A few days later, Jennie and Nicholas arranged to meet Mrs. Anna somewhere quiet, far away from both their houses.
They didn't want anyone else around.
Mrs. Anna noticed how serious they both looked.
"What is this about?"
Jennie exchanged a nervous glance with Nicholas.
She hesitated for several seconds before finally speaking.
"Anna... there's something I've been wanting to tell you."
Mrs. Anna looked at her attentively.
Jennie took a shaky breath.
"Years ago, I had a baby boy."
Mrs. Anna's expression changed slightly.
Jennie continued.
"I was still young, and one day I went out with my baby to buy some food and other things we needed."
She swallowed hard.
"While I was there, I met a woman. I asked her to hold my baby for a few minutes while I went to get the things I needed."
Mrs. Anna remained silent.
"I trusted her."
Jennie's eyes began filling with tears.
"But then everything suddenly went wrong."
Nicholas reached for his wife's hand.
Jennie continued.
"Police officers suddenly arrived. There was chaos everywhere. A prisoner had escaped, and the police were trying to catch him."
She shook her head as painful memories returned.
"People started running. There was shouting everywhere. Everyone was panicking."
Her voice trembled.
"I lost sight of the woman."
Mrs. Anna's expression became more serious.
"When the situation finally calmed down, I immediately went back to where I had left my baby."
Jennie's tears finally fell.
"But she was gone."
Mrs. Anna stared at her.
"She was gone?"
Jennie nodded.
"I searched everywhere."
Her voice broke.
"I asked people if they'd seen her. I looked for hours. But she had disappeared with my child."
Nicholas lowered his head.
"We searched too."
Jennie wiped her tears.
"We never found our son."
Mrs. Anna remained completely still.
Jennie looked directly at her.
"Then, years later, I saw you at the supermarket."
Mrs. Anna's eyes widened.
Jennie whispered,
"I recognized you."
Silence filled the space between them.
"I believe you're the woman I gave my baby to that day."
Mrs. Anna's heart began pounding.
She already knew what question was coming.
Jennie took a trembling breath.
"Anna..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"Did you take my baby?"
Mrs. Anna went completely still.
Jennie's question echoed in her mind.
Did you take my baby?
Panic immediately filled her chest.
Her mind went straight to Elian.
For years, he had been her family.
She had raised him, protected him, and loved him as her own. She had no one else.
She couldn't lose him now.
She couldn't let anyone take him away.
"No."
Her answer came too quickly.
Jennie stared at her.
"Anna..."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Mrs. Anna stood abruptly.
Her hands were trembling.
Nicholas noticed.
"Please, sit down. We're not accusing you of anything."
Mrs. Anna shook her head.
"I have nothing to say about this."
Jennie stood as well.
"Please, Anna. I'm only asking because I need to know what happened to my son."
Mrs. Anna looked at her, fighting back tears.
"I told you, I don't know anything."
Nicholas stepped forward.
"Anna, wait."
But she backed away.
"I have to go."
"Mrs. Anna—"
She turned toward the door.
Nicholas tried to stop her.
"Please. If you know something, tell us. We're not here to hurt you."
Mrs. Anna's breathing became shaky.
"You should leave me alone."
She hurried outside.
Nicholas watched her leave, stunned.
Jennie remained frozen.
"She knows."
Nicholas looked at her.
"You think so?"
Jennie nodded, tears filling her eyes.
"She was terrified."
Outside, Mrs. Anna walked quickly toward her car, her hands shaking so badly that she struggled to open the door.
She finally got inside and closed it behind her.
Her breathing was uneven.
She pressed a hand against her chest.
"They can't take him."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Elian is my son."
She whispered the words to herself.
"I raised him."
She knew the truth.
She had known for years.
But she couldn't bring herself to tell Jennie and Nicholas.
Not yet.
Not when the thought of losing Elian frightened her more than anything else in the world.
Mrs. Anna returned home with tears still streaming down her face.
She quietly closed the front door behind her, trying to compose herself before anyone noticed.
But the moment she looked up, she saw Elian coming downstairs.
