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Real Mother, Fake Mother S
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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 to
01:47the real mom the most because he says the process of preparing a gift is more meaningful than the gift
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 corner
02:48hoping for a clue but found nothing and my eyes eventually landed on the photo that was placed in
02:54the center of his desk it was three of us a happy family that everyone envies william held rob on
02:59his
02:59shoulders and i leaned on his side smiling as if i got everything i wanted for life love seemed to
03:05have
03:05truly existed and no one would doubt it i ran my fingers over the faces of my husband and kid
03:10maybe i was
03:11overthinking maybe i should not let a six-year-old's word shake my trust in the man that i had
03:16shared 10 years
03:16with guilt and self-reproach flooded me i sighed and was about to set the frame back in place somehow
03:22i noticed that the frame space was slightly loose so i reached out but the whole frame just slipped
03:26away from my fingers crash the frame fell to the floor i wanted to pick it up but i just
03:32froze mid
03:32motion as i found out the back of the frame was not some sort of blank board but a photo
03:36in the picture
03:37william was standing in the sunlight his face young and enchanting in his arms it was a girl in a
03:43white dress i held my breath but my body was still trembling i couldn't remember how i managed to turn
03:48the photo over and it took me no effort to recognize williams's handwriting at a glance dear sarah my
03:54dearest sarah anderson no matter who i marry my heart will always belong to you how pathetic
04:00what stunned my eyes the most was actually the day he left in the corner this was written on the
04:04very
04:05day before our wedding the next morning after dropping rob off at school i didn't head to the
04:12office like i usually did instead i drove to the nearest mobile service hall i tried so hard to keep
04:18my voice as steady as possible when talking to the clerk could you help me check my family phone bills
04:22over the past few months he worked quickly and soon pulled up the call records from the last six months
04:27one number immediately stood out it appeared far too often and was always coming in from a neighboring
04:33town most of the calls were made late at night lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour
04:39i wrote down the number quietly and left that evening william left his phone charging on the
04:44nightstand and went to shower the screen was locked so i entered the password we used to share incorrect
04:50then i tried his birthday our anniversary a series of numbers tied to memories only we were supposed to
04:56know every attempt failed and i couldn't tell how ironic it was when i laid my last hope on the
05:01eye-watering date written on the back of that photo access granted my heart sank i searched through his
05:06call history the number wasn't saved in his contacts instead i found it on his blocked 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 up
05:30i finally got it in the picture over the top i saw three figures of sunset a couple with a
05:37kid
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 to
06:29a testing agency the results would not be back until a week later and all i could do was anxiously
06:34wait
06:34while enduring william's more and more frequent late returns which he claimed were made to see friends
06:38before 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
08:18birth
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
09:07a 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 at
09:50the 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 her
10:26voice 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 supposedly
10:39didn'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
10:49we told outsliders good enough to feel most people but i saw it with my own eyes miss anderson swapped
10:56the
10:57babies herself
11:01the child never died the whole thing was a lie
11:06with that she stuffed the envelope into her bag and hurried away susan and i stood there frozen
11:11as if the cold had seeped into our bones when i spoke again my voice was hoarse beyond recognition
11:16no matter what it takes find my son days later all the leads finally converged on a remote welfare
11:23institute in the neighboring town we got a name his admission date matched his age matched i couldn't
11:29wait any longer so i drove hundreds of miles alone following the address susan gave me
11:34the afternoon sun bathed the orphanage courtyard in warm light children were running and laughing in
11:39small groups my eyes searched desperately scanning every face finally i saw him i knew it was him
11:46in a corner far from the crowd a small figure sat curled up alone his little hands were bluish from
11:51the cold his clothes thin and worn a teacher noticed my gaze and sighed softly that's charlie he was brought
11:57here six years ago covered in injuries hardly speaks he's afraid of people no one knows what
12:04he has been through my heartbeat stopped i recognized him even though we were this far from each other
