Every word felt like a blow to Max. He felt a surge of confusion and a sharp, stinging resentment. “Why did you wait so long? Why didn’t I know I had a brother?” His voice shook with a mix of anger and hurt. Eleanor tried to take his hand, but he pulled back. “We didn’t know much ourselves,” Charles said sadly. “The only thing we have is the name of the agency that handled the case. They might have more records.”
Max spent the night staring at the ceiling, his world turned upside down. Memories of being told he “didn’t look like his parents” now made perfect sense. He felt a driving need to find the truth. “I have to know,” he told himself. The next day, he went to the social services office Charles had mentioned. His heart was pounding as he walked through the doors.
The office was a maze of grey cubicles and the smell of old paper. He waited for what felt like hours while a clerk searched the archives. He felt like he was on the verge of a discovery that would rewrite his entire identity.
Finally, the clerk returned with a thin, yellowed file. “We found the record,” she said. The documents were old, the ink fading in places. As Max scanned the pages, he saw his brother’s name and a last known address from a few years back. With shaking hands, Max dialed the number. When Alex answered, his voice was cautious but steady.
“We need to meet,” Max said, his voice cracking slightly. There was a long pause on the other end, then a quiet, “Okay.” They agreed to meet at a park in the center of the city. The sound of kids playing and the smell of fresh-cut grass felt surreal given the gravity of the moment. Max watched Alex walk toward him, seeing his own gait, his own posture.
Max took a deep breath. “You’re my brother,” he said, his voice barely a whisper but filled with certainty. He handed Alex the copies of the records. Alex took them, his hands trembling. “Is this for real?” he asked, but as he looked at the papers and then at Max, the truth settled in. His eyes welled up, and the shock on his face turned into a profound realization.
They talked for hours. Max spoke about his life of luxury and the parents who had given him everything. Alex talked about the foster system, the hunger for a family, and the hard-won independence he’d built. He spoke about the nights he spent wondering if anyone was looking for him. He talked about finding happiness in the small things because that was all he had.
Each story revealed a new layer of their shared history. They realized how different their paths had been, but those differences only seemed to make their connection stronger. Max felt a pang of guilt for his privilege, while Alex felt a strange sense of relief that at least one of them had been spared the struggle.
“We need to find out about our mother,” Alex said, his voice firm. “She left us, but I want to know why. I want to understand.” Max nodded. For the first time, they had a shared purpose. As they stood to leave, they looked at each other—two halves of a whole, finally reunited. They knew the road ahead would be difficult, but they were no longer walking it alone.
After their meeting in the park, Max and Alex were determined to find out who their biological mother was and what had happened that night. Their first stop was a return to the social services office, hoping for more than just a name. They stood in the small, cramped office, surrounded by the weight of thousands of untold stories. The staff was helpful, but the records were sparse.
“All the file says is that you were found near a dumpster on a sub-zero night,” a social worker told them, her voice full of sympathy. “The police handled the initial investigation, so their old records might have more detail.” She gave them the name of the precinct and the detective who had been assigned to the case decades ago.
The brothers headed straight to the precinct. The detective, now long retired, agreed to meet them at a nearby diner. He was a sturdy man with a sharp memory and a weary but kind face. When they told him who they were, he nodded slowly. “I remember that night. It’s one of those cases that stays with you.”
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