“Why?” the boy asked, voice trembling.

Oliver looked at Mira, who had spoken her first word to this boy—and who trusted him without hesitation.

“Because,” Oliver said quietly, “you helped my daughter find her voice. Now I’ll help you find your mother.”

Within hours, Oliver mobilized resources most people didn’t even know existed: lawyers, private investigators, medical analysts, security specialists. By dawn, they located Mrs. Porter.

She had been kidnapped by a private entity conducting illegal pediatric drug trials, preying on low-income families. She had briefly escaped, long enough to reach the entrance of the estate.

With the evidence Oliver provided, authorities raided the facility and rescued all the children being held.

When Caleb reunited with his mother, Mira stood beside Oliver, holding his sleeve.

And then, almost inaudibly, she whispered her second word: