Chapter 13:The revelation.

ISADORA’S POV

My eyes read the name on the bottom of that old paper, and my whole world flipped upside down.

It was my own full name printed next to Rosalind’s name under the exact same birth record.

I looked up at the stage where Rosalind stood talking into the microphone, and a cold burn spread inside my chest.

"I cannot stay quiet anymore," I declared, pulling my hand out of my coat pocket with the unfolded paper.

Rafael reached for my elbow to hold me back, but I pushed his arm away without looking at him.

I made up my mind right then to put an end to all their lies in front of everyone.

I walked straight toward the main stage, keeping my eyes fixed on the laptop connected to the big projector.

"Isadora, stop this right now," Rafael warned, jogging up two steps behind me as the crowd turned to watch us.

"Stay out of my way," I said, stepping past a security guard before he could put his hands on me.

I reached the technical table, unplugged the company slides, and placed my paper on the scanner bed.

The bright light scanned the paper, and the entire birth registry flashed across the massive screen above the stage.

The identical DNA profiles and the stolen baby records showed up in giant letters for every single guest to see.

A sudden gasps broke out across the room, as people stood up from their chairs to get a closer look.

Rosalind turned around to look at the screen, and her face went completely pale in an instant.

"What is the meaning of this fake document?" Everett shouted, stepping toward me with her fists balled at her sides.

"It is not fake, and you know it," I stated, pointing my finger directly at her face.

I stood my ground because I was done letting these people treat me like a fool.

Rosalind grabbed the microphone from the stand, and her hands shook so hard she almost dropped it.

"Turn that screen off right now!" Rosalind screamed, completely losing her calm attitude.

Nobody moved to help her, and the crowd started whispering loudly as they read the DNA match.

Rosalind stared at me with pure hatred, and her controlled image fell apart completely right on stage.

"You were supposed to be the dead one, Isadora!" Rosalind yelled into the live microphone.

Her voice boomed through every speaker in the hall, confirming to everyone that we were identical twins separated at birth.

The entire room went completely silent as her words hung in the air.

I stared at her in shock, feeling my knees go weak as the truth hit me like a solid wall.

She was my twin sister, and my whole life had been built on a giant lie meant to hide me away.

Rosalind realized what she just confessed to the whole room, and she dropped the microphone onto the floor.

I turned around slowly to look at Rafael, waiting for him to tell me that none of this made sense.

He stood at the bottom of the stage stairs, looking down at his shoes with a dark expression on his face.

"Did you know about this, Rafael?" I asked, taking a slow step down toward him as my heart felt completely broken, but I needed to hear his answer from his own mouth.

Rafael raised his head, looked me in the eyes, and took a deep breath.

"I knew Rosalind was your twin sister before I ever signed our marriage contract," Rafael confessed, his voice clear enough for the nearby tables to hear.

I stopped on the stairs, feeling like the ground beneath my feet had just collapsed entirely.

He had known the truth from the very beginning, and he had used me as a pawn in his game all along.

"You lied to me every single day," I whispered, pulling back when he tried to step closer to me.

"I did it to protect you from Everett and Rosalind," Rafael claimed, reaching his hand out toward me again.

"Do not touch me," I spat out, backing away until my heel hit the edge of the stage.

I looked around the room at the crowd of strangers, the fake sister who wished I was dead, and the man who lied to my face.

Every word Rafael had ever said to me turned into trash in my mind right then.

I decided in that second that I could never trust a single person in this room ever again.

I turned away from Rafael, ran down the side steps, and pushed my way through the stunned crowd toward the exit doors.

"Isadora, wait for me!" Rafael yelled behind me, his heavy footsteps following close behind.

I did not stop or look back as I pushed through the front glass doors into the cold night air.

My mind was completely ruined, but my feet kept moving as fast as they could away from Rafael.

I reached the edge of the dark street, trying to pull my car keys out of my bag with shaking fingers.

Then, a black car pulled up right beside the curb with its back door swinging wide open before I could even turn around.

A heavy hand grabbed my arm from inside the dark vehicle, and I realized too late that I was not getting away.