For ten long years, Estella’s home had been filled with silence since losing her only son Neil in a tragic accident. As a dedicated scientist, Neil had never mentioned starting a family, leaving his mother with nothing but photographs and memories. Every morning, she placed fresh flowers beside his picture, whispering to him as if he might still walk through the door.
That all changed one ordinary afternoon at the grocery store. Two small boys tugged at her sleeve, their stomachs growling. As Estella bent down to comfort them, she noticed something impossible – a crescent-shaped birthmark on one child’s neck, identical to the one Neil had carried since birth. Her hands trembled as she bought them food, their mannerisms eerily familiar.
When their mother Emily arrived, the truth came rushing out. She revealed a secret romance with Neil that had resulted in pregnancy just before his death. Too frightened to face Estella alone, she’d raised the twins in hardship, even coming to Estella’s door once before losing her nerve. Now, standing in the cereal aisle, Estella found herself embracing not just strangers, but family – living pieces of the son she thought she’d lost forever.