12:10i still recognized him that face so unmistakably similar to mine he was my child what was i doing
12:17when he needed his mother the most i was giving all my love to someone else's child the pain swallowed
12:22me
12:22whole i bit down hard my nails digging deep into my palms william jones sarah anderson you stole my
12:29life and took away my kid i heard a voice screaming in my head i will make you pay for
12:34everything you
12:34took 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 the
12:52perfect 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
13:03formally we should invite all the relatives and friends let's make it a rousing and lively one
13:09his eyes flicked toward me seemed like he really wanted to know how i feel about it i knew exactly
13:14what he was doing he wanted me to say yes so that he could bring someone who never should have
13:19appeared on the guest list then why not take this chance to add some catalyst for them i nodded
13:25william i think it's time for me to return to the family i want to give you a big gift
13:30at rob's
13:30birthday party i booked the most expensive high-end restaurant in the city time flew by so fast and
13:36rob's birthday arrived he was in his tailored little suit and running excitedly in the room looking at his
13:41rosy cheeks my chest tightened even knowing the truth the love i had given to him in the past six
13:47years
13:47couldn't just be erased overnight he ran over to the dessert table and reached for his fifth slice
13:51of chocolate cake i walked over and gently stopped him too much cake will make your tummy hurt he looked
13:58up at me pouted and suddenly shoved my hand away don't tell me what to do he shouted daddy said
14:03my real
14:04mom mom is coming to my birthday today i 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
15:06all right sweetheart it's time to make a wish under everyone's gaze rob leaned quietly beside sarah
15:12he closed his eyes clasped his little hands together thanks everyone for coming to my son's birthday
15:18party i'd like to make an announcement starting today all my shares will be transferred to my husband
15:23and son william 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
15:35imagined wait i have something to announce too rob is my son she holds up a dna test report and
15:45shows
15:45it to everyone sarah turns to me thank you for raising my son for eight years now give him back
15:52to me
15:53right now
15:58sorry babe
16:02honey what did you wish for just now i wish i could change my mom i want to be with
16:09my real mom forever
16:10ever your 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 bring it up
16:46i was pulled back to reality everything just now was nothing but my fantasy rob closed his eyes
16:53clasped his little hands together i wish i could change my mom i want to be with my real mom
16:59forever
17:00the words fell like rocks the entire room plunged into dead silence everyone was looking at each
17:06other with an embarrassed and stunned face trying to figure out what happened i had never seen william's
17:11face turned that pale ghostly pale he laughed awkwardly trying to smooth things over rob what are
17:17you saying jen don't be angry he's just too excited about this birthday party but he because starting to
17:23know chap that they never get for bus to city class i replied with composure i'm not angry then i
17:29took
17:29out the document bag i had prepared long ago i slowly took out the documents inside i walked up to
17:34rob
17:35and smiled softly rob mommy will make your wish come true all right the room fell into a deathly silence
17:41all eyes shifted back and forth between william and me no one can even make a sound sarah was still
17:47holding rob's hand but i could see a hint of panic on her face rob couldn't understand what was
17:53happening only his instinct made him curl closer into sarah's arms william was the first to react
17:58his voice rose sharply with anger jennifer what are you talking about rob is our son he's just a kid
18:06do you really believe in what he said people immediately chimed in as if i was the crazy one
18:12he needed to calm down he's right children always say what they like exactly you're his mom how can
18:18you be mad at your own son that's too petty is that so i turned toward the crowd then let
18:28me show you
18:28something interesting the dna report began circulating through the room no one was foolish enough to miss
18:35the meaning of the cold words muted murmurs broke out some of our closest relatives already got embarrassed
18:41and even our business partners also started to exchange uneasy looks william lunged into the
18:46crowd snatched the report and tore it to shreds jennifer have you had enough what exactly are you
18:53trying to do with these forged things i looked at the man panting in front of me and i had
18:57never felt
18:58so calm in my entire life would you like me to invite the director of the testing center here
19:02so he can read the results out loud for everyone sarah's expression shifted but she quickly regained her
19:09composure mrs jones i don't know where you got these things but today is a child's birthday do you
