Or so I thought.
What I didn’t count on—what I never saw coming—washer.
My mother.
You have to understand… in the real world, I didn’t exist. No last name. No address. No birth record. I was Noah. Just Noah.
I spoke English. I spoke Greek. I taught myself French.
But I had no idea whose blood ran through my veins.
My skin was fair, my eyes a clear, almost unnatural blue. My hair was a sun-streaked blond that darkened to a muddier shade as I got older.
The last time my feet touched land?
That terrifying day when I was taken by the Valentinos.
Like I said before—when you live your whole life with a criminal, you start to think like one. And somewhere along the way, I did.
In the realm of things, I too had become a criminal, even if only in my mind.
So it was on my seventeenth birthday that I held the only proof that I even existed—my adoption papers.
There it was, in black and white—the names of my real adoptive parents—Mr. Anthony A. Jarrell and Mrs. Gloria Jarrell, residing in the United States of America, State of Connecticut.
A single tear slips down my cheek.
Because if they had shown up for me all those years ago, I would’ve had a last name.
Not just Noah.
NoahJarrell.
I smile through the tears and glance up at Alex.
“I remember trying to guess what the ‘A’ stood for in Anthony Jarrell’s name.”
For a moment, he can’t speak—then he swallows, steadying himself.
“Alex,” he says softly. “AnthonyAlexanderJarrell.”
I lower my eyes and swipe the tear from my cheek.
Then I slide the adoption certificate behind another folded piece of paper—a worn, yellowing newspaper clipping from the United States.
Gently, I unfold it.
A smiling couple stands in front of a private jet, holding hands and waving to the cameras. Their joy is infectious.
The woman wears a summery floral dress and strappy sandals.
He’s dressed casually—cargo shorts, a tee, and sunglasses clipped to his collar.
The caption beneath the photo reads: “On our way to get our boy.” A quote from Mrs. Jarrell.
I pass the article to Alex.
He takes it, and his eyes immediately glaze over.
