Chapter 13 Necklace
ANNA'S POV
“I refused to take mine off the moment they took you,” my mom said, her voice trembling slightly as her fingers brushed over the necklace around her neck. “I always wore it so I’d recognize it anywhere, at any time. Thankfully, my secretary was the person who noticed you first. The day I found you… A lady bought something from you.” She paused, her gaze locked on me as though she was waiting for me to connect the dots.
My eyes drifted down to the table. A lot had happened that day — too much, in fact, for me to easily recall something as small as a single sale. My mind tried to sift through the blur of moments until…wait. Something clicked. I remembered clearly that day. Business had been painfully slow. I hadn’t made any real sales, and just before closing up, one woman had walked in. She had bought some snacks.
“Yeah… I remember,” I said slowly, my voice quiet but certain.
My mom gave a small nod, the corners of her lips twitching into a faint smile. “When she came in for the application that day, she mentioned that I looked a lot like the woman she bought something from. She also said we were both wearing the same necklace.” She paused, her tone softening. “That was the first time in years I’d heard anything like that. I realized it could finally be my chance to find you. So I took action immediately.”
I listened closely, my heartbeat picking up slightly.
“I called my private investigator,” she continued, her words steady. “She took us straight to your shop, but by the time we got there, you were gone. It was a small neighborhood, though, and the investigator didn’t waste time. She asked around and managed to get information about where you lived. When the investigator told me what was happening, how you’d been thrown out, I rushed there immediately.” My mom’s eyes glistened slightly, her voice shaking as she finished. “That’s how I found you.”
I sat there, stunned for a few seconds, staring at her. Her explanation made sense, too much sense to be anything but true. “I never told you I had a small shop,” I said quietly. “So I guess that means you’re telling the truth.”
“Of course I am,” my mom said quickly, reaching out to hold my hand. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Anna. You can trust us.”
Her voice carried that kind of warmth only mothers have, but at the same time, part of me couldn’t help but test the edges of this new reality. I’d grown up believing one story about my life now everything had changed.
“A few moments ago,” I said, my tone a bit hesitant, “you mentioned ‘before they took me away.’ I’m assuming that’s when I was still little.” My eyes met hers. “But who exactly were they?”
Her expression dimmed almost instantly. “I always hated talking about these memories,” she said, her eyes lowering briefly before she forced herself to look at me again. “But… the ‘they’ I was talking about were the people who kidnapped you when you were still little.”
For a moment, the words didn’t quite register. “I got kidnapped?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
“Yes,” my mom said softly.
“At what age?”
“You were about three years old,” my dad’s deep voice added, breaking the silence that had filled the room.
Three. My stomach twisted slightly. I tried to imagine myself as a toddler, tiny and defenseless, surrounded by strangers. “Why would they want to kidnap a three-year-old?” I asked, unable to keep the confusion from my tone.
“Why not?” my dad said with a sigh, setting his tablet aside. “The kidnappers wanted money. They attacked us that night, took you, and were planning to demand ransom.”
My hands tightened slightly in my lap. “And did you… Did you pay the ransom?”
My dad shook his head slowly. “I wish we’d gotten that far,” he said. “If we had, things might have been different. You would have grown up with your real family, surrounded by love, and none of this pain would have ever happened. But fate…” he paused, exhaling heavily “—fate had other plans.”
I swallowed hard.
“The night you were kidnapped, there was a terrible storm,” my mom continued. “A hurricane. Everything was chaotic. When the kidnappers were finally caught, they confessed that they lost you in the storm. I can’t explain how that broke me.” Her voice cracked slightly. “I can’t tell you how many times I cried, blaming myself, wondering if you were safe, if you were cold, if you were even alive.”
My mom looked away for a second, brushing at her eyes before forcing a small smile that didn’t quite reach her lips. “That’s why seeing you sitting here now, safe and alive, in the same house with us after all these years, made me cry last night. All those emotions just came flooding back.”
The room fell silent. I blinked slowly, my mind still processing everything she’d said. “So that’s how I was separated,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
My dad nodded. “It’s been tough for us through all these years,” he said quietly. “But we can’t even imagine how hard it must’ve been for you. Being kidnapped at just three years old, then lost in a storm… You must have been terrified, searching for us, but we weren’t there.” He sighed deeply. “And for that, we’re truly sorry for all the times we weren’t there in your life.”
My chest felt heavy, but I managed to give a small, understanding nod. “I’m sure you both did the best you could,” I said softly.
“But that still wasn’t enough,” my dad replied, his tone calm yet firm. “And we plan to make up for all those years we missed with you.”
“Make up? How?” I asked, my brows furrowing slightly, not sure where he was going with this.
My mom smiled faintly, looking at my dad before turning back to me. “Well,” she said, her voice lighter now, “your dad has already set a vacation plan for us. Abroad.”
For a moment, I just blinked at them, unsure if I’d heard correctly. “Wait… what?”
My dad chuckled softly at my reaction. “Yes, a vacation,” he said. “Somewhere peaceful. You’ve gone through more than anyone should, Anna. You deserve to rest, to heal, to start fresh with your real family this time.”