Chapter 2 — The Price of Silence
Chapter 2 — The Price of Silence
The village road fell into complete silence.
Even the crying child stopped when he noticed the strange look between the two adults.
The rich man swallowed hard.
"What... did you just say?"
The woman lowered her eyes.
"Your father came here thirty-five years ago."
She clutched the faded ribbon so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"You were only a few hours old."
The old clinic stood abandoned behind them, its broken windows staring like empty eyes.
"My husband and I worked here," she continued. "Your birth mother was brought in after a terrible accident."
The rich man frowned.
"My birth mother?"
The woman nodded slowly.
"She survived long enough to hold you."
A long silence followed.
"She begged us to protect you."
The man's breathing became shallow.
"But your grandfather arrived before sunrise."
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances.
"He offered us more money than we had ever seen."
Her voice cracked.
"One condition."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"We were never allowed to tell you where you came from."
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The rich man felt the world spinning beneath his feet.
Everything he had believed about his childhood suddenly felt like a carefully written lie.
