Andrew froze. His gaze moved from me to Leo, and the breath left his lungs in a sharp intake. He didn’t need a DNA test. Looking at Leo was like looking into a mirror across time. The tools in his hand slipped onto the workbench behind him, and his eyes filled with a sudden, overwhelming recognition that transcended lost memories.
Nobody spoke for a long moment. Then, Andrew took a slow, hesitant step forward, his voice barely higher than a whisper. “I don’t remember everything… but I remember your face. I’ve looked for you in my dreams for eighteen years.”
As Leo stepped forward to introduce himself, I watched the gap of lost time begin to heal. The past could never be rewritten, and the pain of those lost years would take time to fully understand, but as the three of us stood together in the morning light, I knew that the truth had finally set us free.
