During the drive, Margaret sat stiffly, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar comfort. She stared out at the city she had wandered for years, never knowing her son lived among its wealth. “I thought you were taken… then dead… and later, I forced myself to believe you had forgotten me,” she said quietly.
Daniel closed his eyes. “I thought you abandoned me.”
At the mansion, things grew tense. Daniel’s sister, Caroline Carter, immediately questioned everything. Vanessa suggested lawyers, tests, damage control. Emily, unable to stay silent, snapped, “Are you more worried about appearances than the truth?”
Margaret, shrinking under their stares, quietly asked to leave. “I don’t want to ruin your life,” she said. “Seeing you once is enough.”
But Daniel shook his head firmly. “You’re not going anywhere. This is your home.”
They cleaned her up, gave her fresh clothes, warm food. Still, she remained uneasy. That night, she told her story—how she searched for him for months, how no one helped because she was poor, how she was scammed, abused, and eventually pushed onto the streets. She never stopped looking.