The woman’s eyes filled with tears. “He’s our boy. But he no longer accepts us.”

The ground seemed to shift beneath me. Javier had told me all his life he was orphaned. Yet here were two frail figures claiming him as their son.

Heart pounding, I called Javier over. “They say they’re your parents. What is happening?”

Javier blanched, his lips parting but no words coming. “Mariana, neglect them. They’re mistaken.”

But his eyes betrayed him.

I demanded, “Tell me the truth, Javier. Now.”