19:15really need to put everyone in such an awkward position a perfectly polished statement she cleaned
19:21herself of blame and made me sound like the troublemaker but i don't care then i took out the second
19:26report
19:30i believe miss anderson knows better than anyone whether this is a misunderstanding
19:34or the truth i looked straight at her sarah anderson or should i call you rob's biological
19:41mother that's nonsense william suddenly rushed at me trying to snatch the document i stepped aside so
19:48he lost his grip and almost fell i looked at him the man i had loved for 10 years his
19:54hopeless desperation
19:55no longer 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
20:15the elders faces turned ashen several were so furious that they could barely speak fingers trembling as
20:21they pointed at william william this this is absurd you'd better explain this it's not true
20:29uncle matthew listen to me jennifer makes up all of these so she can leave me and make me the
20:34one
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 made
20:53in the six years all these years you gave over 20 million of our fund to sarah anderson in the
20:59name
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 eyes reddening he cried i didn't look at him sarah's expression finally darkened she stepped rob down
21:42and stepped forward her voice was calm and steady jennifer jones forging evidence and debating others
21:48carries legal consequences william and i are just friends and we meet occasionally to chat
21:54hatred spilled out from her eyes but all she showed was a forced smile i don't know where you
21:59obtained these absurd materials nor why you're so determined to slander our reputations but today
22:05is your child's birthday this is disgraceful if there's a misunderstanding we can settle it privately
22:13her pretty and hypocritical look really made me laugh out loud let's talk privately privately fine and
22:21then 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 shrank abruptly when i
22:30mentioned that child the color also drained from william's face and now he could only stare at me in
22:35pure terror 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
22:51duty that night and the limited records that still exist mrs anderson gave birth to a baby boy that
22:57evening the 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
23:20and 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 collusion six years later william
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 and
23:54together 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 gesture to susan the final image
24:07appeared
24:08on the screen a photograph of a small boy crouched in the corner of an orphanage courtyard wearing
24:12his worn out clothes my little charlie william jones if rob is your son then who is he jennifer
24:19this child his name is charlie six years ago he was abandoned at the gate of a remote welfare
24:25institute in a neighboring town he was covered in injuries severely malnourished and still unable to
24:31speak i took out the third dna report but this time there was no need to pass it around anyone
24:37with
24:38eyes could see the truth charlie was my son we looked far too alike no william's legs finally gave out
24:45he collapsed onto the floor every mask he had worn every excuse he had clung to shattered in front of
24:51the photo he could deny reports he could accuse me of forging evidence but he could not deny that face
24:58a face uncannily similar to mine and even to his own blood calling to blood this was the ironclad truth
25:04no one could fabricate it sarah could no longer hold her gentle and kind demeanor
25:09she no longer looked at william her sharp and venomous gaze fixed on me jennifer jones what exactly
25:16do you want i looked around the silent room i saw shock anger and pity in all those eyes then
25:22i spoke
25:22each word deliberate and clear i want you to pay for every ounce of suffering my son has endured
25:29blood for blood i picked up my phone and called the police the room erupted instantly some rushed
25:36forward trying to talk me out of it some shook their heads and sighed others just couldn't wait to
25:41escape this place of scandal and ruin sarah lunged toward me attempting to stop the call but failed to
25:47get past my bodyguards william lay collapsed on the floor his eyes unfocused but still he muttered to
25:53himself no that's not how it should be sarah you said it you said that as long as we switched
25:59the
26:00babies as long as i raised rob for you then we could be together forever you promised you'd love
26:06me for the rest of my life his broken rambling uncontrolled desperate unwittingly tore open the final
26:12layer of truth sarah could not maintain her gesture anymore her voice turned shrill william jones are
26:18you crazy what are you talking about but william was already beyond fear he slowly lifted his head
26:24and looked at her at that unfamiliar twisted face after all these years it was as if he were seeing
26:30her clearly for the first time his terror and despair that had been buried for years were finally exposed
26:35all at once he burst out laughing and his tears streaming down i'm crazy yes i am pointing at her
