Julian shook his head gently.

“I wasn’t completely sure, Mariana.”

He confessed that while volunteering at the shelter, he had noticed two distinct details: Lucas’s approximate age and a long, jagged burn scar across his left wrist.

Years ago, I had mentioned to him that my father burned that exact wrist while cooking when I was a child.

“I thought it might just be a bizarre coincidence,” he explained softly.

“That’s why I brought him here.