Chapter 1: The Paper in the Pocket
The silence inside the luxury pastry shop was heavy enough to drop a anvil. Jax stood frozen, his palm pressing the faded photograph against the cool marble counter. His heart pounded against his ribs like a trapped bird.
Before him stood an eight-year-old boy in a torn shirt, holding a little girl with tear-stained cheeks. The boy’s hand trembled as he extended a small, yellowed piece of paper. ""Mom said you left before I was born,"" the boy whispered again.
Jax took the paper. His name—Jackson Vance—was written across the top in handwriting he hadn't seen in nearly a decade. It was Sarah’s handwriting. The note contained only six words: They have nowhere else to go. Jax looked up, the marble lights blurring in his eyes.
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