26:48with a shaking hand sarah anderson you were the one who made abandon my own child you contact that doctor
26:58you convinced me to pay off the nurses and the dna testing center you said that once rob became the
27:04heir
27:05of jennifer smith family we could use her connections to climb our way up and when the
27:11time was right we'd leave together it's you william was on the verge of a breakdown quivering violently
27:20as if foreseeing the impending judgment the room filled with gasps sarah's composed mask shattered
27:26completely her eyes burned with savage hatred as if she wanted to tear william apart on the spot
27:32she smashed the wine glass beside her grabbed a shard and charged at him
27:38you idiot you think you can frame me william staggered back as though he just heard the
27:44cruelest joke in the world regret streamed down his face sarah you were the one who said you wanted
27:51the smith family's power you begged me to give your son the chance to be raised in the smith family
27:56shut up shut up shut up she completely lost control lunging forward and slashing the shard toward his
28:02neck just as it was about to reach his artery the bodyguards rushed in and pinned her down
28:06william coughed violently blood foaming at the corner of his mouth his face turned deathly pale as
28:13he tried to scream something at sarah but his vocal cords were damaged no one could understand him anymore
28:19he turned toward me tears rolling down his face and the part of my heart that once beat for him
28:24was 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 oath in the blindes 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 got to
29:28approach the corner where charlie had long stayed i saw him curled into himself his small body shaking
29:34uncontrollably i didn't touch him but slowly crouched down in front of him charlie don't be afraid
29:41i'm your mom i'm here to take you home he didn't respond but trembled even worse i knew that six
29:50years
29:50of absence and harm couldn't be undone overnight healing would take patience and time i let the
29:55child care specialist who came with me approach him gradually after a long while of gentle coaxing
30:00he finally allowed himself to be held one of the orphanage teachers told me that charlie loved to
30:05draw especially the sea his paintings were all about different oceans endless oceans so i brought
30:12him back to the city and bought an apartment by the coast just for him just for him he loved
30:17painting
30:18so i designed a studio for him which had floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sea there i arranged for
30:23child care specialists and psychologists to rotate around the clock staying with him at all times
30:28meanwhile susan's investigation made a decisive breakthrough under overwhelming psychological
30:33pressure and irrefutable evidence sarah anderson's defenses collapsed she confessed to everything
30:39after a lengthy trial the court delivered its final verdict sarah anderson was sentenced to 10
30:45years in prison for fraud child abandonment and multiple related crimes william jones received
30:51the same sentence 10 years for fraud and abandonment what awaited them was a future without light or
30:56end after that i gave most of my time to charlie following the psychologist's advice i slowed everything
31:03down offering nothing but steady consistent companionship a few months later after settling
31:09all remaining affairs in the city i took charlie to a warm coastal country far away there were no
31:15acquaintances there no memories of the past i gave him a new name charles smith i hoped only one
31:22thing for him that his life would be safe and peaceful i sold most of my shares in the company
31:27and established a family trust fund ensuring charles would never have to worry about his future and
31:31that i would have the time to be there as he grew up in the new environment charles slowly began
31:36to lay his guard down he started receiving early education from a private tutor progress was slow but
31:43he was finally willing to try and one day he began to call me mom one evening i took him
31:48for a walk by the sea
31:50the setting sun dyed the ocean gold and red the sea breeze brushed gently against charles's cheeks
31:55he shook off my hand and ran ahead leaving a trail of small footprints in the sand suddenly he stopped
32:01and bent down picking something up he turned around and ran back toward me holding a seashell in his hand
32:07the sunset glowing behind him his eyes reflected the golden light and my silhouette i crouched down and
32:14gently touched his cheek i could not tell how happy i was he blinked then smiled in that moment i
32:20realized
32:21that the wounds of the past might never fully fade but a new life had already begun the past 10
32:26years
32:27had been a carefully woven nightmare but the future is promising and i would use all my strength to give
32:32charles a perfect life the sea breeze continued to glow and the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon
32:37i took charles's hand and together we walked along the shore toward our home
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