Chapter 1
Chapter 1:
The husband’s fingers tightened around the photograph as if it might disappear.
“This blanket…” he whispered again, his voice unsteady now. “This isn’t just any blanket.”
The glamorous wife scoffed, still irritated. “What are you talking about? It’s just an old picture—”
“No,” he snapped, louder than anyone had ever heard him speak.
The entire room froze.
He turned the photograph toward the light. The delicate stitching along the edge shimmered faintly.
A crest.
A lion intertwined with a rose.
His breath caught.
“This was custom-made,” he said slowly. “For my family. My son had one exactly like it…”
The word hung in the air.
Had.
The waitress’s knees weakened.
“I… I don’t understand,” she stammered. “That’s the only thing I’ve had since I was a baby. The woman who raised me said I was left with it…”
The husband’s eyes locked onto hers.
“How old are you?” he asked.
“Twenty-two.”
His heart dropped.
Twenty-two years ago… his son disappeared.
No trace.
No explanation.
Just gone.
The glamorous wife’s expression shifted slightly, uncertainty creeping in.
“That’s not possible,” she said quickly. “You told me your son—”
“Was taken,” he said, his voice breaking. “Not lost. Taken.”
May you like
And now, standing in front of him…
Was the answer he had spent decades searching for.
