Chapter 2: The Scar No One Could Explain
Within an hour, the police arrived.
So did child protection officers.
Emily refused to leave the boy's side.
At the station, an officer gently questioned him.
"What do you remember before living on the streets?"
Lucky squeezed his eyes shut.
"Rain."
"A van."
"A man telling me not to cry."
"That's all."
Nothing more.
No names.
No places.
No family.
The officer exchanged a quiet glance with Emily.
The memories were classic signs of childhood trauma.
A female doctor entered to perform a routine examination.
Minutes later, she stepped back into the room holding a medical chart.
"There is something you should see."
Emily followed her.
The doctor carefully brushed aside the boy's tangled hair.
Hidden behind his left ear was a tiny crescent-shaped birthmark.
Emily covered her mouth.
"No..."
Tears burst from her eyes.
Leo had been born with that exact mark.
The pediatrician had joked that it looked like a little moon.
There had never been another child with the same unique birthmark in their family.
Still...
The doctor spoke calmly.
"A birthmark alone isn't proof."
Emily nodded through her tears.
"I know."
"I need certainty."
The detective standing nearby agreed.
"We'll arrange a DNA test immediately."
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The swab took less than a minute.
The wait felt like forever.
