Evelyn's POV
The world froze around me as I stared at Juliana's retreating form, her slender shoulders hunched in that painfully familiar way. Something cracked open inside my chest—a hidden chamber of knowledge I'd kept locked away, even from myself.
That face. Those eyes. The distinctive mole.
Memories flashed before me like lightning—Juliana as a toddler with those solemn eyes, her small hand reaching for mine. The way she'd cry silently, never making a sound, as if she'd learned early that her tears meant nothing. The inexplicable tug I'd always felt toward her, that maternal instinct I'd forced myself to ignore.
"No," I whispered, my legs threatening to give way beneath me. "It can't be."
But it was. The truth blazed with devastating clarity. My daughter. My baby girl. Standing right before me, about to walk out of my life forever.
"Juliana!" I called out, my voice cracking.
