One day, a young millionaire passed a ragged boy on the street. His clothes were torn and dirty, but his face… was exactly like his own. He excitedly took him home and introduced him to his mother:
“Look, Mom, we look like twins.”
As she turned around, his mother’s eyes widened, her knees weakened, and she fell to the ground crying.
“I know… I’ve known for a long time.”
The boy remained silent, though fear was evident in his eyes.
“What’s your name?” Ashton asked.
The boy didn’t respond immediately, but after a few seconds, he said quietly,
“My name… is Luke.”
Ashton smiled and held out his hand.
“I’m Ashton. It’s nice to meet you, Luke.”
Luke looked at Ashton’s hand, hesitant. No one greeted him like that. Usually, other kids avoided him, called him dirty and smelly. But Ashton didn’t seem to care what he looked like or smelled like. After a moment, Luke extended his hand as well.
When their hands shook, Ashton felt something… like a connection.
“I know… I’ve known for a long time.” The mother’s voice broke between sobs as she hugged Ashton, tears streaming down her face. “You… you’re twin brothers.”
The room was filled with a heavy silence. Ashton and Luke stared at each other, astonishment evident on their identical faces. How was this possible? Two people, born on the same day, yet with such opposite destinies.
With a broken voice, the mother told the painful story of years past. She and her husband loved each other deeply, but life was difficult. When she became pregnant with twins, the burden became unbearable. In desperation, she gave one baby to her sister, who couldn’t bear children in another city, hoping both children would have a better life. She had always felt guilty and had secretly followed them both from afar.
Ashton felt a warmth in his heart. Luke was his brother, a brother he never knew he had. He looked at Luke, no longer seeing the difference in wealth, only a blood relative, a part of himself.
“Luke,” Ashton said sincerely, “come home with me. We’re brothers.”
Luke looked at Ashton, his blue eyes filled with doubt and hope. He’d never dared to dream of a family, of a home. Life on the streets had taught him to distrust everything.
But Ashton’s sincere gaze, the sweetness in his voice, and that warm handshake from just now, all made her feel that something undeniable was happening.
“Children… there is something else I haven’t told you.”
Ashton and Luke looked at her, with a bad feeling in their hearts.
“The truth… the truth is… Luke… you are not my biological son.”
Ashton and Luke were stunned, unable to believe what they had just heard.
“Many years ago, when I gave birth to Ashton, I was very weak and couldn’t have any more children. His father and I were very sad. One day, in my deepest despair, I found you… abandoned at the hospital door. You were just a baby, skinny and weak. I loved you so much that I decided to adopt you. Your father and I love you as if you were our own son.”
Tears streamed down the mother’s cheeks. Ashton and Luke were still in shock.
“So… so…” Luke stammered, “I… I’m not Ashton’s twin brother?”
The mother shook her head, sobbing: “No, my love. But in my heart, you will always be brothers.”
Ashton held Luke’s hand tightly, looking into his eyes. “Luke, no matter what the truth is, you’re still my brother. We’ve shared difficult times, we’ve become a family. That will never change.”
Luke looked at Ashton and then at his crying mother. He felt a warmth spread through him. Even though they didn’t share blood, the love he received from Ashton and his mother was completely genuine. He wasn’t a lonely kid on the streets anymore. He had a family.
“Thanks, Mom,” Luke said, his voice breaking, “Thanks, Ashton.”
From that moment on, Ashton and Luke valued each other even more. They knew that family bonds aren’t created by blood alone, but are built on love, support, and understanding. The unexpected turn of events didn’t tear them apart; on the contrary, it strengthened this strange, yet precious, family bond.