A kid stumbled across a girl in a trash bin… When they figured out her identity, it was totally mind-blowing…

For the first time in years, he looked up. And saw the sky. A black car waited in the lot.

Its door open for him. He glanced back. The train car, his home, seemed small and distant.

Like part of a dream. He got in the car. The man closed the door behind him.

The car started. Inside, it smelled of leather, expensive cologne, and warmth. His hands trembled.

But the girl slept against his chest. Peacefully. Serenely.

The man glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Her name’s Emily. Now tell me your full name.”

Ethan sat up a little. “Ethan Brooks.” The man nodded.

“Good, Ethan Brooks. From today, you’re not just the one who saved her. You’re the one she needs. Always.”

The car sped through nighttime Chicago. Streetlights reflected on the wet asphalt, like stars scattered beneath the wheels.

Ethan stared out the window, but his thoughts were inward. He remembered the cold nights on the streets. The mornings scavenging for bread.

And that moment he first heard a cry from a dumpster. Now, beside him, breathed a person whose name was known across the country. And that person looked at him not with pity.

But with respect. They arrived at the mansion. Tall gates opened slowly, as if with reverence.

Beyond them, a house with windows glowing with warm light. It smelled not just of wealth. It smelled of home.

Staff rushed out to meet them. But the man raised a hand. “No. Let him walk in himself.”

Ethan stepped onto the carpet at the entrance. Soft, like spring grass.

He walked across a marble floor, hardly believing his bare feet touched it. The woman in white turned. “Come, we’ll show you your room.”

He wanted to protest. To say he could sleep anywhere. That he was used to it…