Chapter 149 Wild Child Part I
Sarah POV
"Did you find my daughter?"
My voice cracked with excitement and disbelief. After all the sleepless nights wondering where she was, if she was safe, if she even remembered me somewhere deep in her subconscious—finally, a real lead.
All this time, I'd never stopped searching for my lost child. During our trip to California, Mom had manipulated Lucas to bid on various items at charity auctions, and many children's welfare centers had approached her for sponsorship afterward. Of course, Mom couldn't provide the funding herself, so naturally, the responsibility fell to Michael and me. But I'd made a strategic decision with every donation. I asked each organization to keep an eye out for any information about my missing daughter and to call me the moment they found anything. They took our money, so they agreed readily enough.
Noah Walker was the director of one such organization I'd sponsored.
"The situation is... complicated," Noah said carefully through the phone. "The child has already been adopted, but I think you should come down to our center so we can discuss this properly."
"I'll be there right away."
The second I hung up, adrenaline flooded through my system. "Mom! They found her. My daughter! They said she's been adopted."
I expected Mom to light up with joy, to share in this incredible moment. Instead, she and Jessica exchanged worried looks.
"Sarah, maybe we should slow down and think about this," Jessica said, setting down her coffee mug.
But I was already grabbing my purse, my mind racing with possibilities. "Think about what? This is what I've been waiting for all these years. I need to go to the children's center right now."
"Wait." Jessica stood up, blocking my path to the door. "If you rush over there and it really is your daughter, what exactly are you planning to do?"
"Bring her home, obviously."
The words left my mouth before I could even process them fully. It seemed so natural. She was my daughter. She belonged with me.
Jessica's expression grew more serious. "Sarah, you need to consider your position now. You're Mrs. Johnson, a member of one of Star City's most prominent families. What happens when you suddenly show up with a biological daughter? How do you think that's going to affect your relationship with the Johnsons?"
Mom nodded in agreement, her face creased with concern. "Jessica's right, sweetheart. If this child has already been adopted by another family, you can't just march in there and demand to take her back. That's not how these things work."
Their words felt like cold water on my burning excitement. I knew they were trying to protect me, trying to make me think rationally, but every fiber of my being screamed that I couldn't just sit here and do nothing when my child might be within reach.
"Look, I understand your concerns, I really do. But I can't pretend I didn't get this call." I took a deep breath, forcing myself to slow down and think. "Here's what I'll do. I'll go see what they have to say first. I need to confirm whether it's actually my daughter before I make any other decisions. If it really is her, then I'll talk to Michael and his family, and we'll figure out how to handle the situation with her adoptive parents. I promise I won't do anything reckless."
Mom's shoulders relaxed slightly at my more measured approach. Jessica studied my face for a long moment before nodding slowly.
"Alright," Jessica said, reaching for her keys. "But I'm coming with you. And you're going to stick to that plan—no matter what we find out."
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to Sunshine Children's Home, a modest brick building with colorful playground equipment visible through the windows.
Noah greeted us in his office, a kind-faced man in his fifties with graying hair and tired eyes that suggested he'd seen too many difficult situations over the years.
"Sarah, thank you for coming so quickly," he said, gesturing for us to sit. "Let me fill you in on what we've found."
He pulled out a manila folder and opened it carefully. "The child's name is Ashley Madison. She's almost five years old now. She came to our center about three years ago with a group of children who were displaced after the fire at Angel Haven Children's Welfare Center. According to our records, she was originally placed there as an infant."
My breath caught in my throat. Three years ago would line up with the timing. The age was right. This could actually be her.
Noah slid a photograph across the desk toward me. The little girl in the picture had changed dramatically from the newborn I remembered from the photo Mom had shown me on her phone. But that was normal, wasn't it? Children grew and changed so much in their first few years.
Jessica leaned over to look at the photo with me. "Her eyes," she said quietly. "Those deep blue eyes look just like yours, Sarah."
Her words gave me a surge of confidence. "Can you tell me about her adoptive family?" I asked Noah. "Where is she living now?"
Noah's expression grew uncomfortable. "I'm not really supposed to share that information..."
"Please," I pressed. "I just need to know if this is really my daughter."
After a long moment, he sighed and pulled out another paper. "Their financial situation isn't great. They couldn't have biological children due to some health issues, so they adopted Ashley. The father is a truck driver. He's only home a few times a year. The mother takes care of Ashley by herself most of the time."
Something twisted in my chest at that description. My daughter was living with people who couldn't even provide for her adequately while I was here, finally in a position to give her everything she could ever need.
"I need their address," I said firmly.
Noah looked conflicted, but after several minutes of my persistence, he finally wrote down an address and handed it to me.
"Please be careful how you handle this," he said as we prepared to leave. "These situations can be very delicate."
In the car, Jessica input the address into her GPS while I stared at the photo of Ashley, trying to find traces of the baby I'd held so briefly all those years ago.
"I'm so nervous," I admitted as we drove through increasingly run-down neighborhoods. "I owe this child so much. When I see her, I don't even know what to say. Should I buy her gifts or something?"
"Maybe hold off on the gifts until we know more about the situation," Jessica suggested gently.
Her logic made sense, but I couldn't shake my anxiety. "I'm just worried - what if they've already bonded with her? What if they love her? How could I possibly..."
We arrived at our destination: a row of aging townhouses that had clearly seen better days. The paint was peeling, and several windows were covered with plastic instead of glass. This was where my daughter was living.
I walked up to the front door with Jessica close behind me and pressed the doorbell. I could hear movement inside, the sound of small feet running.
The door swung open before I was even ready, and a little girl with wild brown hair came rushing out, nearly colliding with me.
She turned back toward the house and shouted, "Go ahead and hit me! I don't care a damn because you're not my real family anyway! My real parents are gonna come for me someday!"
Then she looked up at me with those deep blue eyes that Jessica had mentioned, and the whole world seemed to stop.