Page 9 of Chasing Football Dreams

“You are incredible, do you know that?”

“Just because I do yoga?”

He chuckled. “No, because you do all these things that make you happy. You are who you want to be. You didn’t let the past define your passion for life,”

Chapter Four

“Iheard you played detective while I was out of town,” Eliza noted, wiping the sweat from her brow.

I nodded. “Yeah, I got this weird dream a week back where it felt too real for me to ignore,”

“So, you followed your instincts?”

“I did,”

“And?”

“Everything they told me was a lie,” It was still hurting to think about it. “The accident, who I am, and how they could possibly be covering more cases like mine,”

Eliza looks shocked. “What?”

“Not my words,”

“Do you think that they could go that far by kidnapping kids from their families?”

I shrugged. “The file they created. It’s all fake, Eliza. There is not a medical document of me when I arrived. If I was in such a severe accident then someone would have had to alert them about my injuries. Even the accident scene is fake,”

“What are you going to do?”

"I am not sure yet," Duncan and I haven't gotten a chance to talk about the next step. Going to the police with not much evidence was pointless and no matter how eager I was to find out if I was Coach Shane's daughter: I had to be cautious with my findings. Things could go terribly wrong if we take hasten and irresponsible tests.

“I am proud of you,” Eliza said, bumping my shoulder with hers.

“For what?"

"Finally following your gut. Breaking into the office and jumping out of a window. I wish I was there to see it,"

“I was thinking about the kids at the orphanage. Hoping that none of their stories are as horrendous as mine,"

"Getting left behind by the person who is programmed to love you, is as horrendous as getting kidnapped,"

I felt guilt tugging my heart when I saw the remorse blazing in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. You are right. I am being selfish,"

She shook her head at me and pulled me into her arms. "The only selfish person is the man who took you from your family and as selfish as it sounds. I am glad I got to meet you and grow up with you. I have a sister I would have never had if you were Shane Martin's daughter,"

Dread filled my head as I thought about the possibility that Shane Martin could be my biological father. "What if all of this is a misunderstanding and I am not Zoey Martin? Her body was found and they had to bury her four-year-old body,"

“What if the girl they buried wasn't Zoey Martin? If they could have faked your birth certificate. Someone could have falsified the blood tests and lied about the girl being her. The only way we can sort out this mess is revealing the truth,"

"What if the truth hurts Shane and Angela more than it's going to hurt me?"

She rolled her eyes. "You are also a human being who needs answers. You've been lied to by people you learned to trust because they clothed you and raised you. You are also a victim in all of this. You were taken from your parents and drugged to forget who you are. They can't be mad at you for seeking answers,"

I smiled. “I missed you,” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and hugged her.

“Not that much since Duncan has been keeping you occupied,” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

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