Audrey Sullivan had always been strong, rarely shedding tears.

All her vulnerability in life had been reserved for two men—her deceased parents and her son who had been missing for thirty years.

Tears spilled uncontrollably down her delicate jawline, soaking Shane Prescott's shoulder.

Shane stiffened.

He wanted to raise his hand to comfort this sudden mother figure, but his IV-bound arm remained immobile.

"Don't cry," he rasped.

Audrey only wept harder, her tears mingling with laughter as thirty years of longing poured out.

Her trembling hands cradled Shane's face, her gaze hungrily tracing his features.

Unaccustomed to such intimacy, Shane hesitated to pull away.

"Am I being too emotional?" Audrey wiped her tears.

"No."

"I searched for thirty years..." Her voice fractured. "Every single day, I thought of you."

Shane pressed his lips together. "We should still do a DNA test."

"No need!" Audrey's tone brooked no argument. "Your eyes are just like your grandfather's. Your birthday is April first. Your blood type is AB. There's a mole on your left foot—"

Shane froze. "How do you know?"

"Because I'm your mother." Audrey smiled through her tears. "When you risked your life to save me, I knew."

Shane fell silent.

That reckless impulse had been unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

A phone ringtone shattered the moment.

Audrey glimpsed "Victor Sullivan" on the screen and promptly blocked the number.

A growl erupted from Shane's stomach.

Audrey immediately called the hospital cafeteria, personally feeding him his meal.

"I can do it myself." Shane's ears burned.

"To a mother, you'll always be her child." She insisted on guiding the spoon to his lips.

Shame had no choice but to endure this sweet torment.

The phone rang again.

"Mom, Dad's worried sick." Ethan Sullivan's voice carried through. "I heard you're at the hospital?"

"Shane's injured."

"I'm on my way."

Thirty minutes later, the hospital door swung open.

Ethan arched an eyebrow at the red-eyed Audrey peeling an apple. "The mighty Audrey Sullivan cries?"

"Someone wasn't saying that last year when they were sobbing over Sophia's photos," Audrey retorted.

Ethan's ears pinkened. "Nonsense."

Watching their banter, Shane felt an unfamiliar warmth spread through his chest.

This unguarded familial affection was something he'd never known.

"Shane is your brother," Audrey declared suddenly.

Ethan suggested, "Shouldn't we get a paternity test?"

"Absolutely not!" Audrey shielded Shane protectively.

Eventually, Ethan convinced Audrey to leave by citing "patient privacy concerns."

In the quiet of night, Shane spoke abruptly. "I'm a tomb raider. Doesn't that bother you?"

Ethan chuckled. "The only thing that scares me is Sophia leaving me."

The last words were barely audible.

"I recognized that purse snatcher," Shane tested further.

"People like us have good instincts." Ethan's voice held certainty. "You're no criminal."

Shane sank into thought.

His father's warnings echoed in his mind, yet the sincerity before him made him waver.

Another call shattered the silence.

"Why aren't you home?" Silas Prescott's voice dripped with menace.

"Got injured."

"Letting the Sullivans take care of you?" Silas sneered. "Don't be fooled by their act. How many wealthy families have brothers turning on each other?"

After hanging up, Shane studied the sleeping Ethan.

His father's suspicions warred with the Sullivans' genuineness in his mind.

At dawn, the hospital door crashed open.

Shane jolted awake.

Victor Sullivan charged in, pulling him into a crushing embrace. "My son!"

The usually stern man wept like a child.