At least, that’s what he told himself.
For illustrative purposes only
He stepped toward the building entrance when a faint voice caught his attention.
“Please… anything helps.”
It was soft, almost apologetic.
Normally, Daniel would have walked past. The city was full of people asking for spare change. But something about the voice made him pause.
He turned.
Across the street, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, was a woman holding a small cardboard sign.
Beside her stood three little boys.
Daniel frowned.
They looked about four years old—thin but clean, wearing worn jackets that had clearly been donated by someone.
And they were identical.
Triplets.
One of them held the woman’s hand.
Another clung to her coat.
The third stared curiously at the busy street.
Daniel’s gaze slowly moved to the woman’s face.
His breath caught.
“…Emma?”
The name slipped from his lips before he could stop it.
The woman looked up.
For a moment, confusion crossed her face.
Then recognition struck.
Her eyes widened.
“Daniel?”
The world around them seemed to fade away.
Daniel felt something twist inside his chest. Emma looked different—thinner, tired, her hair tied loosely under a worn scarf.
But it was unmistakably her.
Emma Collins.
The woman he had once loved more than anyone in the world.
The woman he had left behind five years ago.
For illustrative purposes only
Daniel crossed the street without even realizing he was moving.
When he reached her, he stopped, staring.
“What… what are you doing here?” he asked, stunned.
Emma quickly lowered her eyes, embarrassed.
“I didn’t expect to see you,” she murmured.
The boys watched him curiously.
One of them tilted his head.
“Mama, who’s that man?”
Daniel’s heart skipped.
Because when the boy spoke, he saw it clearly.
The same dark eyes.
The same eyebrows.
The same small dimple in the chin.
His mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
He looked at the second boy.
Then the third.
And the realization hit him like a lightning bolt.
They looked exactly like him.
Daniel whispered, his voice trembling.
“Emma… whose children are these?”
Emma didn’t answer immediately.
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