The Keeper’s words followed Elena all the way back to the safe house.
Ask your mother why she lied about your birthday.
She had heard the sentence dozens of times in her head.
It still made no sense.
Her birthday had never been a mystery.
September 17.
She had celebrated it every year.
Rosemary’s favorite cake.
The same photograph taken beside the garden.
The same necklace Evelyn had given her when they were reunited.
A date printed on every official document Elena had ever seen.
September 17.
Yet now she couldn’t remember the first time she had seen it.
That frightened her more than the Keeper.
She sat alone at the kitchen table, staring at her birth certificate.
Adrian stood in the doorway.
He had cleaned the blood from his temple, but the cut remained visible.
“You’ve b
