Suddenly, I noticed a hint of hopelessness in his gaze."Our daughter was nine years old at that point. My "skills" allowed us to live a prosperous and carefree life. When the city where I was studying, Norton, called me back to the country, I didn't dare go back. I knew deep down that what I did was contradictory to my homeland. I had no way back, no way home!"I glanced at Atlas. He had made an irreparable mistake.It sent shivers down my spine.No wonder he had connections with Bermuda. And they had been relentless in their pursuit.My dad looked at us. "One day, I finally realized that I had led my family to the edge of a cliff. I wanted to hit the brakes. I changed my name to 'Tony,' which was the mysterious Tony Paul from Bermuda, and Moira changed her name to 'Yunia'."Then, to be more discreet, we moved the whole family to a remote and quiet town, wanting to live incognito and get away from the harassment of those people," My dad looked helpless, and I could imagine the u
My mom immediately answered, "Yes, I remember clearly, he was very tall and skinny. I heard him say, 'Send someone to watch over this girl! She knows me, and if she wakes up, it'll be over. That brat has been looking for her and he doesn’t know if she's still alive or dead.’"I was anxious. I knew that the little girl she described was me. These were fragments of memories I hadn't erased.The tall and skinny man she mentioned should be the man who took me away after I was thrown out of the car.I was about to say his name, but my mom continued, "The most crucial thing is, he also said, 'if it doesn't work out, we can only give her a sleeping injection after checking her injuries and take her away! Find a place to hide her, but we must not let any word slip out!'"I involuntarily looked at Atlas, only to see his face darken significantly.Atlas lowered his gaze to me, and we said in unison, "Clark Norton!"My dad continued, "When Moira returned from the hospital to tell me about t
My dad lowered his head and said, "But we were truly at our wits' end. She was trying every possible way to escape. However, we can't bear to let her go because she's still so young. “Also, since she's too clever, we're afraid of her exposing our whereabouts. We know full well that once the people from Navi's group find our trail, it's game over for both of us.""She also depended on us during these two years of escape, much like our daughter did before. She got away once, and it took us two whole days to track her down. It was really difficult to get her back because she was huddled with other beggars."I felt shivers running down my spine as I listened to my dad's story.“We were at our wits' end, and after hearing people say that hypnosis can erase memories, we made up our minds. To prevent her from running away, we could only find a hypnotist to seal her memories. After that, she became much more obedient. She never mentioned finding her friend again!""The friend she was loo
"That means Clark Norton had collusion with him!" Atlas analyzed."And me? I was still smugly thinking that I had completely escaped!" My dad chuckled, "Now looking back, I've never really escaped his clutches!""So, when you saw me pursuing Chloe, you already knew who I was?" Atlas looked at my dad and asked."I didn't know! I didn't even know who Rory White was, or how he ended up in Navi's hands later! But this time, Navi told me who Rory White was! We had a candid chat all night."“Why did he tell you these things?” I looked at Atlas and asked, "In theory, he shouldn't have revealed Rory White.""I used to only know that Rory White was Chloe's biological father! This was something we knew when we stole her from those villains. It was also one of the reasons we decided to erase her memories."Because we knew in our hearts that our daughter was probably no longer in this world, hence we cherished her even more. We simply didn't want to leave her!"But I didn't know how Navi ma
"Dad! What are you saying? You and Mom can't go anywhere. This is your home! Wherever I am, you'll be there too!"I quickly expressed my stance. Although I couldn't remember the days of fleeing, since they protected me and kept me alive, I had no reason to let them be alone."Even if my biological father comes back, you're still my parents. Although I don't remember what happened in my childhood or the days of fleeing, you've taken care of me for 20 years. I'll never forget that. Because of this, you have the right to live with me.""W-We're sorry for you! It's because of us that you were forcibly separated... that..." My mom spoke guiltily."Let's not talk about that now! You kept her alive regardless, so you're my benefactors!" Atlas quickly spoke up. "We don't need to dwell on this. The most urgent matter now is to rescue Rory. I'm afraid of unforeseen circumstances!""But... he went back..." My dad hesitated to speak.I knew he was afraid."Although I let Navi escape back to
I knew she was heartbroken, of course, even more heartbroken about her biological daughter whom she had carried for ten months and raised for ten years. But I knew her feelings of attachment to me were genuine.My dad couldn't control his emotions either and burst into tears. The three of us hugged each other and cried bitterly.I couldn't lose them. I had only been with Rory White and Lucille White for ten years and didn't remember anything from those years. Perhaps if I never recovered those memories, they would just be relatives with shared genetic material to me.The ones who had truly cared for me were the elderly couple in front of me.Rose eventually made her way downstairs at this precise moment, ending our uneasy silence. She also asked a lot of questions about their daughter.Unfortunately, due to their fugitive status, they had nothing about their daughter, not even a photo.It was then that I understood my mom's kneeling just now. Atlas was correct. Navi seemed to be
I pushed the door open and walked in, spotting him slouched on the couch in the room, looking dispirited.Quietly, I approached him. "Dad."He lifted his head, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Chloe…”Seeing him like this tugged at my heartstrings. I understood the pain my adoptive parents had carried and the hardships they had gone through. I believed in their love for me.My nose tingled. I went over and bent down to him. "Don't be like this, Dad. You and Mom are my parents. If you hadn't risked your lives to bring me out, I wouldn't be here today. Without you, I might not have found Atlas. I might not even be alive."He grasped my hand and said, "Chloe, bringing you out into this world was the best decision I ever made.""I know how much you both love me. Throughout these twenty years, you've showered me with warmth and care, giving me a home," I said sincerely."Maybe forgetting those past memories is a form of happiness for me," I reassured him."I might have lost the mem
My dad's expression remained blank, but he didn't let go of my hand. "Chloe, do you think she'll remember us?"Honestly, his question felt a little selfish. It pierced into my heart like a knife.After a while, I managed to ease the pain in my heart and nodded. "Yes, I’m sure she’ll remember you both."Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked down at my face. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I’m really sorry.”I understood the meaning behind his words. He was sorry for my lost memories.After comforting him for a while, he gathered himself and ruffled my hair. "I never regretted saving you, Chloe. I only regret walking the wrong path and wasting precious time."Through gritted teeth, he said, "That's why I hate Navi. We need to bring Navi and his gang to justice, whether or not we find Gemma. I'm willing to face the consequences. I could testify against them!”"Don’t think about that right now, Dad. You should take care of your health first. Atlas and I don't have any more family, and you can