chapter 26

The room was thick with emotion.

Alden's usually strong and composed voice had trembled as he poured out the truth Jane had been chasing for years. His eyes, red from tears, were locked on the photo he held—a photo of Job, smiling brightly in front of their old house. Jane stared at the image as if trying to memorize every inch of it, her trembling fingers gently brushing over Job's face.

Alden spoke again, softer now, his words broken by grief.

"He was my younger brother, Jane… but he was stronger than I ever was. He believed in love, in people. I never understood why he wouldn't just let you go when our father objected… but now I see it. You were his home."

Jane wiped her tears silently, her body shivering not from cold, but from everything—grief, relief, disbelief.

Alden continued, "When I couldn't find you… I blamed myself. I thought I'd failed you both. Then… one day, I saw Kara. She was in one of the shelters I supported. Something about her eyes stopped me. Then I met Ethan… and I just knew. They were Job's. I didn't have proof, but I couldn't turn away."

He paused and looked at Jane. "I raised them as my own, but I never told them the truth. I was waiting for the right time. I wanted to find you first. I didn't want them growing up with that pain."

Jane couldn't speak. Her heart was both full and shattered. Her children—her children—were alive. Under the same roof. And she had served them tea. Cleaned their rooms. Been slapped by her own daughter… and still cared.

She was still staring at Job's photo when the door creaked open.

A knock hadn't come. Alden's assistant had simply walked in, holding a folder, expecting the usual paperwork or directives.

"Sir, I have the—" the man began, then stopped cold.

His eyes darted between Alden's tear-streaked face, Jane's trembling form, the photos scattered on the desk, and the oppressive silence that choked the room.

"I—I'm sorry," the assistant stammered, sensing he had walked into something deeply personal. "I didn't mean to intrude."

Alden quickly wiped his face, trying to regain composure. "Leave it on the desk, and please… no interruptions for the rest of the day."

"Yes, sir," the assistant said awkwardly, gently placing the folder down and backing out of the office with a quiet bow.

As the door closed behind him, silence returned.

Jane let out a long breath, almost like a prayer.

"Do they know?" she asked. "Kara and Ethan… do they know I'm their mother?"

Alden shook his head solemnly. "No. Not yet."

Jane looked down at her hands, the same hands that had once cradled two infants… the same hands that now scrubbed floors under their feet.

"I don't know how to tell them," she whispered.

Alden stepped closer, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"We'll tell them together," he said. "They deserve to know. And you… you deserve to be their mother again."

Tears rolled down Jane's face as her lips parted in a soft, uncertain smile. After all the pain, the waiting, the endurance…

Alden gave a reassuring nod, his expression soft but resolute. "We'll handle everything maturely," he repeated gently. "It won't be easy, Jane, but at least now… we have the truth. And the truth has a way of healing, even if it hurts at first."

Jane's eyes remained fixed on the floor, her fingers twisting the hem of her blouse. "I'm scared," she admitted. "Kara is strong, but she's also wounded. I see it in her every day. The way she lashes out, the anger… it's deep. If she finds out I'm her mother—the same woman she believes abandoned her—what if she never forgives me?"

Alden sighed and moved to sit on the edge of his desk. "You have every right to be scared, Jane. But Kara deserves to know the truth. Even if she reacts with anger, even if she doesn't accept it right away… you owe her that. And deep down, I believe she's been waiting her whole life to know why. Why no one came for her. Why she felt unloved. Maybe it won't change everything immediately, but it might start to."

Jane swallowed hard, then looked up. "And Ethan?"

"Ethan is calmer," Alden replied. "More curious than angry. He always asked questions about his past but never pushed too hard when I didn't have answers. He'll want to know. And I think… he'll want to meet you as his mother."

Jane blinked away the tears forming again. "All this time… I feared they might be gone, or living with people who didn't care for them. I didn't know they were right here, in the same house. I missed everything."

"No, Jane," Alden said, his voice firm. "You didn't miss everything. You're here now. And that's what matters."

She nodded slowly, drawing strength from his words.

"Let's wait a bit," Alden continued. "We'll plan this out. I don't want to drop it on them like a storm. Let's talk to Ethan first. I have a feeling he'll help us handle Kara when the time comes."

Jane managed a small, hopeful smile. "Alright. But… thank you, Alden. Thank you for taking them in when I couldn't. For loving them."

Alden smiled sadly. "They're family, Jane. And now, they'll finally know they were never truly abandoned… just separated by fate."

Outside the office door, the house stood quiet, but the air inside it had changed.