"Mom, I’m finally going ho." Her child excitedly shouted as he sprang off the bed, started grabbing his things, and haphazardly shoved them in his bag.
Her eyes watched her son run from one corner of the spacious room to another as if he could not wait to get out of this place fast enough. But she could not bla him. If she had been in his condition, she would probably feel the sa.
For years, she had sworn she would avoid this place because the white walls, the sll of antiseptic, the sound of those beeping machines, and the uniford hospital staff had always reminded her of death.
She had always associated this place with pain and suffering.
But today, she felt different. Staring at her son, she could only be thankful, truly happy that Caleb had survived his operation. Now, he had the chance to have a normal life.
For the first ti, she thought of this place as a source of hope. A chance for a future.
"Easy, my darling." She caught him by the shoulders before he could dash again. "We don’t want you relapsing. Then, you’ll end up back in this room again." She warned him with a mild laugh after seeing the long pout in his lips, revealing his rebellious streak.
However, like a good boy, he obeyed her without saying another word.
Caleb was still not fully healed. His scar might have dried up, but internally, it was still nding. He would still need months of therapy and rehabilitation before he could truly live like a regular kid.
As if he understood what she just said, he stopped before her. "Okay, fine." He returned to his bed and sat quietly. "But Dad promised I’ll be going ho today."
"Right?" The longing in his voice was evident. The desperation was all over his eyes as he gazed at her.
Imdiately, she sat beside him, and with a reassuring gesture, she let her fingers run through the soft strands of his hair. Then, she gently stroked his head before leaning in to give him a tender kiss on his forehead.
"The doctors are just finalizing the papers. So, let worry about packing your things." She went to grab his bag and continued where he had left off.
As she was sorting through his things, her husband and the doctor finally strode to the room. The man in the white uniform checked his son for the last ti before declaring that he was ready to go ho.
"I guess you’re good to go. There’s no more reason to keep you here." The doctor announced with a satisfied smile.
"You hear that, Mom, Dad?" Caleb looked between her and Oliver with a beaming smile. "I can play with Kenji again." He frantically enurated the things that he wanted to do as soon as he got ho. It was a lot.
After gathering all his things, she zipped the bags and put them aside. Then, she walked toward him, carrying a change of clothes. anwhile, Oliver dealt with the discharge papers.
"Well, you can’t go ho looking like that." She pointed to his wrinkled hospital clothes.
She turned her back, giving him so privacy as he changed into his favorite Iron Man shirt. It was his favorite superhero character, believing that soday, just like him, he would have a heart that would let him do whatever he wanted.
"I’m done." He tagged at her shirt, making her turn around. "Can we go now?" He asked impatiently.
"Not yet." She said, grabbing a brush from her bag. Then, he combed his hair, which had grown significantly longer since his confinent.
As she stood behind him, that was when she noticed it. The tiny mark underneath his long hair, just beneath his ears.
A birthmark?
She hadn’t seen that before, maybe because Caleb had always kept his hair long. The mark wasn’t visible, hidden from plain view, unless the hair was moved aside.
It was a black mark that was in the shape of a star. Or at least, it looked like a distorted star with its five pointy ends.
Suddenly, Ashley’s words rushed into her mind like a tsunami. It swept everything in its path until nothing was left but its remnants.
Her mind went blank. She could not think of anything else but her son.
Not the dead child that she had buried six years ago. But the son that she never had the chance to see. The one that went missing because soone had deliberately taken him away from her.
The son that she had presud was dead because soone had made her believe that he was the one that she had buried together with her parents.
Until now.
But who would do such things?
Of course, she could think of several people who were cruel enough to commit such a heartless and vicious cri. However, pointing fingers without proof would not cut it. She needed concrete evidence.
But it could not be the Morton family. They weren’t aware that Alia Clarke was the sa person as Sophia Maddison. So, why would they take her child? Then, who else?
"Caleb, did you always have this star?" She finally asked the boy, pointing to the dark spot on his left ear.
It seed Caleb had the sa birthmark as her son. Was that a re coincidence? Or was it possible that Caleb could be her missing son?
"I rember that when I pulled your son, I noticed a star-shaped birthmark just behind his left ear." Her friend’s statent echoed in her mind as she anxiously waited for the child’s answer.
But how could Caleb be her missing son? It was clear that he was Oliver and Hazel’s child. How would her son end up in the Morton family?
Although the sequence of events that ford in her mind seed too far-fetched, she could not stop thinking about it. It all sounded like a story from one of the drama series she had read in novels.
"This..." Caleb looked at her as he pointed to the mark. "Yeah, I think so. It’s been there since I can rember." He confird what she wanted to hear.
Still, it should not an anything. Any kid could have the sa birthmark. It could be just a coincidence. It could be just a random mark that appeared on his skin.
But what if?
Thinking about it, she didn’t rember anyone in their family who had the sa mark. Her parents didn’t have it. She definitely had no star mark on any part of her skin. But Oliver didn’t have it either.
Therefore, maybe it was not a hereditary thing. So, it should not prove anything.
Still, what if?
The sa question bugged her.
What if it was fate that had brought her to cross paths with her son? What if this was the universe correcting its mistake?
Then, she rembered her son asking about Alia Clarke. Was that a coincidence, too? How did Caleb know about her? But before she could ask him about her, they were interrupted.
"Is there sothing wrong?" Suddenly, Caleb’s soft hands touched her face as if he could sense the turmoil that was raging inside her.
His eyes searched her face with genuine concern that slowly filled her empty, lonely heart with warmth.
"Nothing. I’m just happy." That was true, but she didn’t want to burden the boy with her problem.
The fact that her child was alive was sothing to be grateful for. But finding him would not be easy.
Caleb might have a similar birthmark, but it didn’t prove that he was her son. But it would be a dream co true if that ever turned out to be real.
"Hey, are you all packed?" The voice of her husband echoed by the door, making her look up from the child in her arms.
When she stared into her husband’s face, a thought hastily crept into her mind. What if Caleb was actually their child? She would finally have the family she had longed for her entire life.
But that was a long shot at best.
How could Caleb be her child when he had two biological parents?
What if Oliver learned about their missing child? What would he do?
A cold chill ran through her spine, thinking of the worst possible scenario.
No! She couldn’t let him learn about their son. Oliver could never know that she was Alia.
Until she had found her son, nobody could know her secret.
"I think we’re ready." She finally put on a bright smile and held Caleb’s hand.
Soon, the hospital staff congratulated Caleb for the successful operation and wished him well as they escorted him outside the hospital.
After several minutes, they were finally ho, back in the estate with the entire family waiting for them. A massive welco celebration greeted them as soon as they stepped inside the mansion.
"Welco ho, Caleb." Dianne and Maximus were the first ones at the door. Then, Marianne and Benjie followed closely behind, with the rest of the family, friends, and other guests.
As she should have expected, her simple celebration suggestion had turned into a full-blown party as more guests arrived by the minute.
"I guess I should get used to this." She mumbled to herself as she mingled with the growing crowd. If she was going to be part of this family, she had to learn to live amongst them.
"Ashley..." She was just glad that a familiar figure appeared before her. But behind her, soone else also showed up.
"Hazel?" It was more like a sigh than a question.
"She insisted on being here since she’s Caleb’s mother," Ashley whispered into her ear. "But honestly, you look more like Caleb than she ever did."
What?
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