The entire ballroom went dead silent.


    Every eye in the room focused on that tiny birthmark on my arm.


    Alex’s face drained of color inch by inch.


    He stood frozen like he’d been struck by lightning, lips moving soundlessly.


    Those eyes that had looked through me countless times now zed with shock, disbelief, and crushing regret.


    No… that’s impossible…”


    He muttered to himself, trying to make sense of it all.


    Maya looked even worse. She lunged forward and snatched the report.


    It’s fake! This has to be fake!” she screamed hysterically. “You’re all cons that Grace hired!”


    he old cop frowned. “Miss, forging official documents is a felony. This report came straight from police archives-that’s my signature and fingerprint


    hen he pulled out a photo. Faded, but still clear enough.


    1 it, young Alexy unconscious in a police officer’s arms.


    eside him, a tiny, fragile girl clutched another cop’s sleeve, desperately pointing toward the mountains.


    he wore a torn white dress, face covered in mud, and on her arm-a rose-shaped birthmark, clear as day.


    My partner took this photo back then.” The old cop sighed. “Unfortunately, the Carter family showed up and rushed Mr. Carter away before we could et this girl’s name.”


    I’ve carried this case with me all these years, hoping to find her someday and say thank you.”


    Never thought I’d run into her here.”


    he truth hit like lightning, shattering the world of lies and delusions Alex had built over twenty years.


    le staggered backward, eyes moving from the photo to the report, finallynding on my face.


    he face he’d looked at for three years but never remembered.


    It was you…”


    fis voice shook uncontrobly.


    It was you all along.”


    stared at him coldly, watching the pathetic pain on his face.


    ‘Now you recognize me?”


    Alex’s eyes immediately filled with tears. He reached out like he wanted to touch me, then jerked his hand back like he’d been burned.


    “Grace, I-”


    CRACK!


    A sharp p echoed through the hall.


    The silver haired woman had stepped forward and used every ounce of her strength to p Maya across the face.


    “You shameless fraud!” The old woman shook with rage. “You stole her life and now you want to destroy her present!”


    Maya hit the ground hard, hair falling loose,pletely disheveled.


    She clutched her face, finally dropping the act as she screamed at Alex: “Alex! You have to believe me! I was there with you! We made promises!”


    But Alex acted like he couldn’t hear her.


    He just stared at me withser focus.


    Everything came flooding back.


    The Intlook what


    hest wild berries in that dark cave.


    ‘t die, I’ll get help” when he was beaten nearly to death.


    ress who’d pulled him out of hell itself.


    He’d forgotten, all the faces he’d confused-they crashed over him like a tidal wave.


    de finally understood that his face blindness wasn’t a medical condition at all.


    His heart had gone blind.


    le’d pushed away his salvation with his own hands. Over and over again.


    nd shoved her deeper into the abyss.


    AHHHHH!”


    lex let out a tortured roar and spun around, punching the wall beside him.


    lood dripped through his fingers.


    ut he felt nothing. <fn3953> For original chapters go to FιndNovel</fn3953>


    ecause no physical pain could match even a fraction of what was tearing through his heart.