chapter 25

Jane barely slept that night.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the familiar embroidery pressed against her heart in memory. Her thoughts raced in circles—restless, heavy, hopeful, and terrified. She kept asking herself the same questions over and over:

Was it all a coincidence?Was she seeing what she wanted to see?Was her desperation clouding her judgment… or was fate finally showing her mercy?

And then there was Alden.

The man who had shown her compassion after the accident. The same man who had offered her a job without hesitation. The man who, for some reason, had been coming home late lately, distant and distracted—just around the same time Jane had entered their lives.

Was it guilt? Was it memory? Or was it something else entirely?

Her mind couldn't ignore the name he had mentioned the other day—Job. That name had left a scar deep in her chest. The one man she had loved and trusted, who had promised to return for her and their babies, but never did. She had never seen him again after that day. She didn't even know if he was still alive.

But if Alden knew a man named Job… could it be?

The thought sent a tremble down her spine.

She needed to know.

No—she deserved to know.

The next morning, Jane rose before dawn, determined. She carried out her chores silently, her heart pounding with every passing hour. She waited until Kara had left the house—until the tension in the air was low—then made her way to Alden's study.

Her hands were cold. Her breath shallow.

She knocked softly.

"Come in," Alden's voice called from inside, calm but tired.

Jane stepped in, holding her gaze steady.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir," she began slowly, "but there's something I need to ask you… something important. And I hope you'll hear me out."

Alden looked up from his desk, his brow furrowed at the seriousness in her voice.

"What is it?" he asked gently.

Jane's fingers trembled slightly as she held her hands together. Her voice was quiet—but unwavering.

"Do you… do you know someone named Job?"

The pen in Alden's hand dropped.

His eyes widened—just slightly—but enough for Jane to notice.

The silence that followed was too long. Too heavy.

Then came Alden's low voice. "Why are you asking me that?"

Jane took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding. "Because... I think we may have met before. Or… maybe not you, but someone you know. And I believe you may know something—anything—about my children."

Alden stared at her. The room seemed to close in.

His expression darkened—not with anger, but with something far more complex. A quiet, tormented confusion that slowly shifted to disbelief.

Alden's breath caught in his throat.

He leaned back slowly in his chair, eyes fixed on Jane, but lost in another world entirely. Her words had shattered the wall he had built around a part of himself he never dared open—not even to Kara or her brother.

It had been years.

Years since he last saw Job—his only brother. His best friend. His burden.

Job, the dreamer.Job, the stubborn one.Job, who had loved fiercely, against all odds.And Job… who left one day to return for the woman he loved and the future they planned—only to never come back.

Alden closed his eyes, and memories came flooding back.

He could still hear Job's voice the day he left.

"If anything happens to me… promise me, Alden. Promise me you'll find Jane. And take care of our children. Don't let them suffer."

He had promised.

Sworn it with every ounce of his being.

But when word reached him of Job's sudden death during a violent incident in their hometown, Alden had lost more than just a brother—he lost his purpose. The grief broke something in him. He searched for Jane, yes—but by then, she was gone. Vanished from her family's home. No trail. No clue. Nothing but a promise… and guilt that refused to fade.

Alden opened his eyes again, and they were glistening.

"You…" he began, his voice hoarse. "You're Jane?"

Jane's lips trembled, and she slowly nodded.

"I never stopped searching," she whispered. "But I had no name, no place to begin… until now."

Alden leaned forward, clutching his chest. "All these years, I thought I failed Job. I thought… I lost my chance to ever make it right."

Jane's eyes filled with tears. "What happened to him, Alden? Why didn't he come back for me?"

Alden's face twisted in pain. "He was killed before he could. He never got the chance."

The room went silent. The truth hung heavy between them.

Jane's knees buckled slightly, and Alden rushed from his seat to steady her. She gripped his arms, her eyes wide in disbelief, her lips quivering with the weight of a thousand unspoken emotions.

"So it's true…" she choked out. "He didn't abandon me."

"No," Alden said gently. "He loved you, Jane. He wanted to return to you. But he couldn't. And I… I failed you. I should have tried harder."

Jane shook her head. "No. You gave me a job. A roof. A chance to breathe. Maybe… maybe fate has its own way of reuniting the broken."

And then she asked the question that had burned in her soul for decades.

"The children, Alden. Do you know where they are?"

Alden went quiet again.

He nodded.

Very slowly.

His lips trembled, but the words finally came out.

"They're here, Jane. They've been here all along."

Jane's eyes widened in shock. Her hands flew to her mouth. Her legs nearly gave out.

"Kara…" she whispered, her voice cracking. "And her brother?"

Alden closed his eyes, tears running down his face.

"They are your children, Jane."