Louis' POV“Ayou for real? Are you really for real?”My voice cracked. I wasn’t shouting anymore. It was this low, broken tone I didn’t recognize. My hands trembled at my sides, fingers curling into loose fists, not out of anger, but confusion.“You guys are saying that this…” I held the picture in my hand, the one I’d clutched so tightly I could feel the edges cutting into my palm. “The picture I saw when I was younger. Mum, you’re saying that was actually my brother?”My eyes darted to my father, well, the man I’d known as my father. He nodded silently, eyes avoiding mine. His lips pressed into a tight, miserable line.“Yes,” he finally said. “He’s your twin brother. Your real twin brother.”I stared at him. At both of them. My throat was dry. My legs felt like they could collapse underneath me.But something didn’t feel right. Something in my gut twisted painfully, telling me this was wrong. That this was off. That they were lying to me.They were manipulating me.Trying to feed me
Louis’ POVThe image haunted me, the mark on that boy’s neck. It wasn’t just a tattoo. No, it was something deeper, something connected to a past I never fully understood. And now, I needed answers. Not guesses. