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00:02my real and fake mom his handwriting was crooked and uneven the fake mom takes care of me and dad
00:08she's like a free housekeeper the real mom works far away but she's the one who truly loves me and
00:14dad i couldn't continue the reading as my fingers failed to turn the page william jones my dear
00:20husband had just stepped out of the bathroom he was wrapped in a towel like usual and hugged me
00:25from behind what did he write and the next second his smile froze awkwardly when he saw the words
00:31his voice also tightened as he reached for the notebook i didn't let go you won't take a kid's
00:36word seriously will you the teacher's just overreacting i turned my head and looked at
00:41the man i had loved for 10 years suddenly he seemed completely unfamiliar to me i could hear rob watching
00:48his cartoons in the living room if i was the fake mom in his essay then who was the real
00:53one and if
00:54rob was not the one i gave birth to then where had my real child been for all these years
01:02jennifer what are you staring at it's our 10th wedding anniversary today so what's for this year
01:09his tone went casual again his look was soft and easy and i'd rather not have noticed how skillfully
01:14he steered the conversation i stayed silent for a long moment before taking the small box out from
01:19my bag and giving it to him he opened it with delight a limited edition watch he had been eyeing
01:24for months this is beautiful you've got great taste honey he kissed my cheek will you help me
01:30he stretched out his arm i reached out and fastened the watch onto his wrist 10 years of marriage i
01:36had
01:36never forgotten preparing gifts for him on special days and yet he rarely did the same for me i found
01:42excuses for him but he wasn't expressive in nature but then there was rob's essay dad loves giving gifts
01:47to the real mom the most because he says the process of preparing a gift is more meaningful than the
01:52gift
01:52itself the innocent word stabbed straight into my heart like a knife cutting my flesh into pieces
01:57so it wasn't that he couldn't express himself it was that all his care had never been for me
02:03william i struggled to speak choosing my words carefully is there anything you want to tell me
02:12is only six he doesn't even know what he's saying himself i wanted to say more but he had already
02:16turned back toward the bedroom for the first time in 10 years his indifferent look finally made me
02:21realize we had never truly been close to each other late at night he slept soundly beside me but the
02:27words in that essay william's awkward smile all those images just kept replaying in my mind and
02:32taking away my sleep i rose quietly and stepped out of the bedroom i saw light at the end of
02:36the hallway
02:37turned out the door to william's study was slightly ajar he hated it when i went in uninvited and i
02:42respected that for all the time but tonight something compelled me to open the door i searched every
02:47corner hoping for a clue but found nothing and my eyes eventually landed on the photo that was
02:53placed in the center of his desk it was three of us a happy family that everyone envies william held
02:59rob on his shoulders and i leaned on his side smiling as if i got everything i wanted for life
03:04love seemed to have truly existed and no one would doubt it i ran my fingers over the faces of
03:09my
03:09husband and kid maybe i was overthinking maybe i should not let a six-year-old's word shake my trust
03:15in
03:15the man that i had shared 10 years with guilt and self-reproach flooded me i sighed and was about
03:20to set the frame back in place somehow i noticed that the frame space was slightly loose so i reached
03:25out but the whole frame just slipped away from my fingers crash the frame fell to the floor i wanted
03:30to pick it up but i just froze mid-motion as i found out the back of the frame was
03:34not some sort of
03:35blank board but a photo in the picture william was standing in the sunlight his face young and
03:40chanting in his arms it was a girl in a white dress i held my breath but my body was
03:45still trembling
03:46i couldn't remember how i managed to turn the photo over and it took me no effort to recognize williams's
03:52handwriting at a glance dear sarah my dearest sarah anderson no matter who i marry my heart will
03:58always belong to you how pathetic what stunned my eyes the most was actually the day he left in the
04:03corner this was written on the very day before our wedding the next morning after dropping rob off at
04:11school i didn't head to the office like i usually did instead i drove to the nearest mobile service
04:16hall i tried so hard to keep my voice as steady as possible when talking to the clerk could you
04:21help me
04:21check my family phone bills over the past few months he worked quickly and soon pulled up the call
04:26records from the last six months one number immediately stood out it appeared far too often and was always
04:32coming in from a neighboring town most of the calls were made late at night lasting anywhere from 10
04:37minutes to over an hour i wrote down the number quietly and left that evening william left his
04:43phone charging on the nightstand and went to shower the screen was locked so i entered the password we
04:49used to share incorrect then i tried his birthday our anniversary a series of numbers tied to memories only
04:55we were supposed to know every attempt failed and i couldn't tell how ironic it was when i laid my
05:00last
05:00hope on the eye-watering date written on the back of that photo access granted my heart sank i searched
05:06through his call history the number wasn't saved in his contacts instead i found it on his block list
05:12a blocked number with such frequent call records there was only one explanation he would block the
05:19number from time to time after they contacted each other a chill crept up my spine i went through his
05:24social media looking for more traces when i entered the number into the search bar an account popped
05:30up i finally got it in the picture over the top i saw three figures of sunset a couple with
05:37a kid
05:37holding each other's hands so tightly and the man's silhouette looked hauntingly familiar
05:42too familiar that i could straightforwardly call his name i put the phone back and called my assistant
05:48susan susan susan help me check a number as soon as possible
05:56after hanging up i walked silently into rob's room he was sleeping soundly william used to say our son
06:02looked just like me but now as i studied him carefully his eyes his nose i couldn't find a
06:08single feature that resembled mine the pain dug deeper and deeper never giving me a moment's relief
06:13a few days later the school scheduled a full physical checkup for the students i went to the
06:18hospital with rob myself after all the examinations were done i plucked a few strands of his hair and
06:24sealed them carefully in a plastic bag that afternoon i sent the sample along with my own
06:28to a testing agency the results would not be back until a week later and all i could do was
06:33anxiously
06:34wait while enduring william's more and more frequent late returns which he claimed were made to see
06:38friends before leaving he'd linger in front of the mirror fixing his hair with excessive care
06:42one night after he left i followed him my car trailed us across half the city until he finally
06:48stopped at a hot spring resort on the outskirts as william stepped out of the car a woman in a
06:52long
06:52dress was already waiting for him i recognized her instantly she was the woman from the photo
06:58william took her handbag as if he had done it a thousand times before and his arm wrapped around
07:02her waist with practiced ease he leaned down and whispered something into her ear her face flushed
07:07instantly read all the way to her ears after a few more murmured words the two pressed
07:11close to each other and walked into the resort together i stayed in my car the heater was on full
07:16blast yet i felt cold to the bone just then my phone buzzed an email from the testing agency my
07:23hands shook so badly that i could barely hold the phone i opened the attachment and flipped straight
07:27to the last page based on dna testing jennifer jones is excluded as the biological mother of rob jones
07:36before this i had never imagined a short sentence to be a blade dipped in poison and at that moment
07:41i could clearly feel how it sliced and tortured me again and again as my eyes fixed on the page
07:46the
07:46child i had raised for six years loved with every fiber of my being had no blood relation to me
07:51at all
07:51and then i could see the woman's face overlap with rob's features the resemblance was terrifying
07:56so strong it made my stomach churn but i remember clearly six years ago i had specifically arranged
08:01a dna test after rob's birth because the maternity hospital had gone through some chaotic situations
08:06and he was protected by tight security the results had been clear the baby was ours so why six years
08:12later my son had become someone else's child and the baby i carried for 10 months the one i gave
08:17birth
08:18to where was he then i called my assistant again two things first find out the relationship between
08:25sarah anderson and rob second no matter the cost find my son there was a brief pause on the other
08:32end of the line understood i'll do it right away i went on with my life as usual just like
08:37the whole
08:37thing had never happened i could even face william with a smile the only difference was that i no longer
08:43responded to his hugs and at night i stopped staying in the bedroom with him when he asked i told
08:49him
08:49my work had become overwhelming and that i didn't want to disturb his sleep in the middle of the night
08:53his gaze flickered for a moment but he didn't press the issue a week later susan placed a sealed document
08:59envelope on my desk we obtained sarah anderson's dna sample through special channels
09:06a week later susan placed a sealed document envelope on my desk sarah anderson's dna sample
09:13through special channels we compared it with rob's sample my fingers tightened the results show that the
09:18two are biologically related mother and son even though i had prepared myself for this my legs still
09:24gave out i had to grip the edge of the desk to keep from collapsing six years the child i
09:30had poured all
09:31my love into for six years carried the blood of another woman we went through all the records of your
09:35delivery that year sarah anderson actually gave birth on the same day as you she checked in alone and
09:42under emergency contact she wrote william jones what about her baby i demanded susan looked down
09:50at the file according to the records it seemed like there were complications during delivery
09:56her newborn was declared deceased three days after birth it felt like a puzzle with only a few pieces
10:02left one final step before the truth was complete keep digging i want every detail about that baby yes
