Chapter 4 - Memories Return Through The Shaking Screen
Jonathan ignored his new wife completely, his thumb slowly scrolling through the old digital photo file on his smartphone screen.
The metadata stamped on the image dated back twenty-eight years to a cramped, drafty apartment on the outskirts of Chicago.
He stared at the small boy in the faded coat, recognizing the chipped tooth he had forgotten he ever had.
A sudden flash of sensory memory pierced his mind like a sharp needle through heavy cotton.
The scent of burnt toast on a tiny gas stove, the sound of rain drumming against a leaking windowsill, and warm arms holding him tight.
He remembered a woman humming a lullaby while rocking him through a terrifying night with a high fever.
Then the memory fractured into darkness—cold hospital linoleum, flashing lights, and strangers in suits leading him away.
“Where did you go... after that night in the hospital?” Jonathan asked, his voice cracking with unbearable emotional weight.
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The woman stepped closer, ignoring Victoria’s furious shoving as she reached out a weathered hand toward his cheek.
“They told me I couldn't afford to feed you, Jonathan... they took you away while I was unconscious from the accident,” she wept softly.
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