Chapter 19
Aurora, or rather, Aurora Sainsbury now, stood before an ancient castle manor in Elseria, her thoughts st clouded with dish lief. She had never imagined that a trip overseas would lead her straight to her birth parents.
On the plane, a sophisticated woman in the adjacent seat, Janet Gleeson, had studied her with quiet intensity. Out of courtesy, Aurora had been the one to initiate a greeting.
From there, the two began to talk. Janet told her she was an expatriate living in Elseria and had returned this time to search for her lost daughter.
She and her husband had always conducted business overseas. When their daughter was born, they happened to be in their home country for Christmas, so they extended their stay by a month, intending to leave after the baby’s first month.
But the day before their departure, their daughter went missing. They reported it to the police immediately and rallied friends to help search, but there was still no trace after a full month.
The authorities said the traffickers had likely taken their daughter and that the chances of recovery were slim. With their visas nearing expiration, they had no choice but to leave.
Yet, they never stopped looking. They continued to ask friends back home to keep searching, and every year, they would return and spend a month in that city. This was Janet’s 26th year of searching. Everyone around them urged the couple to give up, but they still held on to a faint hope. This time, she and her husband had returned, only to be disappointed again.
But when she saw Aurora, she felt an odd sense of familiarity, one strong enough that she found herself looking at her a few extra times.
Aurora also felt an immediate connection with Janet–a natural kindness that made her share her own history without reservation.
When Janet discovered Aurora was an orphan from the same city where their daughter had vanished, her reaction was emotional. She took Aurora’s hands and pleaded to arrange a DNA test immediately after their flight.
Under the eamest gazes of Janet and her husband, Trevor Sainsbury, Aurora agreed without hesitation.
Upon landing, they instructed their driver to take them directly to the fastest available testing center. After an anxious wait, the results confirmed it–Aurora was their lost child.
Janet and Trevor embraced her, tears streaming down their faces. And Aurora knew at last that she had always been loved. Her parents had never stopped looking for her in all those 26 years.
Honoring Aurora’s choice, they preserved her first name and simply added their sumame, Sainsbury. From then on, she would be known as Aurora Sainsbury.
Ever since discovering Aurora was her daughter, Janet had clung to her hand, watching her with eyes full of devotion. Even Trevor, normally reserved, grew visibly emotional, his gaze fixed on her face.
At the manor, Janet led her excitedly to a bedroom door, as though revealing something precious. “Aurora, your dad and I have waited 26 years for you to come home. This room has stayed empty all that time. Now, it finally belongs to you.”
Janet’s voice wavered.
Trevor, more composed, gently urged her forward with a touch to her shoulder. Go ahead. See if you like what we’ve prepared for you.”
A rush of warmth filled Aurora. This was a kind of familial love she’d never experienced.”
The heavy door swung open, revealing an ornate bed placed beside a window that overlooked the yard below. Thick carpets blanketed the floor, and a stack of boxes sat in the center of the room.
Aurora looked at them curiously. “What are these?”
Trevor picked one up and handed it to her. “Find out for yourself.”
Her interest piqued, she unwrapped it to find a diamond bracelet inside. A sudden realization struck her. She opened the rest and found a gold baby bracelet, a princess dress, a tiara, a pearl necklace…
There were precisely 26 gifts.
Tears welled in Aurora’s eyes. These were birthday presents, one for every year she’d missed. Even without her there, Janet and Trevor had prepared a gift every year, hoping for this moment.
The cruelty she suffered in orphanages and schools had made her believe she was unlovable. So, when Terrence came into her life like a burst of light, she’d grasped at that love blindly.
Now, she understood that Janet and Trevor had cherished her all along.
Aurora embraced them tightly. “Mom, Dad, I’ve come home.”
