Chapter 88 088
EMILY
“Hi…”
The voice was soft.
Careful.
Like whoever it belonged to was afraid of breaking something fragile.
I didn’t turn immediately.
I just sat there, staring at nothing in particular, my mind still trying—and failing—to process everything that had happened.
Morgan had left a few minutes ago.
She said she needed to make a call.
I told her it was fine, that I needed space.
I didn’t know if that was true.
Because right now, space felt like the worst possible thing.
“Can I come in?” the voice asked again.
I turned this time.
Slowly.
And there she was.
Standing by the door like she didn’t quite belong there… but desperately wanted to.
The girl.
The one who looked like me.
Up close, it was even worse.
Or better.
I didn’t know.
It was like looking into a mirror that reflected a life I had never lived.
Same eyes.
Same shape of lips.
Even the way she held herself felt… like me.
My throat went dry.
I nodded.
Just once.
She didn’t hesitate.
The moment I gave permission, she stepped in and gently closed the door behind her, like she was afraid the moment might escape if she moved too fast.
“I’m really happy to be here,” she said, her voice trembling slightly despite the smile she tried to hold onto.
Happy.
The word felt strange in this room.
“I…” She let out a small breath. “I don’t even know where to start.”
Neither did I.
She took a few more steps closer, stopping a safe distance from the bed.
“My name is Hazel,” she said softly. “And… it’s been so long.”
So long.
Like we had known each other before.
Like this wasn’t the first time we were meeting.
My fingers tightened slightly around the bedsheet.
Hazel.
The name settled somewhere deep inside me.
Unfamiliar.
And yet…
“Honestly,” she continued, her voice breaking just a little, “we almost gave up.”
My chest tightened.
“But our mom… she never did,” Hazel added, her eyes glistening now. “She kept saying we were going to find you. That you were out there somewhere.”
I swallowed.
Hard.
I could feel it again.
That pressure in my chest. That overwhelming, suffocating feeling that everything was moving too fast.
I cleared my throat.
“I think…” My voice came out weaker than I expected. “I think there’s been a mistake.”
Hazel didn’t interrupt.
She just listened.
“I’m not… who you think I am,” I continued, forcing the words out. “My parents are dead. They’ve been dead for a long time.”
Saying it felt strange.
Like I was repeating something I had always believed without ever questioning it.
“Whoever told you I’m related to you…” I shook my head slightly. “They probably just want to rip you off. People do that. Especially to people who look like they have money.”
Hazel nodded slowly.
Not in agreement.
But like she understood why I was saying it.
“That makes sense,” she said gently.
I blinked.
That wasn’t the reaction I expected.
“I’d probably say the same thing if I were you.”
Her calmness threw me off.
She wasn’t arguing.
Wasn’t pushing.
Wasn’t trying to convince me.
And somehow, that made it harder to dismiss her.
She hesitated for a moment.
Then, softly—
“Can I hug you?”
The question caught me off guard.
“What?”
“I know it’s weird,” she said quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly. “And you don’t have to say yes. I just… I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
So long.
That phrase again.
Like there was a history I didn’t remember.
I studied her for a second.
She looked nervous.
Hopeful.
Terrified.
All at once.
I didn’t know why, but…
“Sure,” I said quietly, shrugging slightly. “I guess.”
That was all she needed.
She crossed the distance between us in seconds.
And then—
She hugged me.
Tightly.
Warmly.
And something inside me…
Stilled.
I didn’t expect that.
I didn’t expect the way my body relaxed almost instantly.
Didn’t expect the way I leaned into it without thinking.
Didn’t expect the strange, unfamiliar sense of… peace.
Like I had found something I didn’t even know I was missing.
My eyes fluttered shut.
And for a moment—
Just a moment—
Everything else faded.
“I’m sorry,” Hazel whispered against me, her voice thick with emotion. “We should have looked harder. We should have found you sooner.”
My throat tightened painfully.
My hands slowly came up, gripping the back of her shirt.
“Is this real?” I whispered.
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Because I needed to know.
Needed something to hold onto.
Hazel nodded against me.
“Yes,” she said softly. “It’s real.”
I let out a shaky breath.
My chest rose and fell unevenly.
“If you want,” she continued gently, “we can do a DNA test. Right now. We’re both in the hospital—it wouldn’t take long.”
A small, broken laugh escaped me.
Of course.
Proof.
Something solid.
Something undeniable.
But even without it…
Why did this feel so real?
Tears started slipping down my face before I even realized I was crying.
I didn’t try to stop them.
I couldn’t.
Everything I had been holding in just… spilled over.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I don’t understand anything anymore.”
“It’s okay,” Hazel murmured, holding me tighter. “You don’t have to understand everything right now.”
“I want this to be real,” I admitted, the words trembling out of me. “I really do.”
And that scared me.
Because wanting it meant risking everything.
“I know,” she said softly. “And it is.”
I cried harder at that.
Because a part of me—
A small, fragile, desperate part—
Believed her.
Wanted to believe her.
Needed to.
Before I could say anything else—
The door suddenly burst open.
The sound made me flinch, pulling slightly away from Hazel.
“Mommy!”
My heart stopped.
Zara.
She ran into the room, her little legs moving as fast as they could carry her.
“Mommy!” she cried again, her voice breaking as she rushed toward me.
I barely had time to react before she threw herself into my arms.
“Zara—” My voice cracked instantly as I held her tightly. “Baby—”
She clung to me like she was afraid I would disappear.
“I missed you!” she sobbed. “I missed you so much!”
“I’m here,” I whispered, pressing kisses into her hair. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Tears blurred my vision again.
Everything felt too much.
Too overwhelming.
Too emotional.
And then—
I saw him.
Ryan.
He was by the door.
In a wheelchair.
Being rolled in slowly.
My breath caught.
For a second, everything else faded into the background.
All I could see—
Was him.
And suddenly, my heart didn’t know what to feel anymore.