Three Years Wasted I Married Mr. Right novel Chapter 197

Chapter 197

By the time the private investigator finished talking, Sophia’s eyes were already brimming with tears.

I was just a baby back then, yet my father had already done so much for me, Sophia thought.

“Thank you for digging up all of this for me. I… I’d really like to meet my dad’s old coworker,” Sophia managed, her voice shaky.

The private investigator shook his head. “Ms. Evans, I’m sorry, but he passed away from lung cancer last night.

Sophia’s lashes quivered. Now the very last living person who knew her father’s story was gone for good. Her grew mournful.

Her fingers gently traced the vibrant face of Marcus in the photo.

expression

He couldn’t have been more than twenty–something back then–right at the moment when his whole life was on the upswing.

“So, how did my dad die?” Sophia asked.

The private investigator hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. “He fell from a building.”

Sophia’s brows knitted tightly. “Who killed him?”

“The police said he slipped and fell. It has been more than twenty years now–all traces are long gone,” the private investigator replied.

He had checked the police files himself, but there was barely anything in them—just a few lines saying it was an accident.

Sophia thought of Charles and blurted out, “No way. There’s no way he just slipped and fell.”

If what the private investigator said was true–Marcus had set up a trust fund for her and even made a will leaving everything to her–then there was no way he would just accidentally die like that.

He loved her so much that he would have done anything to stay alive for her.

“Ms. Evans, I know this must be hard, but this is all I’ve managed to uncover,” the private investigator said.

Sophia wiped her tears. “Thank you. I’ll send the rest of your payment to your account.”

The private investigator handed her a tissue. “I’m really sorry for your loss, Ms. Evans.”

After the private investigator left, Sophia leaned back in her chair, her gaze falling to the yellowed old photo in her hands.

Suddenly, something struck her, and she quickly grabbed her phone to make a call.

“Annabelle, do you know anyone who can restore old photos?” Sophia asked.

Annabelle replied, “I do know someone who can restore old photos, but she can’t fix every single one.”

“That’s fine. I still want to give it a shot,” Sophia said.

“Where are you right now? I’ll call her and we’ll head over to find you,” Annabelle said–always ready to jump into things

without hesitation.

Less than half an hour after Sophia hung up, Annabelle arrived with Erica.

Sophia had met Erica before, so after a quick greeting, she handed over the old photo.

Erica took a look at the photo, frowning slightly at the yellowed edges and all the blurry spots. She seemed a bit unsure.

“Sophia. I can only give it a try. The faces that are still pretty clear might be fine, but anything else I fix probably wouldn’t

look authentic.” Erica said.

Sophia blinked, hope in her eyes fading. “So you mean, my mom’s face can’t really be recovered?”

“Yeah, Al software basically guesses the facial features using its own algorithms, but honestly, it might end up looking nothing like the actual person,” Erica said.

Annabelle noticed the disappointment on Sophia’s face and gave Erica a gentle nudge.

“Just give it a shot. If it doesn’t work, we’ll figure something else out,” Annabelle said.

“Alright,” Erica replied.

Erica scanned the old photo, loaded it onto her phone, and popped it into an AI photo fixer.

The blurry spots came back crystal clear, but when it came to Sophia’s birth mother’s face, the AI was really just making up a whole new face from scratch.

Once the software was done, Annabelle scooted over and glanced at the restored photo.

“Damn! What’s this? It’s not just a little off–it’s totally unrelated!” Annabelle blurted out.

Sophia saw how stunned Annabelle was, cussing and all, so she leaned in for a peek herself–and honestly, she was speechless too.

The AI had somehow turned Sophia’s mom into a boy with a buzz cut.

Awkward silence hung between the three of them.

Erica scratched her head sheepishly. “I did warn you, AI restoration of old photos can sometimes be unreliable.”

Honestly, Sophia wasn’t all that disappointed. “It’s okay. At least I’ve got her name now.”

Gwen. But honestly, that name was so plain–there had to be thousands of people sharing it in one city.

Where am I even supposed to find her?‘ Sophia thought.