Innocent me.... Episode 8
250 Words
Ella stared at him in complete disbelief, the sound of rain fading into the background.
“That’s impossible,” she whispered. “I don’t even know your brother.”
Jayden’s eyes searched hers carefully, as if trying to decide whether he believed her. “His name was Ryan Cole,” he said quietly. “Before he disappeared, he carried around a photo of a girl who looked exactly like you.”
Ella’s stomach tightened.
“A photo?” she repeated softly.
Jayden reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, slightly damaged picture. The edges were worn from being handled too many times. Slowly, he handed it to her.
Ella’s fingers trembled as she looked down.
The girl in the photo looked exactly like her.
Same eyes.
Same smile.
Same small birthmark near her collarbone.
But the girl was standing beside a young man Ella had never seen before.
Her breathing stopped.
“That… that’s not possible,” she whispered again.
Jayden watched her closely. “So you admit it now?”
“No!” Ella quickly shook her head. “I swear I’ve never seen this before.”
Before Jayden could respond, thunder suddenly crashed loudly above them, causing the lights inside the convenience store to flicker.
Then the store television turned on by itself.
A news report appeared on the screen.
And the moment Ella saw the face being shown, the color drained from her face completely.
Because the missing person on the screen… was her father.
- Writer
