SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE YOUR MISSING MOTHER, SAID THE MILLIONAIRES FIANCÉE AND HE FROZE
James, that woman looks exactly like your missing mother. Eleanor gasped, pointing toward the homeless woman sitting on the pavement. The millionaire stood frozen. What they discovered next would change their lives forever. Time seemed to stop as James Harrington heard those words spill from Eleanors lips. For thirty-five years, he had lived with the deepest void a man could knowthe unexplained absence of his mother. Elizabeth Harrington had vanished one April morning when he was just eight years old, leaving behind only unanswered questions and a shattered childs heart that had never fully healed.
What did you say? James murmured, his voice barely audible as his gaze slowly followed Eleanors pointing finger. There, sitting on the pavement outside the cathedral, was a woman in her sixties. Her clothes were worn but clean, her silver hair tied in a simple braid draped over her right shoulder. But what made Jamess heart stop wasnt her general appearanceit was her features. The same green eyes he had inherited from his mother, the same delicate jawline, even the way her hands rested in her lap.
James, Eleanor whispered, gripping his arm tightly. Do you see what I see? In an instant, the citys most successful businessman became a lost little boy. His legs trembled, and he had to brace himself against the nearest wall to keep from collapsing. Twenty-seven years of fruitless searches, private investigators, dead-end leadsand now, could the answer have been right here all along?
It cant be, he muttered, shaking his head. Its impossible. My mother would nevershe would never have But even as he spoke, something deep inside him screamed that it was possible. That after years of searching in all the wrong places, life had placed her right in front of him when he least expected it. At that moment, the woman looked up, as if she had felt the weight of his stare. Their green eyes locked, and it was like lightning arcing between them.
For an endless moment, mother and son gazed at each other without recognitionyet with an inexplicable connection that electrified the air. Oh my God, the woman whispered, pressing a trembling hand to her chest. Those eyes James took a step forward, then another, like a sleepwalker following a dream. Eleanor walked beside him, her own breath catching at the tension of the moment. When they were close enough, James could see every detail of the womans faceevery line time had etched into her skin, every mark that spoke of years of experiences he knew nothing about.
Excuse me, he finally managed, his voice breaking on the first word. Whats your name? The woman studied him intently, as if trying to solve an impossible puzzle. Her eyes moved from his face to his hands, then back to his eyes. And James saw something shift in her expressiona recognition that seemed to rise from the depths of her soul. Grace, she replied softly. My name is Grace.
The name hit James like a slap. His mothers name was Elizabeth, not Grace. But the resemblance was too overwhelming to be coincidence. Had she changed her name? Why would someone do that? Grace, he repeated, as if speaking the name might make sense of it. May I ask do you have family?
The womans eyes filled instantly with tears, and James felt as if a dagger had been plunged into his heart. It was the same look of grief he had seen in the handful of photographs he kept of his motherthat deep sorrow of having lost something irreplaceable. I had a son, Grace murmured, her voice barely audible. Long ago. He was my whole world.
Jamess legs nearly buckled, and Eleanor steadied him with a hand on his arm. His own eyes burned with tears as he witnessed what might be the most important reunion of his fiancés life. What happened to your son? Eleanor asked gently when James couldnt find the words.
Grace closed her eyes as if the question caused physical pain. I lost him. I lost everything. My family, my home, my identity. It all vanished in a single night.
How? James whispered, though he wasnt sure he wanted the answer. The woman looked directly into his eyes, and for a moment, James saw beyond time and circumstance. He saw the mother he had loved with his whole childs heartthe woman who had sung him lullabies and told him bedtime stories.
My husband, Grace began, her voice breaking. He told me that if I ever tried to contact my son again, he would make sure we both suffered terrible consequences. He said it was better for my boy to grow up thinking I was dead than to know he had a mother who couldnt protect him.
Jamess world collapsed at that moment. His fatherhis own fatherhad been responsible for his mothers disappearance. The man who had raised him as a devoted widower, who had mourned his wifes death for years, had orchestrated the most painful separation of his life.
What was your sons name? Eleanor asked, though by the look on Jamess face, both women already knew the answer.
James, Grace murmured, and as she spoke the name, something shattered inside her. His name was James, and he had the most beautiful eyes in the world. Eyes exactly like yours, young man.
The silence that followed was absolute. The sounds of the city seemed to fade, leaving only the rhythm of three hearts beating as one. James reached out a trembling hand toward Grace, who took it instinctively. The moment their skin touched, they both knew with absolute certainty what had happened.
Mum, James whisperedthe word slipping from his lips like a prayer he had been holding for twenty-seven years.
Grace pressed both hands to her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. My boy, she sobbed. My little James.
Eleanor watched the scene with a broken heart, witnessing the most profoundly emotional moment she had ever seen. But she also knew this was only the beginning. There were so many questions left to answer, so much pain to heal, so many lost years that somehow needed to be recovered.
What do we do now? she murmured, more to herself than to the others.
James didnt take his eyes off his mother, as if afraid she might vanish again if he blinked. We go home, he said finally, his voice steady despite the tears on his face. Were going home, and youre going to tell me everything. Every day of these twenty-seven years, every moment we lost.
Grace nodded, unable to speak, as James helped her to her feet. She was frailer than he had imagined, and he realized the years had been hard on her. But she was alive. She was here. And that was all that mattered in this moment.
As they walked slowly toward Jamess car, Eleanor couldnt help wondering what other truths would come to light. If Jamess father had been capable of something as cruel as separating a mother from her son, what other secrets had he been keeping? And how would he react when he discovered his carefully constructed lie had finally been exposed?
The reunion was just the first step on a journey that would change their lives forever.
The drive to Jamess mansion passed in silence, thick with emotions none of the three knew how to express. Grace sat in the backseat, her eyes fixed on the back of her sons head, as if afraid this might all turn out to be a cruel dream. Her hands trembled slightly as she traced the smooth leather of the cars interiora world so different from the one shed known for the past twenty-seven years.
Eleanor drove because James had admitted he couldnt focus on the road. His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotionsdevastating joy at finding his mother, deep anger toward his father, and overwhelming confusion about what to do next. Every time he glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Graces face, he felt as if he were living in an alternate reality.
How have you been living all these years? he finally asked, breaking the silence that had lasted fifteen minutes.
Grace closed her eyes, as if steeling herself to relive decades of pain. The first years were the hardest, she began softly. Your father told me that if I ever tried to find you, he would make sure you were hurt. He said he had connections everywhere, that he would always know if I tried to reach you.
James felt fury burning in his chest. How could he threaten you like that? How could he separate us?
Because he found out something Id been hiding, Grace murmured, barely audible. Something he considered an unforgivable betrayal.
Eleanor and James exchanged a worried glance. There were more secretsmore layers of pain yet to be uncovered.
What did he find out? James asked, though he wasnt sure he wanted to know.
Grace was silent for several minutes, wrestling with a truth she had kept buried for decades. Finally, in a broken whisper, she said, He discovered Id been sending money to my sister and her children. They lived in extreme poverty, and Id been helping them secretly for years.
James frowned. That was the great crime? Helping your family?
Your father was obsessed with absolute
