Chapter 6
554words
The doctors told me I was severely malnourished, and the wounds on my back risked infection. They asked how I got them, but I vaguely said they were accidents. I could tell they didn't believe me, but they didn't press further.
On the third morning, as I prepared to leave, an unexpected visitor appeared—Logan.
"Hello, Zoe," he said, standing at the door with some fruit. "May I come in?"
I nodded in surprise, unsure what to say. I hadn't seen him since he and Bianca left that day.
Logan came in and placed the fruit on the bedside table. "I hope you're feeling better."
"Yes, thank you," I said softly. "Thank you for bringing me to the hospital."
Logan sat in the chair by the bed, his expression serious. "Zoe, I need to ask you something."
I waited nervously, unsure what he wanted to ask.
"Those scars," he asked directly, "who caused them?"
I lowered my head, not wanting to answer. Over the years, I'd learned to stay silent, not to complain, not to draw attention.
"It was your foster parents, wasn't it?" Logan continued, a suppressed anger in his voice.
I didn't answer, but my silence seemed to tell him everything.
"Does Bianca have similar scars?" he suddenly asked, a strange light in his eyes.
I looked up at him, surprised by the question. "No," I finally said. "They never hit her. She was... the favorite."
Logan nodded, as if this confirmed some suspicion of his. "Zoe, I've been thinking about some things. About you, about Bianca, about that DNA test."
My heart raced. "What do you mean?"
Logan leaned forward, lowering his voice. "That day at the hospital, when I saw the scars on your back while Bianca's back was completely unmarked, I began to wonder. If you truly grew up together, if your foster parents were harsh to both of you, why do only you have these scars?"
I held my breath, hardly believing he'd observed so carefully.
"Then I started recalling details about Daphne's disappearance," Logan continued. "She went missing after a car accident. If she was injured, she should have scars, right?"
I nodded. I had few memories from childhood. If this was due to accident trauma, it made sense.
I felt dizzy, not from weakness but from shock and hope. "You mean..."
"I suspect you are the real Daphne Blackwood," Logan said firmly. "And Bianca and your foster parents are lying."
My tears began to fall. For years, I'd believed in my memories, but no one believed me. Now, finally, someone was on my side.
"But the DNA test..." I began.
"Can be manipulated," Logan interrupted. "Especially if the provided sample isn't from who it claims to be."
He stood up and walked to the window, his back to me. "I can't openly express doubt, at least not yet. I need more evidence. But I want you to know, I don't believe Bianca's story."
He turned to face me, determination flashing in his eyes. "We'll find the truth, Zoe. I promise."
For the first time since this nightmare began, I felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, just perhaps, the truth would finally surface.
