“What is it, Joaquin?” Serena asked, confused as she noticed the sudden change in his expression.Joaquin stood frozen, still holding his phone. He could barely find his voice. Slowly, he lowered the device and looked straight at her.“I… I found him, Serena.”Serena frowned, unsure what he meant. “Who?”“My father,” Joaquin whispered, disbelief thick in his tone. “My real father.”Serena’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Joaquin, that’s incredible! Then let’s go—let’s go to him now!”Without wasting another second, they both hurried out of the house. Joaquin grabbed his keys, his heart hammering in his chest as they got into the car. Rick had texted him the coordinates, and he wasn’t about to lose another moment.He pressed hard on the accelerator, the engine roaring to life. Every light they passed blurred into streaks of gold as the car sped down the empty road.His father was alive. After all the lies, all the blood, all the pain — there was still a piece of his past left breathing.

Joaquin stood frozen as he stared at the back of the man in the wheelchair. The old man was angled toward the glass window, silently watching the sweeping view of the mountains.For a moment, Joaquin couldn’t make himself move.What if the man didn’t recognize him? What if he didn’t accept him?What if… he was wrong again?A storm of questions spun inside his mind, each one heavier than the last, and none with an answer he could bear to imagine.He flinched slightly when he felt someone latch onto his arm.Serena. She gave him a soft smile—as if she felt every fear trembling inside him.“Go to him,” she whispered.Joaquin inhaled deeply. “What if—”Serena tapped his arm, firm but comforting. “No what-ifs. Just go talk to him.”One more breath. One nod.He forced his feet to move.Every step made his heartbeat louder. By the time he reached the man, it felt like time itself held its breath.The resemblance was undeniable. The same nose. The same jawline. The same presence. Only the eye