10:10susan moved quickly indeed my assistant never let me down it didn't take her too long to track down an
10:16elderly nurse who had once worked in the obstetrics department back then susan met the nurse quite
10:21soon this old lady was nervous and a bit afraid she would glance around every time before lowering
10:26her voice and speaking those two women were sent into the delivery room almost back to back that night
10:32but miss anderson she had bad luck she took an incredibly long time in labor and the child
10:38supposedly didn't make it she paused a while taking the cash out from the envelope that susan handed her
10:44she started counting while keeping on as if it was the only way to suit her mind but that's just
10:49what we told outsliders good enough to feel most people but i saw it with my own eyes miss anderson
10:56swapped the babies herself
11:01the child never died the whole thing was a lie with that she stuffed the envelope into her bag and
11:08hurried away susan and i stood there frozen as if the cold had seeped into our bones when i spoke
11:14again
11:14my voice was hoarse beyond recognition no matter what it takes find my son days later all the leads
11:21finally converged on a remote welfare institute in the neighboring town we got a name his admission date
11:26matched his age matched i couldn't wait any longer so i drove hundreds of miles alone following the
11:33address susan gave me the afternoon sun baked the orphanage courtyard in warm light children were
11:38running and laughing in small groups my eyes searched desperately scanning every face finally i saw him
11:45i knew it was him in a corner far from the crowd a small figure sat curled up alone his
11:50little
11:50hands were bluish from the cold his clothes thin and worn a teacher noticed my gaze and sighed softly
11:55that's charlie he was brought here six years ago covered in injuries hardly speaks he's afraid of
12:02people no one knows what he has been through my heartbeat stopped i recognized him even though we
12:09were this far from each other i still recognized him that face so unmistakably similar to mine he was
12:15my child what was i doing when he needed his mother the most i was giving all my love to
12:20someone else's
12:21child the pain swallowed me whole i bit down hard my nails digging deep into my palms william jones
12:27sarah anderson you stole my life and took away my kid i heard a voice screaming in my head i
12:33will make
12:33you pay for everything you took from me over these six years a hundredfold a thousandfold
12:41after returning from the orphanage i locked myself in my office my son got abandoned by his own father
12:46being left outside to suffer for six years how should that debt be settled i've come up with
12:51the perfect plan rob's sixth birthday was approaching william suddenly became unusually enthusiastic
12:57insisting on throwing his son the grandest birthday party rob has never celebrated his birthday formally
13:04we should invite all the relatives and friends let's make it a rousing and lively one his eyes flicked
13:10toward me seemed like he really wanted to know how i feel about it i knew exactly what he was
13:15doing he
13:16wanted me to say yes so that he could bring someone who never should have appeared on the guest list
13:20then why not take this chance to add some catalyst for them i nodded william i think it's time for
13:26me
13:27to return to the family i want to give you a big gift at rob's birthday party i booked the
13:32most
13:32expensive high-end restaurant in the city time flew by so fast and rob's birthday arrived he was in his
13:38tailored little suit and running excitedly in the room looking at his rosy cheeks my chest tightened even
13:44knowing the truth the love i had given to him in the past six years couldn't just be erased overnight
13:48he ran over to the dessert table and reached for his fifth slice of chocolate cake i walked over and
13:54gently stopped him too much cake will make your tummy hurt he looked up at me pouted and suddenly shoved
14:00my
14:00hand away don't tell me what to do he shouted daddy said my real mom mom is coming to my
14:05birthday today
14:06i only want my real mom to tell me what to do
14:13the laughter around us died instantly and all eyes turned to me william hurried over and pulled rob to
14:19his side jennifer he's kidding don't take it to heart rob's lips trembled almost on the verge of tears
14:26at that moment the door opened and sarah anderson walked in rob immediately shook off william's grip
14:32and threw himself into her arms mommy daddy and the fake mom are bullying me
14:41sarah bent down and lifted him up her smile faint as her gaze swept over me william stood frozen his
14:48face draining of color jennifer it's a mistake she's just rob's after-school tutor thankfully or perhaps
14:55truly the birthday song began at that exact moment the staff pushed in the cake cart candles glowing
15:01softly william took a deep breath walked over to rob and sarah and forced his voice to study all right
15:07sweetheart it's time to make a wish under everyone's gaze rob leaned quietly beside sarah he closed his
15:13eyes clasped his little hands together thanks everyone for coming to my son's birthday party i'd like to
15:19make an announcement starting today all my shares will be transferred to my husband and son
15:24william stares at me in shock sarah looks at me with the greedy eyes of a starved wolf
15:29the moment i signed the share transfer agreement the real show began even more spectacular than i'd imagined
