“‘My brother is the bravest person in the world. He never gives up.’”
The words hit him like lightning.
He had said that.
On the last day… at the park.
Ethan closed his eyes.
Thirty years of searching.
Thirty years of guilt.
Thirty years of believing he had failed.
And now… a lead.
“Where is this orphanage?” he asked, his voice steady again.
“Near Austin, Texas. But it closed years ago.”
“And Daniel? What happened to him?”
Evelyn hesitated.
“When he was about fifteen, a couple tried to adopt him. But he ran away before it was finalized.”
“Ran away?”
“He said he needed to find his brother first.”
Ethan turned sharply.
“Michael!” he called.
His head of security appeared instantly.
“Yes, sir?”
“Get the jet ready. We’re going to Texas. Today.”
The next morning, Ethan’s private plane landed on a small airstrip surrounded by dry fields.
The town was quiet. Forgotten by time.
He walked the streets holding Noah’s old photo.
Knocked on doors.
Asked strangers.
Showed the picture to shop owners and elderly locals.
Hours passed.
Nothing.
Until, late in the afternoon, a woman in a small bakery studied the photo and frowned.
“That looks like Daniel,” she said.
Ethan’s pulse spiked.
“You knew him?”