No More Waiting, She Chooses Love
Chapter 674

Joe set his glass of water down and walked over. His gaze fixed on the old photograph hanging on the wall, "This is our family portrait, though now I'm the only one left." "Family portrait?" I murmured, pointing at the little girl in a red dress, "Is she a family member too?"

"Yeah, that's my little sister. She was only two then," Joe's voice was deep and somber.

"Where is she now?" I asked, my breathing tight, a voice inside me wondering if I had gotten it all wrong.

Joe fell silent, and I grew anxious, "Uncle..."

"She went missing, the day we took this photo," Joe's words made my heart race.

"How did she go missing?" I found myself clutching at Joe's sleeve.

Lost in his memories, he stared at the photograph, "My parents said we were all so happy that day. After we took the photo, they even turned the photo keychain the studio made into a necklace for my sister and took us to an amusement park..."

"Later, my sister needed the restroom, and my mom took her. But my mom passed out in there, and by the time she woke up, my sister was gone..."

Hearing this, I was certain. My mom was Joe's lost sister.

My mom had told me she grew up in an orphanage, an orphan, and she always wore a keychain necklace around her neck.

Thinking about how tough my mom had it in the orphanage, I couldn't help but ask, "Did your family try to find her?"

"We searched like mad. My parents first camped out at the amusement park every day, then scoured the city, and eventually the whole country. My mom fell into depression over my sister's disappearance, even tried to end her life by jumping into a river. After dealing with my mom's funeral, my dad continued the search until he was killed in a car accident..."

I was stunned, feeling a chill run through me.

So, my mother's disappearance had shattered a once happy family.

"Did you continue the search?" I asked again.

Joe's face darkened, "I did. I asked Judie to post online, and she even suggested we try TV reunion shows, but... she ran into trouble just as she started working on it." Trouble again! How could this all be such a coincidence?

"To be honest, I've harbored some resentment towards her, blaming her for the loss of our happy family," Joe's confession left me frozen, speechless for a moment

He took a moment to compose himself before looking at me, "Have you seen this photo before?"

Though his words about hating my mom hurt, I understood the pain must have been mutual. From his story, could feel how his parents, in their search for their lost daughter, might have neglected him.

"My mom has a photo just like this one. She wears a circular keychain necklace around her neck," I still shared.

Joe was taken aback, staring at me as his mouth, then hands, and body began to tremble.

"Uncle," I steadied him.

"Where is your mom?" Joe managed to ask after a long moment.

My throat tightened as if someone was squeezing it, worried about his reaction, "Let's sit down first."

"How is your mom?" Joe asked as he sat down.

"My mom... she's no longer with us," My words froze Joe, and tears soon filled his eyes.

Even though he had spoken harshly about my mom, it was clear he still cared.

Knowing his pain but also recognizing his right as a brother to know about my mother, I shared the story of my parents, including my mom's death in a car accident. Joe visibly collapsed, as if something had been abruptly taken from him.

"Uncle..." I called out to him.

No, I shouldn't call him uncle anymore.

"Uncle," I corrected myself, my eyes also brimming with tears.

With that "Uncle," I acknowledged not just the rekindling of familial ties but also the rediscovery of family and home.