“Ruby Lynch?” Henry and lan exclaimed at the same time, their faces going white.
Anna couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. “We couldn’t believe it, too. Ruby Lynch is our biological daughter!”
Ian’s body swayed suddenly. The glass of wine he was holding fell to the ground with a loud crash, sending shards scattering in all directions.
His voice trembled so much it was barely coherent. “How… How is this possible? Ruby… How could she be….”
Henry blanched as well. Ruby’s face flashed before his mind’s eyes, along with the burned birthmark he had seen on her shoulder.
Softly, almost inaudibly, he mumbled, “That birthmark, the one shaped like a rabbit… How did we never realize…”
Cecelia’s face drained of color as well. She clutched her skirt with such force that her nails dug into her palms, even through the fabric.
“How could Ruby Lynch be…” she muttered in disbelief.
Ian turned around abruptly. “We need to go back,” he said urgently. “We need to find her and get the truth!”
Henry nodded. “Yes, we need to go back!”
All of them left the banquet hall in a hurry and drove back to the villa.
Along the way, none of them spoke. The air inside the car was heavy with tension.
Back at the villa, Ian and Henry headed straight toward Ruby’s room.
However, when they opened the door, all they found was an empty room–everything in the room was gone.
Ruby was gone!
All that was left was a single document lying on the desk.
Ian strode over and picked it up. When he saw the words on the paper, his pupils contracted. “This is a DNA test report.”
Blood drained from Henry’s face. “She… She knew, from the start…” he said, voice trembling.
Ian felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Memories of every time he had hurt Ruby came flooding back, cruelly replaying in his mind. Every memory was like a knife stabbing painfully in his chest.
The pain was unbearable, suffocating. He was devastated. “Ruby Lynch is my sister? How could she be my sister? What have I done to her over the past few weeks?”
Henry’s eyes were sorrowful. “She was the person I loved. She had always been by my side, yet I never realized it. I should have realized!” he lamented, voice thick with anguish.
Anna and Christopher’s faces were just as pale. They were so anguished that they nearly fainted.
The DNA test report on the desk had destroyed any remaining hope they had left.
Ruby was their daughter–their real, long lost, always–cherished daughter.
She had been right in front of them, yet they had been blind and ignorant.
Right now, all of them only had one collective thought. “We have to find her. We must find her!”
Jan spun around abruptly. “Yes, we must find her! We need to do everything we can to find her!”
Henry nodded frantically. “I’ll track her down. She can’t have gone far yet!”
Just then, Cecelia slowly walked into the room. “Guys, don’t bother. There’s no need to look for her. She’s gone.”
“What?” tan turned to her in disbelief. “How do you know that?”
Lowering her eyes, Cecelia said guiltily, “I… I heard her talking to Aunt Rose. She got 10 million dollars from her and left for a place where no one will ever find her.”
