CHAPTER 169: TOO MUCH TALKING

SERAPHINA’S POV

My heart pounds with emotions, staring at what's in front of me: this little box that holds the potential secrets to who I am and where I come from.

Answers I’ve always been desperate to run away from, that I’m now forced to face. I'm filled with anxiety, yet there's a bit of trepidation about the varying possibilities of what I could find here.

Taking a deep breath, I begin to dig into it.

First, there's my mint-green blanket with fraying ends, the fabric showing its age. Clearly, it was knitted by someone with menial handiwork, yet I imagine a family member, perhaps.

I drop it aside, revealing everything else.

The dress I wore the day I was left behind, accompanied by bright red, sewn-up shoes. A little brown teddy bear, covered with a layer of filth that makes it seem a deeper shade of gray.

A storybook with the last five pages ripped out, and stacks and stacks of old newspapers added to give it bulk.

My heart sinks instantly.

There’s not even a single keepsake or