And that’s when—
Everything went wrong.
Because what Daniel saw on that baby…
Made him freeze.
And in the next second, he said something…
That made Richard’s world collapse right there in the middle of the street.
PART 2 — THE SECRET THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
“Mr. Vaughn…” Daniel’s voice was low, tense. “You need to see this…”
Richard stepped closer. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might explode.
The baby cried softly, fragile… wrapped in a makeshift blanket.
But it wasn’t the cry.
It wasn’t the birth.
It was something else.
Something that made time stop.
On the newborn’s left shoulder… there was a small mark.
A birthmark.
In the shape of a crescent moon.
Richard froze.
The air vanished from his lungs.
His legs weakened.
He knew that mark.
Because he had seen it before.
Years ago.
In a dream that never came true.
Or rather…
A dream that had been taken from him.
The memory hit like lightning.
Elena… his first wife… crying in a doctor’s office.
“If we ever had a daughter… I’d want her to have a little mark like mine…”
And Elena had one.
The exact same mark.
In the exact same place.
Richard raised a trembling hand to his face.
“This… this can’t be…”
“What is it, sir?” Daniel asked, confused.