Ethan’s POV
“Yes, Aunt Meave!” I confirmed, my tone gentle but firm. “It’s her.”
Meave’s face went pale, her fingers trembling. How can you be so certain? After all these years…”
I understood her skepticism. When Arya disappeared, she’d been barely five years old. The Carter family had exhausted every resource trying to find her–all had led nowhere, until now.
‘I can hardly believe it myself,” I admitted. “When I first saw her, I couldn’t believe two people could look so identical.” I glanced at Arya, standing stiffly beside me. “But I needed to be sure before bringing her to the Carter family. That’s why I brought her to you first.
I moved closer to Meave. “You used to hold Arya when she was little. She had a birthmark on her arm–do you remember?”
Meave’s eyes lit with recognition. “Yes, I remember.” Her voice strengthened. “It was so distinctive–impossible to miss or forget,
even if I wanted to.”
With a gentle motion, I turned to Arya. “Show Aunt Meave your arm, please,”
Arya hesitated before slowly rolling up her sleeve. Her thin arm bore multiple scars, already healed into permanent marks. Bot there, amid the remnants of old wounds, was the heart–shaped birthmark exactly where it should be.
Meave gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. The scars seemed to horrify her more than the birthmark confirmed her identity. Her eyes welled with tears.
“Yes,” she whispered, “Arya had exactly this birthmark. It was smaller when she was a child, but… is it really you? Are you really
Arya?”
Arya pulled her arm back, rolling down her sleeve. “I don’t know,” she replied flatly. She glanced at me. “My name is Nine. Ethan found me and told me I might be part of the Carter family.”
Meave looked at me, her eyes shining with questions. “Ethan, how did you find her? After all these years…”
“A fortunate coincidence,” I replied simply.
Summer emerged from the kitchen carrying two cups of coffee. “Why don’t we all sit down?” she suggested, placing the cups on the
coffee table.
She exchanged a look with Brandon. “Brandon, I think I’d like some fresh air. Would you mind walking with me?”
Brandon’s eyes narrowed slightly before he nodded. “Fine.”
As he stood, Brandon addressed the room with quiet authority. Aunt Meave and Ethan, take your time to catch up. Summer and I will step out for a while.”
Once they’d left, Meave beckoned Arya to sit beside her. “Don’t be nervous,” she said gently. “I promise I don’t bite.”
Arya bristled. “I’m nervous!” she insisted, before adding with a forced smile, “I’m just not used to… this.”
“We searched for her for years, I explained to Meave. “I’ve been abroad for business these past few years, and I found her completely by chance. I leaned forward. “As it turns out, she was adopted by a Mexican–American couple who took her to Mexico. That’s why we never found any trace of her in the U.S.”
1/2
Chapter 233
1 reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a folder, handing it to Meave. “I was worried I might be wrong, so I investigated thoroughly. Arya was kidnapped when she was very young–too young to remember clearly. She passed through several places before ending up in a foster care facility where this couple eventually adopted her.”
Meave’s hands trembled as she opened the folder. With a sudden movement, she reached for Arya’s arm again, gently pushing up the sleeve to reveal the scars. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
“Oh, my poor child,” she whispered. “What did they do to you?”
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