The contents of the papers were as follows: a birth certificate... but there was no mention of the names Marx or Marlene. The name "Lilia" was there, and the date of birth was close to what she knew-but in the "parents" field, the words "Unknown" were written. At the bottom of the page was an old stamp from a social center in a remote town she didn't recognize.
Then she opened another document-it was an internal report handwritten by a woman named "Souad B...," and it read:
> "The infant found at the institution's gate on January 3 had no information about her identity. She was placed in the newborn ward and showed a quick response to those caring for her. I presented the file to Mr. Marx and his wife during their visit, and they expressed a desire to care for her outside the framework of legal adoption."
Celine's eyes filled with tears. The papers were about her sister... about Lilia.
But she wasn't her sister.
She was a child someone had abandoned, and her parents had hidden her from everyone, choosing to raise her without telling a soul.
Why?
Why did they want to get rid of her now?
Had they grown tired of her?
Was there a deeper reason?
Why was a center involved? And what center was it?
Suddenly, just as she was about to close the drawer, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Her heart nearly stopped. She quickly turned off the lamp and hid behind the heavy curtain near the window.
The door opened slowly.
Marx entered.
He turned on the light, looked at the desk, and noticed something odd. He stepped forward, opened the drawer she had just been searching, studied it for a moment, then closed it.
Before leaving, he paused-as if sniffing the air.
He moved toward the curtain.
Celine almost screamed.
But he stopped, stared for a moment, then turned around and left, closing the door behind him.
She didn't emerge from her hiding place for another half hour.
When she finally returned to her room, she collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath as if she had just escaped certain death.
She now knew one thing for sure:
No matter what it took, she would never let it happen.
She would never let her sister be taken from her.
Even if she wasn't her "real" sister...
In her heart, she was.
To be continued...