Tej lay awake in bed, his mind racing as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. The park, the old woman's words, the article—everything pointed to one disturbing truth: his life wasn't what it seemed. But it was the timing of it all that gnawed at him the most, the strange coincidence that couldn't be ignored.
The Ruths had adopted him right after Ms. Ruth had suffered a devastating miscarriage. Tej had heard the story countless times growing up—how the loss of the child had nearly broken her, how she had sunk into a deep depression, unable to find joy in anything. Mr. Ruth had been her rock during that time, comforting her, helping her through the darkest days. But Tej had always wondered how they had decided to adopt him so quickly after such a traumatic event. It didn't make sense, and now, it felt more suspicious than ever.
Tej couldn't stop thinking about the old boxes he had found in the attic, filled with forgotten items from the past. Among them were old letters, photographs, and journals—things that Ms. Ruth had kept hidden away, relics of a time she had tried to bury. But there were gaps, moments that didn't add up. Why were there no photos of him as a newborn? Why were there no records of the adoption process, no paperwork, nothing to explain how he had come into their lives? It was as if his existence had simply begun the day they brought him home, with everything before that erased from history.
One memory in particular kept coming back to him, a conversation he had overheard years ago, late at night when he was supposed to be asleep. He had crept downstairs, drawn by the sound of his parents talking in hushed voices. They were sitting at the kitchen table, and he could see the strain on Mr. Ruth's face as he spoke, his voice low and filled with guilt.
"I just want to make sure we did the right thing," Mr. Ruth had said, his hands trembling as he held Ms. Ruth's. "I just wanted to make you happy, to give you something to hold onto after everything…"
Ms. Ruth had squeezed his hand, her eyes filled with tears. "You did, John. You gave me hope again. I don't know what I would have done without him."
Tej had never understood the weight of those words until now. They had always seemed like the heartfelt sentiments of parents who had gone through a difficult time, but now they felt loaded with a hidden meaning. It was as if there was something they weren't telling him, something that went beyond the simple story of an adoption.
The more Tej thought about it, the more certain he became that his adoption hadn't been as straightforward as he had always believed. The timing was too perfect, the lack of details too suspicious. And then there were the walks.
Mr. Ruth had taken up the habit of going for long walks every day after the miscarriage. He had told Ms. Ruth it was to clear his head, to get some fresh air and escape the suffocating grief that hung over their home. But Tej now wondered if there had been another reason for those walks.
What if Mr. Ruth had been planning something during those walks? What if he had been watching, waiting for the right moment to do something that would change all of their lives forever? The thought sent a chill down Tej's spine.
Tej's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and suspicions, and he knew he couldn't keep these doubts to himself. He needed answers, needed to know the truth, no matter how terrible it might be. But he also knew that confronting his parents directly might not give him the answers he needed. They were too good at hiding things, too practiced in keeping up the illusion of a perfect family.
Instead, Tej decided to dig deeper on his own. He would go back to those old boxes, search through every piece of paper, every forgotten memento, and see if there was anything that could give him a clue. He would retrace Mr. Ruth's steps, find out where he had gone on those walks, and see if there was anyone who remembered seeing him during that time.
As he lay there, staring at the ceiling, Tej felt a sense of determination wash over him. He had been living in a fog of lies for too long, and it was time to clear the air. He didn't know what he would find, but he knew he had to keep going. The truth was out there, buried beneath years of deception, and he was going to uncover it, no matter the cost.