The name hit Dana like a physical blow. That wasn’t just a name. It was power. It was headlines and skyscrapers. The kind of people who hired security to chase away girls like her. Was this… an heir?
Dana’s head spun. How could a child from that family end up in the trash? She looked at the baby’s face—nothing wrong, nothing broken. Just life. Just innocence. “Whoever you are,” Dana said, her voice small but firm, “you don’t deserve this.”
She tucked the chain into her pocket like a promise and began the long walk toward the city. She had no car, no family, and no home. She had only the absolute certainty that this baby would not die tonight. Not while she was there.
Soon, the baby began to cry again—this time from hunger. Dana knew that sound all too well. She stopped under the awning of a closed shop and counted her money: crumpled coins and bills saved up over days of scavenging. She had been saving for socks. A hot burger. To feel human for a moment.
She looked at the baby’s searching lips. She squeezed the money tight. “You win,” she whispered.