— “Susan, you didn’t hear her sing. You didn’t see the blanket,” Michael said, his voice weary but firm. “I feel a pull toward her that I can’t explain. I have to know.”
Susan’s expression softened from skepticism to concern.
— “Do you really think she could be your mother? After all this time?”
Michael took a deep breath.
— “I don’t know. But she knows things only a mother would know. And that song… it’s like a key turning in a lock I forgot I had.”
Susan sighed, realizing there was no stopping him.
— “Maybe it’s just a coincidence, Mike. ‘Unforgettable’ was a huge hit. Everyone knows it.”
— “It’s more than the song,” Michael insisted. “It’s the way she looked at me. Like she was memorizing my face. I have to find her.”
Susan reached across the table and squeezed his hand.
— “Okay. If this is what you need to do, do it. But be prepared, Michael. Sometimes the truth isn’t what we want it to be.”
Michael nodded. He knew the risks. But the void in his life where a mother should have been was suddenly humming with activity, and he couldn’t ignore it.
