bChapter /b203

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Grace changed the subject. She said, “It’s already past one o’clock; everyone must be starving by now.

At the mention of food, Sean got excited, dropped the potato chips in his hand, and rushed over.

Howard’s expression darkened, his gaze growing colder. He said, “After all I’ve said, you still don’t believe me.

Grace let out a sigh and said, “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but you haven’t provided anything convincing. I really can’t believe you just based on your words.”

Howard suppressed his anger and said, “How can nothing be convincing? Her hair, her blood, and mine–any of these can be used for a DNA test to prove it. What exactly are you being iso /idifficult about?”

His patience had beenpletely exhausted over the past few hours. He could not understand why Grace remained so obstinate; she refused and would not permit him to meet Olivia.

Grace said, “DNA results can be falsified as well.”

For a moment, Howard was at a loss for words and did not know what to say. He thought, ‘Grace must have been burned before to say something like that–I can’t me her. How am I supposed to prove Olivia’s identity? Wait, the pendant.‘

Their family had two matching crystal pendants custom–made for Howard and Ivy. His was a small four–leaf- clover charm. Hers was a delicate horseshoe, points up. fn35cb Chapters first released on FindN()vel/fn35cb

Howard said, “She should be wearing a pendant: a delicate horseshoe, points facing upward, engraved with the word ‘Summers.“”

He took the pendant from around his neck and showed it to Grace. He added, “It looks almost identical to this -think carefully, have you seen it before?”

When Howard and Ivy were born, Samuelmissioned a master crystal–cutter to create these two pendants. He chose wless, museum–grade crystal, and the artisan spent three full months hand–carving every facet.

There wasn’t–there never would be–a third piece like them anywhere in the world.

Most importantly, only members of the Summers family were aware that these pendants existed. Over the years, plenty of people hade forward iming to be Ivy, but every single one fell short.

Beyond failed DNA tests, the missing pendant was the decisive proof none of them could produce.

Grace’s mind went nk, and she suddenly looked up at Howard. The sunlight blurred her vision, and gradually, the faces of Howard and Olivia merged into one.

She thought, ‘All the pieces fit: he described the pendant down to the smallest detail, and the resemnce between them is uncanny–this can’t be a mere coincidence.‘

After a long silence, Grace said softly, “You are right; she does indeed have such a pendant.”

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At that moment, Howard’s mind went nk, as if an electric current had surged through bhim/b. All sound faded

away.

He dropped into a crouch, eyes reddening, and whispered, I’ve found Ivy. I knew it–from the very bfirst /bsecond I saw her, she felt like home.”

Howard felt that Heaven had been guiding him all along. He had never trusted the investigations Samuel and Charles carried out; he trusted only his own gut. And now the results proved his instinct right: Olivia was Ivy.

Howard wanted to see Olivia at once and tell her, “I’m your brother–I’vee to take you home.”

Over the years, Howard had flown around the globe forpetitions, hoping to pick up any news of Ivy. A major reason was his deep irritation with ine.

Not long after Ivy went missing, Elliot insisted on bringing ine home to raise her, regardless of how strongly his sons had opposed it at the time.

Howard thought, ‘Ivy is irreceable. Now that Ivy has been found, let’s see how Elliot and ine will handle themselves.

Just then, Grace said, “It is only a pendant. You have never seen it before, so how can you be so certain? What if you are mistaken?”

Howard rose to his feet and said, “It can’t be a mistake–the pendant’s design is one of a kind. If it looks familiar to you, then you must have seen its mate.

“Has Olivia worn that pendant since childhood? Was she wearing it when you saw her? And what clothes was she dressed in when you first met her?”

Grace gently pulled him to sit down and said, “Young man, calm down and let me exin slowly.”

Nina brought Howard a cup of coffee and, tactfully, withdrew to the kitchen to cook.

Grace recounted to Howard everything Olivia had endured in Magnolia Town–how she lost her memory after escaping the fire and waster adopted by the Sherman family.

An indescribable ache rose from the depths of Howard’s heart, caught in his throat, and froze into a sigh he could not release.

His eyelids lowered, gaze fixed on the tiny teardrops glistening on the back of his hand before they slipped away. His Adam’s apple bobbed once, as if swallowing the pain in silence.

He thought, ‘How much has Ivy suffered? She should have grown up surrounded by love, doted on by all of us. It’s our fault–we failed her. We should have found her sooner.

Grace said, “The Shermans were even worse. The moment their own daughter came back, they threw Olivia out. And William–he sold her for a mere hundred and fifty thousand dors.

“If Olivia hadn’t been clever enough to escape, God knows what would have be of her.” At that point, her heart clenched even tighter.

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Howard mmed the table, extremely agitated. He snapped, “Are you saying that the good–for–nothing from the Sherman family sold Ivy? Who was she sold to?”

He thought, “That bastard William–he sold Ivy. She’s the treasure of the Summers family!

Grace said, “I’m not really sure. It seems to be some kind ofboratory, but I don’t know exactly what they do. All I know is that after Olivia came back from there, she seemed like apletely different person.

“She must have endured inhuman torment there. But since she does not wish to speak of it, I will not force her.”

Olivia had once been cheerful and lively, radiating the warmth of a little sun. But after escaping thatb and returning, she grew withdrawn and gloomy, indifferent to everything around her.

She stayed on edge even while asleep–sleeping lightly, muscles tensed, as if expecting danger at any

moment.

bAD /b

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