15:35wait i have something to announce too rob is my son she holds up a dna test report and shows
15:45it to everyone
15:46sarah turns to me thank you for raising my son for eight years
15:51now give him back to me right now
15:58sorry babe
16:02honey what did you wish for just now
16:04i wish i could change my mom i want to be with my real mom forever
16:11your son your husband your fortune they're all mine now william pulls a divorce agreement out of
16:19his pocket sign this and get out of our lives right now wait a minute since you've given me such
16:26a big
16:27surprise it's only fair i return the favor
16:32bring it up
16:46i was pulled back to reality everything just now was nothing but my fantasy rob closed his eyes clasped
16:53his little hands together i wish i could change my mom i want to be with my real mom forever
17:00the
17:00words fell like rocks the entire room plunged into dead silence everyone was looking at each other with
17:06an embarrassed and stunned face trying to figure out what happened i had never seen william's face
17:11turned that pale ghostly pale he laughed awkwardly trying to smooth things over rob what are you saying
17:18jen don't be angry he's just too excited about this birthday party but he because starting to know
17:23chap that they never get for bus to city class i replied with composure i'm not angry then i took
17:29out the document bag i had prepared long ago i slowly took out the documents inside i walked up to
17:34rob and smiled softly rob mommy will make your wish come true all right the room fell into a
17:40deathly silence all eyes shifted back and forth between william and me no one can even make a sound
17:46sarah was still holding rob's hand but i could see a hint of panic on her face rob couldn't
17:52understand what was happening only his instinct made him curl closer into sarah's arms william was
17:57the first to react his voice rose sharply with anger jennifer what are you talking about rob is our
18:04son he's just a kid do you really believe in what he said people immediately chimed in as if i
18:11was
18:11the crazy one who needed to calm down he's right children always say what they like exactly you're
18:17his mom how can you be mad at your own son that's too petty is that so
18:25i turned toward the crowd then let me show you something interesting the dna report began circulating
18:32through the room no one was foolish enough to miss the meaning of the cold words muted murmurs broke
18:37out some of our closest relatives already got embarrassed and even our business partners also
18:43started to exchange uneasy looks william lunged into the crowd snatched the report and tore it to
18:49shreds jennifer have you had enough what exactly are you trying to do with these forged things i looked
18:55at the man panting in front of me and i had never felt so calm in my entire life would
19:00you like
19:00me to invite the director of the testing center here so he can read the results out loud for
19:05everyone sarah's expression shifted but she quickly regained her composure mrs jones i don't know where
19:12you got these things but today is a child's birthday do you really need to put everyone in such an
19:17awkward
19:17position a perfectly polished statement she cleaned herself of blame and made me sound like the
19:23troublemaker but i don't care then i took out the second report
19:30i believe miss anderson knows better than anyone whether this is a misunderstanding or the truth
19:35i looked straight at her sarah anderson or should i call you rob's biological mother
19:41that's nonsense william suddenly rushed at me trying to snatch the document i stepped aside so he lost his
19:49grip and almost fell i looked at him the man i had loved for 10 years his hopeless desperation no
19:55longer stirred pain in me but only disgust i raised the report high and turned to everyone present
20:00especially the elders uncle matthew you've known me since i was little and you also saw rob's birth
20:08but you can see this report clearly shows that rob's biological mother is mrs sarah anderson
20:14the elders faces turned ashen several were so furious that they could barely speak fingers
20:20trembling as they pointed at william william this this is absurd you'd better explain this it's not
20:27true uncle matthew listen to me jennifer makes up all of these so she can leave me and make me
20:34the one
20:34to blame you have to believe me i could never do something like this rob is jennifer's child if that's
20:40the case then let's take a look at this what i showed them was the transfer records that they
20:53made in the six years all these years you gave over 20 million of our fund to sarah anderson in
20:59the name
20:59of maternal educational expenses the colossal sums made gasps ripple through the room then the screen
21:05changed photos of a suburban hot spring resort appeared what kind of baby supplies or tutoring
21:11cost 20 million and why would two of you need to discuss rob's education in a hot spring resort
21:17the image of william holding sarah and leaning into whispering her ear was painfully clear the murmurs
21:22exploded rob finally sensed something was wrong he stood baffled eyes wide confusion and fear written
21:28across his small face he called for his dad but william had no time for him then he turned toward
21:35me
21:35eyes reddening he cried i didn't look at him sarah's expression finally darkened
21:41she stepped rob down and stepped forward her voice was calm and steady jennifer jones forging evidence
