explain.
18:45My voice stayed calm, edged with mockery.
18:49Explain how you switched the babies when I was giving birth?
18:53Explain how you got Chloe hired at the company?
18:55Or explain how the two of you have been laughing at me behind my back for ten years?
18:59I stepped closer.
19:01The funniest part?
19:02The guilt I sometimes saw in your eyes when you looked at Alex.
19:05Were you feeling guilty for deceiving me?
19:07Or guilty for not treating your real son better?
19:10The funniest part?
19:12Julian suddenly remembered.
19:13His voice dropped to a whisper.
19:15Where's Alan?
19:16I need to see him.
19:18Too late.
19:19I turned and opened the door.
19:21Your son.
19:22No, my son is somewhere you'll never find him.
19:24Chloe's son is still upstairs asleep, unaware of the choice his real father is facing.
19:29Julian rushed forward and grabbed my arm.
19:31Vivian, you can't do this.
19:33That's my son.
19:33I shook him off.
19:35From the day you switched those babies, you lost the right to be called a father.
19:38Now get out of my house.
19:39After I closed the door, I heard him pounding on it from outside.
19:42Then the sound of a car engine started.
19:45Driving away, I knew where he was going.
19:47To find Chloe.
19:48To find Alan, he'd lost for nine years.
19:50But he wouldn't find Alan.
19:52Three days ago, when the private detective gave me Chloe's file, I'd already met with Alan again.
19:57I told him the truth.
19:59Alan was surprisingly calm.
20:01Those eyes that looked like mine held a maturity far beyond his years.
20:05I always felt like I wasn't her child.
20:09Otherwise, why would she be willing to just leave me here to fend for myself?
20:14I took his hand.
20:15I told him I would take him away.
20:17We could start over.
20:18He was silent for a long time.
20:20Then he nodded, just slightly.
20:23Yesterday afternoon, he flew out of the country.
20:26My assistant went with him.
20:28There's a good school there.
20:29A house.
20:30New friends waiting.
20:31Once I finish dealing with things here, I can join my son.
20:35The divorce papers sat on the table for three days.
20:38Finally, Julian came back.
20:39He stood outside the door, dark circles under his eyes.
20:43Unshaven.
20:44I hadn't seen him look like this in a long time.
20:48Vivian, we need to talk.
20:49I leaned against the door frame in my loungewear.
20:51I didn't let him in.
20:53The agreement is very clear.
20:55There's nothing to talk about.
20:56He looked defeated.
20:58I can't get divorced.
20:59For the sake of our ten years together.
21:01For the sake of our child.
21:03Which child?
21:04I cut him off with a cold laugh.
21:06The one in those videos?
21:07Or the one upstairs?
21:09Julian's face went white.
21:10A week ago, Chloe had sent me a pile of files.
21:13Videos.
21:14One after another.
21:15Alan crying.
21:16Being beaten.
21:17Locked in a dark room.
21:18In one clip, he was only five or six years old.
21:21He'd spilled milk.
21:23Chloe hit him across the back with a coat hanger.
21:25The email had only one line.
21:27Thank you for raising my son all these years.
21:30I'd watched them all night.
21:32By dawn, I'd thrown up three times.
21:34Julian seemed like he wanted to explain.
21:36Those videos.
21:38Chloe, she sometimes couldn't control herself.
21:40I laughed coldly.
21:42Alan is your son.
21:43You went to see Chloe every week.
21:45You noticed her new perfume.
21:47Her fresh manicure.
21:49But you never saw the bruises on your son's body?
21:51He had no answer.
21:52I said flatly.
21:53I've already retained a lawyer.
21:55If you won't sign, we'll go to court.
21:58The evidence of the baby switch.
22:00Photos of your affair.
22:01Those videos.
22:02All of it becomes part of the legal record.
22:05This voice dropped.
22:06Are you insane?
22:07The company's about to go public.
22:09Now is not the time.
22:11Before I closed the door, I said one last thing.
22:14So sign.
22:15While I'm still leaving you with some dignity.
22:17The door shut.
22:19He stood outside for a long time before finally leaving.
22:22Three days later, Julian signed the papers.
22:25Four days after the divorce, I saw their wedding photo on Instagram.
22:28Chloe in a white wedding dress.
22:31Julian with his arm around her.
22:32But his expression looked stiff.
22:34The caption read,
22:36Ten years of waiting, finally together.
22:39I took a screenshot.
22:41Then I turned off my phone.
22:42That afternoon, attorney Morrison called.
22:46Mrs. Hart, we have everything we need.
22:48The bank transfers from when they switched the babies.
22:50Communication records between him and Chloe.
22:52The abuse videos.
22:54And medical records.
22:56It's enough to file charges.
22:57Thank you for your work.
23:00Of course.
23:01Are you sure you don't want to see Julian one last time?
23:04He came by the office yesterday.
23:06Asked me to tell you he knows he was wrong.
23:08Too late.
23:09Early the next morning, my plane took off.
23:11My assistant met me at the airport.
23:14Alan's been doing better this week.
23:16He's starting to talk more.
23:18Yesterday, he's starting to talk more.
23:20My heart beat faster.
23:22The car stopped in front of a white house.
23:24In the garden, a thin child was crouched on the ground, watching ants.
23:29Alan.
23:30He looked better than in the videos.
23:32But he was still too thin.
