Chapter 7 - The Nurse's Sacrifice
I let out a bitter, humorless laugh that echoed off the high ceiling. "Then how was it meant to be opened, Mr. Lu? When I was on my deathbed, having lived my entire life without knowing who I really am?"
No one dared to answer. Alejandro ground his teeth together, his fists clenched at his sides. "It wasn't supposed to be like this, Clara."
"Then tell me how it is!" I screamed, the last shred of my composure shattering.
Alejandro looked desperately at his father. "We can't hide it anymore," he murmured.
Mr. Lu gave a slow, defeated nod. Alejandro turned to Valeria and snatched the old photograph from her trembling hands with such force she stumbled backward. He looked at it for a fleeting second before gently handing it to me.
My fingers traced the faded image. The woman in the photo had a small crescent-shaped scar near her mouth. A sudden, dizzying wave of vertigo hit me. The marble floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
"Who is she?" I whispered, my voice breaking.
Alejandro looked at me, his eyes brimming with tears. "She is your mother."
My breath caught violently in my throat. I had grown up in foster care and with distant relatives, raised on the lie that my mother had died of a sudden illness when I was an infant. I was told not to dig into the past.
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"Why..." I choked out, pointing a shaking finger at Mr. Lu. "Why do you have a picture of my mother?"
Mr. Lu took a deep, trembling breath. "Because your mother saved my son's life."
