Chapter 1: The Name She Never Knew
Chapter 1: The Name She Never Knew
The restaurant fell into an uneasy silence.
The older woman clutched her chest as tears streamed down her face. Her hands shook so violently that the silver heart locket nearly slipped from her fingers.
The waitress stood frozen, her own locket now visible in her hand, identical in every detail.
“How do you know about that?” the waitress repeated, her voice unsteady.
The older woman tried to speak, but the words collapsed into sobs. The young man beside her finally stood up, alarmed.
“Mom… what is going on?”
The woman shook her head, unable to answer. Instead, she reached across the table, pointing at the waitress’s hand.
“That mark…” she whispered. “That exact mark…”
She struggled to breathe.
“I thought it was gone forever.”
The waitress frowned. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
The older woman slowly opened the locket she held. Inside was a faded photograph—an infant wrapped in a hospital blanket.
Engraved beneath it was a name:
“Lily.”
The waitress blinked. “That’s not my name.”
But something in her voice faltered.
May you like
The older woman looked up at her with devastation in her eyes.
“It was,” she said. “Before you were taken.”