He was already reaching for his phone.
"Lola, where have you been? I was just about to call you."
Then he noticed her face.
His expression immediately changed.
He hurried toward her.
"Lola?"
He gently took her by the shoulders.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Mrs. Anna shook her head, unable to explain what had happened.
"I went to see a friend."
Elian frowned.
"A friend?"
She nodded quickly.
"Yes."
But her trembling hands betrayed her.
Elian took her hands in his.
"You're not telling me everything."
Mrs. Anna looked at him, her eyes filling with more tears.
"Elian..."
"I'm listening."
She squeezed his hands tightly.
"I need you to promise me something."
Elian's brows furrowed.
"What?"
"Stay away from the Nicholas family."
He stared at her in confusion.
"Lola, what are you talking about?"
"Just promise me."
Her voice trembled.
"Please, Elian. Don't go to their house anymore. Don't let them pull you into their family problems."
Elian gently shook his head.
"But Cherry is there."
"I know."
Mrs. Anna looked away.
"But I'm asking you to be careful."
She suddenly held his hands tighter.
"Promise me that you won't let anyone take you away from me."
Elian's confusion deepened.
"Take me away?"
He stared at her.
"Who would take me away from you?"
Mrs. Anna couldn't answer.
Her lips trembled as she looked at the man she had raised all these years.
"Just promise me."
Elian softened.
He had never seen her this frightened.
"Lola..."
He pulled her into a gentle embrace.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Mrs. Anna closed her eyes, holding him tightly.
"Promise?"
"I promise."
She buried her face against his shoulder, silently crying.
Elian stroked her back.
"I don't understand what happened today, but whatever it is, you don't have to be afraid."
Mrs. Anna held him even tighter.
She wanted to tell him the truth.
She wanted to tell him that the family he had just begun growing closer to might actually be his biological family.
But the words remained trapped inside her.
For now, all she could do was hold on to him.
Later that evening, Nicholas and Jennie returned home.
The house was unusually quiet.
As Jennie stepped inside, she looked around.
"Where's Nicklaus?"
Nicholas removed his jacket.
"He's not home."
Jennie frowned.
"Did he say where he went?"
"One of the staff said he had a business meeting."
Jennie nodded slowly.
"I see."
She sat down carefully on the couch, still feeling a little weak from her recent recovery.
Nicholas sat beside her.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Jennie's thoughts were still on Mrs. Anna.
"She knows something," she said quietly.
Nicholas looked at her.
"I think so too."
"But she was terrified."
"I noticed."
Jennie sighed.
"What if she really has our son?"
Nicholas stared ahead.
"Then we need to find out the truth."
Neither of them noticed that Nicklaus's absence would soon become important.
For now, they could only wait for him to return.
Later that evening, Cherry returned home from work.
She had barely stepped through the door when Nicholas called her.
"Cherry, come sit with us for a moment."
She noticed the serious expressions on both their faces and walked over to the couch.
"Is everything okay?"
"Just sit down," Jennie said gently.
Cherry sat beside her mother.
Nicholas exchanged a brief glance with Jennie before asking,
"Do you know anything about Elian's biological parents?"
Cherry looked surprised by the question.
"Elian's parents?"
She thought for a moment.
"I don't really know much. Lola Anna told me once that his parents passed away when he was a baby."
Jennie's heart tightened.
Nicholas remained completely still.
Neither of them said anything.
Cherry looked between them.
"Why are you asking?"
Jennie quickly shook her head.
"Nothing, dear."
Nicholas nodded.
"We were just curious."
Cherry studied them for a moment, clearly sensing that something was being left unsaid.
But she didn't press them.
"Okay."
Jennie smiled faintly.
"You've had a long day. Go upstairs and get some rest."
Cherry stood.
"All right."
She gave them both a small smile before heading upstairs.
Once she disappeared, Jennie looked at Nicholas.
Neither needed to say what they were thinking.
Anna had told Cherry that Elian's parents had died when he was a baby.
But if their suspicions were correct, that story wasn't the truth.
And somewhere in the middle of all those years was the answer they had been searching for.