Margaret fed them a proper meal and took them home despite their protests. Her mansion felt foreign to them, but strangely familiar. A half-heart locket around Noah’s neck confirmed her fear—and hope. She ordered a DNA test and learned the boys’ father had died, leaving behind a letter admitting he’d kept them from her out of pride and bitterness. They had grown up in shelters, thinking she didn’t care. When the test confirmed they were hers, she rushed home—only to find their backpacks gone and a note saying they didn’t belong in her wealthy world.
Panicked, she searched the city until she found them huddled on a park bench in the rain. She fell to her knees, begging them to come home. Tears streamed down her face as she opened her locket to show the matching half heart. “I never stopped looking for you,” she whispered. Slowly, Noah reached for her hand.