21:48and divaming others carries legal consequences william and i are just friends and we meet occasionally to
21:53chat hatred spilled out from her eyes but all she showed was a forced smile i don't know where you
21:59obtain these absurd materials nor why you're so determined to slander our reputations
22:04but today is your child's birthday this is disgraceful if there's a misunderstanding we can settle it
22:10her pretty and hypocritical look really made me laugh out loud let's talk privately privately fine and
22:20then let's talk about how the two of us gave birth on the same day at the same hospital six
22:24years ago
22:26the baby who was declared dead shortly after birth sarah anderson's pupils shrunk abruptly when i mentioned
22:31that child the color also drained from william's face and now he could only stare at me in pure
22:35terror i asked susan to go on then she played the recording of the nurse's testimony followed by
22:41archived hospital records including the admission form sarah had filled out years ago williams jones's
22:46name was still clearly presented on the emergency contact list according to the nurse who was on duty
22:51that night and the limited records that still exist mrs anderson gave birth to a baby boy that evening
22:58the official note stated congenital weakness resuscitation failed deceased but what's strange
23:05i is that there are no detailed medical explanations for this so-called death no cremation certificate
23:11no formal death documentation a newborn baby boy just disappeared from a hospital without a trace
23:19and almost at the same time my son rob was born healthy william after rob was born i personally arranged
23:27an expedited dna test and had people watch over the process the result clearly showed rob was my child
23:34so tell me why did the same testing center produce a completely opposite pollution six years later williams
23:40stood frozen couldn't find his voice unless i took a step forward stopping right in front of him
23:46unless you switch the babies from the very beginning you and sarah were already involved back then
23:54and together you collide with the hospital to carry out a carefully planned swap nonsense i didn't do it
24:01i would never do that to my own child i sneered at him and gestured to susan the final image
24:07appeared
24:08on the screen a photograph of a small boy crashed in the corner of an orphanage courtyard wearing his
24:12worn-out clothes my little charlie william jones if rob is your son then who is he jennifer this child
24:20his name is charlie six years ago he was abandoned at the gate of a remote welfare institute in a
24:26neighboring town he was covered in injuries severely malnourished and still unable to speak i took out
24:32the third dna report but this time there was no need to pass it around anyone with eyes could see
24:38the truth charlie was my son we looked far too alike no williams legs finally gave out he collapsed onto
24:46the
24:46floor every mask he had worn every excuse he had clung to shattered in front of the photo he could
24:52deny
24:52reports he could accuse me of forging evidence but he could not deny that face a face uncannily similar
24:59to mine and even to his own blood calling to blood this was the ironclad truth no one could fabricate
25:06it sarah could no longer hold her gentle and kind demeanor she no longer looked at william her sharp
25:12and venomous gaze fixed on me jennifer jones what exactly do you want i looked around the silent room
25:18i saw shock anger and pity in all those eyes then i spoke each word deliberate and clear i want
25:24you to
25:25pay for every ounce of suffering my son has endured blood for blood i picked up my phone and called
25:32the
25:32police the room erupted instantly some rushed forward trying to talk me out of it some shook their heads
25:39and sighed others just couldn't wait to escape this place of scandal and ruin sarah lunged toward me
25:45attempting to stop the call but failed to get past my bodyguards william lay collapsed on the floor
25:50his eyes unfocused but still he muttered to himself no that's not how it should be sarah you said it
25:58you said that as long as we switched the babies as long as i raised rob for you then we
26:03could be
26:03together forever you promised you'd love me for the rest of my life his broken rambling uncontrolled
26:09desperate unwittingly tore open the final layer of truth sarah could not maintain her gesture
26:14anymore her voice turned shrill william jones are you crazy what are you talking about but william
26:21was already beyond fear he slowly lifted his head and looked at her at that unfamiliar twisted face
26:27after all these years it was as if he were seeing her clearly for the first time his terror and
26:32despair
26:33that had been buried for years were finally exposed all at once he burst out laughing and his tears
26:37streaming down i'm crazy yes i am pointing at her with a shaking hand sarah anderson you were the
26:52one who made abandon my own child you contact that doctor you convinced me to pay off the nurses and
27:01the
27:01dna testing center you said that once rob became the heir of jennifer smith family we could use her
27:07connections to climb our way up and when the time was right we'd leave together it's you
27:17william was on the verge of a breakdown quivering violently as if foreseeing the impending judgment
27:22the room filled with gasps sarah's composed mask shattered completely her eyes burned with savage
27:29hatred as if she wanted to tear william apart on the spot she smashed the wine glass beside her
