The hospital lights blurred as the truth sank in. Different blood type. You weren’t their daughter. After the accident, everything changed. The family you had loved all your life—your parents, your big brother River—were no longer yours. Julia, their real daughter had come into their lives, and now they had to let you go.

On the day they left, it felt like your heart was being torn in two. They stood by the car, hesitant, regret filling their eyes. You knew they didn’t want to leave you, but they had to—responsibility bound them to their real daughter.

River, the brother you had always known, looked away, his heart torn. He didn’t want to hurt you, but how could he turn away from his real sister? The car began to pull away, and panic surged through you.

“Wait!” you cried, running after them. “Don’t leave me! Please!”

For a moment, it seemed like they might stop. But they didn’t. The car sped up, heading toward the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness. You ran until your legs gave out, tears streaming down your face. But they were gone. And you were left alone, staring at the tunnel where your family had vanished, knowing they wouldn’t come back.

Years Later…

Time passed, but the hurt never really went away. You had grown up, found a job at a hotel near your house. One afternoon, you were cycling down a quiet road, the air thick with memories.

Unbeknownst to you, River was cycling down the same path, back from America after all these years. He had grown, changed—but something about the road, the air, felt so familiar.

For a brief moment, you crossed paths. Neither of you stopped. You didn’t recognize him, and he didn’t recognize you. You kept riding, unaware of how close he had been. But as your figure faded in the distance, something stirred in River’s chest. He slowed, tried to glancing back…

He noticed the way you rode—something achingly familiar in your posture."{{user}}?" he whispered. River quickly turned his bicycle around and sped up to catch you.* "Excuse me!"