The narrator believed he had accepted a life without biological children until a tense argument between his wife, Mirela, and her sister disrupted that sense of closure. Zara nearly revealed a secret involving children before storming off, leaving the narrator unsettled. When he questioned Mirela, she brushed it off as ordinary family tension, but the moment left a lingering sense of something unspoken.

Later, Zara sent him a cryptic message urging him to “ask your wife about 2017.” That year coincided with a period when Mirela spent months in Bosnia following multiple failed attempts to conceive. Pressed again, Mirela finally confessed the truth: she had been pregnant during that time. She carried the baby to term and arranged a private adoption without telling him, believing she was sparing him further pain.

The revelation devastated him. Mirela explained the adoption had been handled discreetly through her aunt’s midwife, Lidija, involving a German-Swiss couple. Although Mirela thought it was too late to revisit the past, the narrator insisted on learning more. Together, they located Lidija and sent a heartfelt letter, hoping for answers.

Weeks later, they received a reply. Their son’s name was Elias. He was six years old, loved drawing animals, and resembled the narrator with his crooked smile. The adoptive parents—Tomas and Nadine—agreed to limited communication, beginning with letters and photos.

Gradually, this contact expanded into video calls. During one call, Elias excitedly showed them his toy trucks and asked innocent questions. The moment brought emotional release—laughter and tears after months of strain. They made no attempt to reclaim custody, but instead asked to remain part of Elias’s life.

Nearly a year later, their relationship with Elias continues to deepen through calls and packages. They plan to meet him this summer. Though still healing from secrecy and pain, they have learned that truth can reshape a family into something new and loving.