Oliver grew up without a family, spending his childhood in a cold children’s home where loneliness was a constant companion. The only light in those years was Nora, a girl who became his best friend and chosen sister. When they aged out at eighteen, they promised to remain family no matter what. Years later, Nora became a single mother to a baby boy named Leo, and Oliver stepped in wherever he could—bringing groceries, reading bedtime stories, and holding Leo when Nora was too tired to stand. He never asked about Leo’s father; Nora simply said it was complicated. Oliver accepted that, because love didn’t need explanations. When Nora died suddenly in a tragic accident, Leo was left with no one else. Without hesitation, Oliver fought through legal processes to adopt the two-year-old boy, determined that Leo would never feel the abandonment Oliver once knew.
The next twelve years were filled with scraped knees, school projects, quiet evenings, and a boy who grew into a thoughtful, gentle child. Oliver built his life entirely around Leo, choosing fatherhood over loneliness, purpose over pain. Then Amelia entered their lives—a warm-hearted woman who loved books as much as Oliver did and treated Leo with patience and kindness. Slowly, their family grew to three, sealed by marriage and shared devotion. It felt as though the broken pieces of Oliver’s past had finally formed something whole. But one night, Amelia woke Oliver in panic, holding Leo’s worn stuffed bunny. While mending a torn seam, she had discovered a hidden flash drive tucked inside the toy.