Blood Doesn't Lie (But Parents Do)

Summary

When the embassy ordered the evacuation, my parents only took two people.

One was my sister.

The other was the son who wasn't theirs.

My sister, Isabelle, was their little princess. They would never leave her in a war-torn country.

The fake son, Julian, was the treasure they had raised since birth. They couldn’t bear to see him suffer.

As for me, they offered hollow comfort.

“You’ve always had it tough, Leo. This kind of thing is nothing for you. We’ll come back for you as soon as they’re safe.”

I clung to that promise, waiting week after agonizing week in a foreign land.