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Sylvia was an extraordinary mother. For now, Winona shoved the paternity test out of her mind. At this very moment, Sylvia would be her mother, period.

The thick stack of train tickets in her hands felt impossibly heavy. A painful lump formed in her throat.

The doctor then outlined Zane's care requirements, adding that he was showing signs of waking up soon.

Winona thanked the medical team and immediately began arranging Sylvia's final affairs.

The apartment was spotless, every single everyday item meticulously cleaned and organized.

Winona picked up the small wooden box to store the train tickets back inside, only to notice a folded slip of paper resting at the bottom.

She pulled it out and opened it. It was a single line written in Sylvia's handwriting—*Just pretend Mom came to see you.*

In that instant, tears nearly spilled over Winona's lashes.

She pressed her lips together tightly, swearing to herself that once the paternity results were absolutely verified, if she truly wasn't Sylvia's child, she would uncover exactly where Sylvia's real daughter had been taken all those years ago.

She quickly wiped her face, deciding to stay the night so she could finalize the cremation arrangements in the morning.

By nightfall, she sat alone in the quiet room, placing the urn she had brought back from the crematorium onto a nearby shelf.

She intended to wait until Zane woke up before making any decisions regarding Sylvia's burial.

Exhausted from the grueling day, she curled up on the sofa and slipped into a deep, heavy slumber.

In her dreams, she felt a gentle, comforting embrace wrapping around her.

When she woke up, it was the dead of night. The neighborhood outside was pitch black, and the room was so dark she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face.

She instinctively reached for her phone, only for a large hand to firmly clasp hers.

Startled but not terrified, she didn't scream. Instinct alone prompted her to call out, "K?"

"Yes. You were running a fever this evening, so I gave you some medicine. Feeling any better?"

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