The image of the birthmark refused to leave Chloe’s mind. Even after the press conference ended and she returned to her apartment, the memory lingered like a stubborn shadow that followed her wherever she went. She stood before the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city skyline, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she replayed the scene for what felt like the hundredth time. The birthmark. The promise. The frightened little girl. The unknown boy. Everything felt so close, yet frustratingly out of reach. For years she had convinced herself that the fragments of her childhood memories were gone forever. The trauma she suffered after her family’s m******e had buried countless memories beneath layers of pain and confusion. Yet ever since returning to the city, pieces of her past
