<b>Chapter </b><b>244 </b>
James <b>couldn’t </b>quite exin the feeling he got when he looked at Caitlin. It was a strange familiarity, a sense of déjà vu, yet at the same time, sheplete stranger to him
They had only met once before.
Maybe he was just overthinking things.
He didn’t linger and continued on his way, still searching for any trace of his lost family.
At eight years old, a chemical explosion in his adoptive father’sboratory had wiped outrge chunks of his childhood memories. The only thing he was certain of was that his real name was <b>Harrison </b><b>Lee</b><b>, </b>and he vaguely recalled having family in the US–possibly a mother and an older sister
But their names? Their faces? Everything else was lost to him.
His adoptive father had known the full story, but he had long since passed away
With no solid leads, how <b>was </b>he supposed to find them?
After saying her piece to Madison, Caitlin withdrew her sharp edges and turned to Felix
“Sorry for dragging you into this mess, Felix. I go check on Jasper now!”
Without another nce back, <b>she </b>walked away. Madison, still stunned by Caitlin’s words, didn’t cause any more trouble, though she did issue an
ultimatum.
“You’reing with me to the 50th–anniversary g tonight,” she snapped at Felix.
“Fine,” Felix replied, though he had no interest in attending such events.
At the Hospital Room
Jaspery unconscious on the hospital bed, his <b>face </b>pale. The listening device and the bullet had both been sessfully removed.
Vincent sat by his bedside, staring at the man who had, for years, been a father to him–regardless of his true <b>identity</b>. His emotions were tangled in aplex wab, memories of their past shing before his eyes.
Tears welled up despite himself.
No matter what name <b>he </b>went by–Jasper or Raymond–the truth remained: he was Vincent’s biological father.
Knowing that he had endured two decades of suffering, forced to suppress his true identity, unable to reunite with his family…
How <b>painful </b>must that have been?
Caitlin entered the room, and Vincent quickly wiped away his tears.
Seeing Jasper’s condition, <b>she </b>offered some reassurance. “Once Sebastian returns<b>, </b>everything wille to light. Your father will be able to reim his nghtful ce in the Vanderbilt family”
Vincent exhaled deeply. “I hope so.”
“I’ll leave him in your care, then. I have some things to take care of.”
“Alright.”
Caitlin left the hospital and met up with ke as nned.
Meeting with ke
She drove to the Xenos estate, where ke was already waiting for her at the entrance.
“Caitlin, what brings you here Inday?” he asked, surprised.
“I wanted to check in on you. See how you’re doing”
ke chuckled. “Well, I just switched jobs, I’ll be starting at VEG on Monday. Sebastian set me up with a great position.”
“That’s good,” Caitlin nodded approvingly.
Then, she casually brought up Xavian a
n and his past.
abouty
I your mother?”
When they got to the topic of ke’s mother, she asked, “Make, you really don’t know anything al
“My father never told me anything. I don’t even know her name.”
<b>do </b>
ke’s eyes widened in shock. “You know? You know who my mother is? is it something my father left for you?”
It was obvious that ke had always yearned for answers.
Caitlin gave him a gentle smile. “I figured out the truth by ident. But yes, I found <b>your </b>mother. Would you like to meet her?”
For a brief moment, ke’s excitement was evident. Then, just as quickly, his expression darkened.
“Forget it. She abandoned me back then, Why would I go locking for her now? She’s probably remarried, living her own life with a new family. I don’t need some half–siblings I’ve never met.”
“She didn’t abandon you,” Caitlin said firmly, “She was caught up in something much bigger–wrongfully imprisoned for eighteen years. But she never stopped thinking about you. She loves you. ke. She always has”
She kept the details vague, but the weight of her words was enough.
ke’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
He wiped them away with his sleeve. “Caitlin, take me to see her.”
The Reunion
Caitlin took ke to a rehabilitation center in New York, where Octavia was undergoing physical therapy.
Determined to be strong for her son, Octavia trained hard every day, pushing herself through recovery.
<b>She </b>wanted to walk to see him when the time came.
Inside the rehab room, several patients were going through various exercises.
ke scanned the group, searching for a familiar <b>tice</b>.
“Which one is she?” he asked.
Caitlin smiled. “Why don’t you try and find her yourself? She’s been training harder than anyone else–because she wants to stand on her own two feet when she meets you.”
ke’s gaze swept the room again
2M4
won
The young man standing before her was the pore she had been waiting for all th
For vein, birkad believed his mother had willingly
smalized how wrong he had been.
weither spoke a word. They simply stood there, ating at
Caitlin finally broke the
“Octavia, this is ke. He came to see
nice cracked as she tried to wipe away
rs, but they wouldn’t stop falling
ke swallowed hard and took a step forward. “Mom. Imi
The single word Mom shattered whateverposure the had lef
Her sabe tumed uncontrble
she whispered, <ol><li>a. trembling “Timso, so sorry </li></ol>
She had been young foo
and selfish. She had made the wrong decision, ones that had stolen jaars away from both
ke stepped forward and pulled
Her frame was too thin, too fragile it only made his heart ache mone
mattered now.
And from this day forward,
uld nevey let her be alone a
Octavia clung to her son, crying as
ying to make up for all the years they had lost.
<b>Around </b>them, other patients and staff looked on, some moved to tears themselves
Caitlin watched them, her own eyes misty
She thought of Xavian.
She had never been able to save him.
But at least now, she had reunited his son with the woman who had once loved him…
Maybe… this was a way to alone.
Leaving the rehab center, ke decided to visit his mother every day. Once she fully recovered, he nned to bring her home,
Caitlin left them to their moment and headed out.
Just as she stepped outside, Quincy pulled up in his car.
“Caitlin,” he called out, rolling down the window. “The OH 50th Anniversary G is tonight. Are you attending?”
<b>AD </b>