They were halfway down the sidewalk, the afternoon sun low behind the buildings, when Angelo suddenly stopped.
"Did you… hear that?" he asked.
Jay looked confused. "Hear what?"
Before any of them could react, someone rushed toward them from the direction of the clinic.
A woman in a white uniform.
Out of breath.
Holding papers.
"Excuse me!" she called out, panting. "Please—wait!"
Angelo stiffened. Lia's heart dropped into her stomach.
Aries immediately stepped forward, suspicious. "Who are you?"
The woman bowed slightly. "I'm Nurse Alina from the diagnostics department. I've been looking for you four."
Lia's throat tightened.
No… please don't tell me something went wrong.
Jay whispered, "Is this about the DNA test?"
The nurse nodded.
Slow. Serious.
Lia's fingers turned cold.
Nurse Alina caught her breath, then spoke carefully:
"There was a mistake in the initial DNA report."
Everything stopped.
Angelo's face drained of color.
Aries muttered, "You're kidding."
Jay grabbed Lia's hand instinctively.
But the nurse continued.
"We re-checked the samples immediately. The machine flagged an age discrepancy—your blood profiles didn't match the expected timelines."
Lia's voice trembled. "W–what does that mean?"
Nurse Alina held the corrected report to her chest like it was a bomb.
"It means…" She exhaled. "You are two years younger than Angelo."
Lia froze.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Two years younger.
Not same age.
Not older.
Younger.
Aries blinked hard. "Wait—so Angelo is the eldest?"
Nurse Alina nodded. "Yes. The first test mistakenly calculated Lia's markers using the calibration for an older patient. It was our fault."
Jay covered her mouth. "So… Lia isn't the older sibling…"
"She never was," the nurse said softly. "Angelo is biologically older by two full years."
Lia's ears rang.
Her legs felt weak.
Angelo stared at her, stunned.
"Lia… you're… younger than me?"
His voice wasn't mocking or proud.
It was gentle.
Shaken.
Lia swallowed hard. "I… I didn't know. No one ever told me."
The nurse bowed again. "I'm very sorry for the confusion. These are the corrected, verified results. Please read them when you're ready."
She handed the envelope to Lia.
Then she left, walking quickly back toward the clinic.
Silence.
Empty, heavy silence.
Jay squeezed Lia's shoulder. "Lia… are you okay?"
Lia stared at the envelope in her hands.
Younger.
The youngest.
All this time she thought she was alone…
But she had an older brother.
A real one.
Angelo stepped closer.
He placed a hand on her head.
Not rough.
Not teasing.
Soft.
"Lia," he said quietly. "You're my little sister."
The words hit her like a warm punch to the chest.
Lia's eyes stung.
Her voice cracked.
"Do you… mean it?"
Angelo gave a tiny, trembling smile.
"Yeah. I do."
Aries exhaled and looked away before he could show emotion.
Jay wiped her eyes dramatically. "This is so cute I can't breathe—"
But Lia wasn't done processing.
If she was younger…
Then what else did Lara and Gema hide?
Why was she raised as if her age didn't matter?
Why did everyone pretend the two-year difference didn't exist?
And most importantly—
If Lia was the youngest child…
Where had she been those missing two years?
Why couldn't she remember anything from before that?
Her stomach twisted.
"Angelo," she whispered.
"Hm?"
"If I'm younger… then what happened to me before I turned two?"
Angelo froze.
Aries slowly looked back at her.
Even Jay's smile disappeared.
None of them had the answer.
And that silence…
Was more terrifying than the DNA mistake.