Chapter 2: The Stitched Secret**
Julian stood up so fast his wooden chair scraped loudly against the black-and-white checkered floor. A few patrons turned their heads, and the brown-haired waitress paused by the counter, eyeing them with quiet curiosity.
Julian crouched down immediately, bringing himself to Lily’s eye level. He softened his expression, swallowing the storm of adrenaline threatening to tear through his chest.
“Lily,” he said gently, keeping his voice as calm as a lullaby. “My name is Julian. Did your mommy… did she tell you anything else about this man?”
Lily looked down at her battered teddy bear, running her thumb over its frayed velvet ear. “She said he was the bravest man she ever knew. She said he would come find us when the bad men forgot our names.”
The breath rushed out of Julian’s lungs. *The bad men.*
Six years ago, Julian Vance had been an investigative journalist on the verge of exposing Marcus Kane—a ruthless real-estate mogul whose corrupt empire controlled the town’s docks and politicians. When Julian’s car was tampered with and his house set ablaze, he thought Kane had killed Clara to silence him. But Clara hadn’t died. She had run to keep their unborn child out of the crosshairs.
“Lily, take my hand,” Julian whispered, reaching out with an open palm. “Take me to her right now.”
The girl hesitated for a fraction of a second, studying the gold band on Julian’s finger—an identical twin to the one she had seen her mother wear around her neck on a silver chain. Gently, she placed her small, cold hand inside his.
May you like
As they stepped toward the door, Julian noticed a dark sedan idling across the street through the rain-streaked window. Its headlights flickered once. The hunt, it seemed, had never truly ended.
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