For the first time in his life, he started drinking heavily, but his parents and the demands of his growing business eventually pulled him out of the abyss. From that day on, Alex buried himself in his work. In ten years, he built a true empire, but he never married. He couldn’t bring himself to love anyone again, and all his relationships fizzled out after a few months. So you can imagine his shock when he saw those very same earrings he once gave to Hannah in the ears of a woman begging for money. It was them. There was no doubt.

  • “They belong to my daughter, Hannah,” the old woman said softly, her voice barely a whisper, as they sat in the quiet luxury of his car. Alex studied her more closely now. She didn’t look like she lived on the streets. Her clothes, though worn, were clean and of decent quality. There was no unpleasant smell. The only truly odd things were the dark scarf on her head and her exhausted, grief-stricken face.
  • “Don’t lie to me. These earrings belong to Hannah. I know her, and she doesn’t have a mother. Where is she?”
  • “Hannah… she’s in prison,” the old woman said, and began to cry quietly.
  • “What?”
  • “She’s innocent,” the woman added hastily. “If you know her, you know she’s incapable of doing anything wrong.”
  • “Yes, I’m sure of it. She’s an anesthesiologist. What happened?”
  • “She was in surgery with the chief of medicine at her hospital. He’d been drinking a lot lately—his wife left him. He came into the O.R. hungover. The patient died on the table. They pinned it all on Hannah.”
  • “They said she administered the wrong anesthesia, that the patient died of anaphylactic shock. She fought it, but the chief surgeon had connections. They gave her a five-year sentence in a state facility.”

Alex was stunned. A storm of emotions raged inside him: overwhelming joy that Hannah was found, and a burning fury at those who had framed her.

  • “And who are you? Why do you call her your daughter?” he asked, his voice calmer now.
  • “I’m Hannah’s neighbor.”
  • “She and her little Julia moved to our city five years ago, and Hannah bought a condo with a mortgage. We lived on the same floor.”
  • “She and who?”
  • “Her daughter, Julia. You didn’t know?”
  • “No, I didn’t know anything,” Alex gritted out between his teeth. “How old is the girl?”
  • “She’s nine. A beautiful little girl.” Alex didn’t doubt it for a second. The fact that the girl was named Julia, the same as his own mother, said everything.
  • “Where is she now? We’re going to her. Immediately.”
  • “But why?”
  • “I’m her father.”
  • “What? Hannah never told Julia about her father—the subject was forbidden.”
  • “Nevertheless, you’re looking at him. I made a terrible mistake when I was young, and I lost Hannah. I never even knew about the child.”
  • “Who is she with now?”
  • “She’s with me. While the trial was going on, Hannah managed to get me legal guardianship. She was terrified that Julia would end up back in the system. Thank God it worked out.”
  • “Let’s go to your place. Tell me everything on the way.”
  • “What’s there to tell, son? I’m their neighbor, all alone in the world. My husband passed away a long time ago, and we never had children of our own. So I became close with Hannah. We helped each other out. I often watched Julia, and Hannah looked after my health. She’s a very good doctor. We started celebrating holidays together, and she even took me on a trip to Florida once. We became like family. And then this disaster happened. I’m just glad they gave me guardianship of Julia. The only problem is… money is tight. We rent out Hannah’s condo to pay the mortgage, and we live in mine. My social security check is all that’s left, and it barely covers the utilities. We still need food, medicine… my savings ran out fast, and Hannah didn’t have any—it all went into the condo. I sold Hannah’s other jewelry, even though it broke my heart, but we had no choice. She begged me never to sell these earrings, no matter what. She said they were for Julia, to remember her father by. I started wearing them so they wouldn’t get stolen from the apartment. Last month, a plumber came by, and later I noticed the grocery money was gone from my jewelry box. It wasn’t much, and I didn’t notice right away… so who can you prove it against? My next check is still a week away, and all we have at home is a box of pasta. So I decided to approach you. You have a nice car, so I figured you had money. And maybe a kind heart.”
  • “You won’t have to worry about anything ever again. What is your name?”
  • “Valentina. Just call me Val.”
  • “Thank you for everything, Val. I still can’t believe… I’m Julia’s father.”
  • “I’m sure of it. But you won’t take her from me, will you? I won’t give Julia to you without Hannah’s permission.”
  • “I’m not going to take her. And I hope Hannah will be with us very soon.”

When Alex saw his daughter for the first time, he couldn’t hold back the tears. Standing before him was a miniature version of Hannah: the same cloud of curly hair, the same enormous eyes. Except they weren’t green like Hannah’s; they were a deep brown, just like his. My eyes, he thought, stunned. Staring back at me from her mother’s face.

Alex looked at the little girl and the reality slowly sank in: this miracle was something he and Hannah had created together. His blood ran through her veins. He was a father. Alex knelt in front of her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

  • “Grandma Val says you’re a friend of mommy’s.”
  • “Yes, sweetheart. Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t get you a present. How about we go right now and buy you anything you want?”
  • “Could I get a slice of chocolate cake? And a cheeseburger?”
  • “Of course, Julia.” A sharp pain twisted inside Alex. His daughter, who should have been raised like a princess, was going hungry.
  • “Sweetheart, we’re going to go to my store—I own it. I want you to imagine that it’s all yours. You can have anything you want from there.”
  • “Really? Hooray!”