27:34grabbed a shard and charged at him you idiot you think you can frame me william staggered back as
27:43though he just heard the cruelest joke in the world regret streamed down his face sarah you were
27:49were the one who said you wanted the smith family's power you begged me to give your son the chance
27:54to
27:54be raised in the smith family shut up shut up she completely lost control lunging forward and slashing
28:01the shard toward his neck just as it was about to reach his artery the bodyguards rushed in and pinned
28:06her down william coughed violently blood foaming at the corner of his mouth his face turned deathly
28:12pale as he tried to scream something at sarah but his vocal cords were damaged no one could understand
28:18him anymore he turned toward me tears rolling down his face and the part of my heart that once beat
28:24for
28:24him was utterly still sarah continued raging her eyes bloodshot as she glared at me jennifer smith you
28:30win but your son suffered who do you think is to blame for that blame yourself for marrying a fool
28:36blame your own than the blinded i only took advantage of the situation and send my son into a wealthy
28:42family so he could get the best education what did i do wrong isn't that what any mother would do
28:47for
28:47her child so you think this gives you the right to switch babies and abandon my sarah anderson your
28:55love is revolting at that moment the piercing whale of sirens stopped downstairs heavy footsteps echoed
29:02rapidly toward the door i stood there watching a lie that had been carefully crafted for 10 years
29:06collapse before my eyes the police took william and sarah away for further investigation rob's birthday
29:12banquet ended in chaos the scandal spread through the city like wildfire i left susan
29:17to handle the aftermath as for me i got back into my car and drove straight to the orphanage
29:23with the dna test results i could formally complete the adoption procedures when i finally
29:28got to approach the corner where charlie had long stayed i saw him curled into himself
29:32his small body shaking uncontrollably i didn't touch him but slowly crouched down in front of him
29:38charlie don't be afraid i'm your mom i'm here to take you home
29:46he didn't respond but trembled even worse i knew that six years of absence and harm couldn't be undone
29:52overnight healing would take patience and time i let the child care specialist who came with me
29:57approach him gradually after a long while of gentle coaxing he finally allowed himself to be held
30:02one of the orphanage teachers told me that charlie loved to draw especially the sea his paintings were
30:08all about different oceans endless oceans so i brought him back to the city and bought an apartment
30:14by the coast just for him just for him he loved painting so i designed a studio for him which
30:20had
30:20floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sea there i arranged for child care specialists and psychologists
30:25to rotate around the clock staying with him at all times meanwhile susan's investigation made a decisive
30:31breakthrough under overwhelming psychological pressure and irrefutable evidence sarah anderson's
30:36defenses collapsed she confessed to everything after a lengthy trial the court delivered its final
30:43verdict sarah anderson was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud child abandonment and multiple
30:48related crimes william jones received the same sentence 10 years for fraud and abandonment what
30:54awaited them was a future without light or end after that i gave most of my time to charlie following
31:01the
31:01psychologist's advice i slowed everything down offering nothing but steady consistent companionship
31:07a few months later after settling all remaining affairs in the city i took charlie to a warm coastal
31:13country far away there were no acquaintances there no memories of the past i gave him a new name charles
31:20smith i hoped only one thing for him that his life would be safe and peaceful i sold most of
31:26my shares
31:26in the company and established a family trust fund ensuring charles would never have to worry
31:30about his future and that i would have the time to be there as he grew up in the new
31:34environment
31:35charles slowly began to lay his guard down he started receiving early education from a private tutor
31:41progress was slow but he was finally willing to try and one day he began to call me mom one
31:47evening i
31:48took him for a walk by the sea the setting sun dyed the ocean golden red the sea breeze brushed
31:53gently
31:54against charles's cheeks he shook off my hand and ran ahead leaving a trail of small footprints in the sand
31:59suddenly he stopped and bent down picking something up he turned around and ran back toward me holding
32:06a seashell in his hand the sunset glowing behind him his eyes reflected the golden light and my
32:11silhouette i crouched down and gently touched his cheek i could not tell how happy i was he blinked
32:18then smiled in that moment i realized that the wounds of the past might never fully fade but a new
32:24life
32:24had already begun the past 10 years had been a carefully woven nightmare but the future is
32:29promising and i would use all my strength to give charles a perfect life the sea breeze continued to blow
32:35and the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon i took charles's hand and together we walked along the shore
32:41toward our home
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