23:33Not enough meat on his bones.
23:36Meanwhile, Alex had grown healthy and strong under my careful care.
23:40The thought cut through me like a knife.
23:42I walked over and knelt in front of him.
23:44I'm your mother.
23:46He looked at me for a long time.
23:48Then nodded, just slightly.
23:50I carefully put my arms around him.
23:52He didn't pull away.
23:53I'm sorry.
23:55Mom came too late.
23:56He trembled slightly in my arms.
23:58For the next two weeks, I didn't work.
24:01I devoted all my time to him.
24:03I took him to the park.
24:04The first time on the carousel, he gripped the pole so tightly his knuckles turned white.
24:09I took him to the library.
24:10He loved books about stars.
24:12At night, after he fell asleep, I gently stroke his hair.
24:15He still didn't talk much.
24:17But sometimes, he'd smile at me.
24:19At 3 a.m., the bedroom door creaked open, caught by the wind.
24:23The sound of muffled sobbing pierced through me like needles.
24:27I jolted awake.
24:28I knew immediately it was Alan.
24:30I pushed open his door.
24:32Moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting shadows across the floor.
24:36His small figure was curled up on the bed.
24:38His hands clutched the blanket, knuckles white.
24:41Cold sweat covered his forehead.
24:43His brow was furrowed deeply.
24:45He kept murmuring.
24:47Mom, no.
24:48Don't lock me in the dark room.
24:50There are rats.
24:52I crossed the room quickly and sat carefully on the edge of the bed.
24:54I gently put my arms around his ice-cold shoulders.
24:57His body went rigid for a moment.
24:59Then he threw himself into my arms like a frightened deer.
25:01His crying was suppressed, desperate.
25:03Tears instantly soaked through my pajamas.
25:05Mom, I'm scared.
25:07That storage room was so dark.
25:10I begged again and again, but no one answered.
25:13The rats crawled on my feet.
25:16My heart felt like it was being cut with a dull knife.
25:19Alan, don't be afraid.
25:20I patted his back again and again, my voice trembling but trying to stay steady.
25:24Mom's here.
25:24No one can lock you up anymore.
25:26The rats won't come.
25:28Mama will protect you.
25:29Silent tears fell onto his hair.
25:30I thought of the videos Chloe had sent.
25:32That child trembling in the darkness.
25:34The marks on his body.
25:35Old scars and new wounds layered together.
25:38I wanted to tear apart everyone who'd ever hurt him.
25:40When his crying finally exhausted itself, his breathing gradually steadied and gently lifted
25:46his sleeve.
25:47Brownish scars on his arm, ugly as centipedes.
25:50The marks from being hit with a coat hanger.
25:52On his back, a faint bruise.
25:55From when he'd been shoved against the corner of the storage room wall as a small child.
25:59I traced those scars with my fingertips.
26:01My touch is light as if I were afraid of breaking something precious.
26:04Doesn't it hurt?
26:05Alan shook his head.
26:06Tears still clung to his lashes.
26:07He bit his lip and said quietly,
26:08It doesn't hurt now, but sometimes I dream about it.
26:11I dream I'm locked in there again.
26:13I'm calling for mom, but mom isn't there.
26:15I'm sorry.
26:15I held him tighter.
26:16Mom came too late, but from now on mom will never let anyone hurt you again.
26:20That night, I held him on the sofa until dawn.
26:23I told him stories.
26:25About how I used to be afraid of thunder when I was little.
26:28How my father would hold me and count the stars while singing nursery rhymes.
26:33I told him about when I first took over the company.
26:35How the old employees gave me a hard time.
26:37How I cried in the stairwell.
26:40Then dried my tears and went back to negotiate.
26:43I told him about the cozy intern who spilled coffee all over an important contract and turned
26:48power to fear.
26:49He listened quietly.
26:51Occasionally, he'd lift his head and look at me with those eyes so much like mine and ask,
26:57Were you scared, mom?
26:58Terrified.
26:59Touching his hair.
27:00But I knew that if I just held on, things would get better.
27:03And now I have you, Alan.
27:04I can't afford to be afraid anymore.
27:06He nodded slowly, seeming to understand.
27:09His small hand quietly gripped my finger.
27:11A few days later, I took Alan to the observatory on the outskirts of the city.
27:15We rode a bus through fields of wheat.
27:17The wind carried the scent of grain.
27:19Alan pressed his face against the window, his eyes full of wonder.
27:22When night fell, the observatory dome slowly opened.
27:26The sky filled with stars like scattered diamonds across deep blue velvet.
27:30So brilliant you couldn't look away.
27:32The guide pointed at Orion and told the legend of the hunter.
27:35Alan's eyes lit up like stars themselves.
27:38The corner of his mouth slowly curved into a shallow smile.
27:41On the bus ride home, the vehicle swayed gently.
27:44He leaned against my shoulder and said quietly,
27:47Mom, the stars are so far away.
27:49But being able to see them, it makes me feel safe.
27:52My heart felt soft.
27:54I knew the trauma buried deep inside him wouldn't disappear after one trip to an observatory.
27:59Like those old scars.
28:00No matter how much care they received, they'd always leave faint marks.
28:04But as long as I stayed with him, warming him bit by bit with love and patience,
28:08the starlight would eventually pierce through the darkness and illuminate the road ahead.
28:12That afternoon, we were making cookies in the kitchen.
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