All Chapters of Puck, Passion, and Broken Promises: Chapter 81 - Chapter 88

The text message is still burning in my mind."Congratulations on the DNA results. We know. We're watching. Don't get too comfortable."The words are seared into my brain. I can't stop reading them over and over. Every time I close my eyes, I see them. Every time I blink, they're there. They're tattooed on my soul. They're etched into my heart. They're the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see before I fall asleep. They're a constant reminder that we're not safe. That we'll never be safe. That someone is always watching. That someone is always waiting. That someone is always one step ahead of us. That someone is always ready to take everything away. That someone is always ready to destroy us. That someone is always ready to rip our family apart again. That someone is always ready to steal our happiness.Ethan stares at his phone. His jaw is tight. His knuckles are white. He hasn't moved in minutes. He's frozen in place, like a statue made of ice and rage. His breat

The text message is still burning on Ethan's phone."You were right to confront me. I deserve your anger. But I'm not the only one who betrayed you. There's someone else. Someone closer. Someone you still trust."The room is silent. The air is cold. Ethan stares at the screen. His hands are shaking. His face is white. His jaw is tight. The phone glows in the darkness like a warning. Like the truth we've been running from. Like a knife in the dark. Like everything we thought we knew was a lie. Like the final betrayal. Like the moment everything changed forever. Like the moment trust died."Someone else," he whispers. His voice is hollow. Broken. I've never heard him sound like this. He sounds like a man who's been broken beyond repair. Like a man who's lost all hope. Like a man who's been betrayed by everyone he ever loved. Like a man who's been stabbed in the heart by the one person he trusted most. Like a man who doesn't know who to trust anymore.I feel the cold creep into my bones.

The address leads us to a small house at the edge of town.White paint peeling like dead skin. A porch that sags under its own weight. A garden overgrown with weeds and wildflowers. It looks abandoned. It looks forgotten. It looks like a place where secrets go to die. It looks like a place where the truth has been buried for decades. It looks like a place where ghosts live. It looks like a place that's been waiting for us. It looks like a place that's been holding its breath. It looks like a place that's been expecting us.Ethan parks the car. His hands are shaking. His knuckles are white. His jaw is tight. He doesn't speak. He just stares at the house. He hasn't blinked in minutes. He looks like he's seeing a ghost. He looks like he's been waiting for this moment his whole life. He looks like he's about to break."She's in there," he says."How do you know? How can you be sure?""Because this is where the trail ends. This is where the truth is. This is where everything ends. This is

The morning after we see Noah, we make a plan.Sarah is sitting across from us in the motel room. Her hands are shaking. Her eyes are red. She looks like she hasn't slept. She looks like she's been crying all night. Her coffee is cold. She hasn't touched it. She's just been staring at the wall. The weight of everything is pressing down on her. She looks like she's about to break. She looks like she's been waiting for this moment too."He knows something is different," she says."Different how? What's happening? What did he say?""He's been asking questions. About where he came from. About who his real parents are. About why he doesn't look like us. About why my hair is brown and his is blonde. About why his eyes are blue and mine are brown. He's been asking about his real family. He's been asking about you."Ethan leans forward. His voice is gentle. His eyes are soft. He's trying so hard to be patient. I can see the effort in his face. I can see the hope in his eyes. I can see the fea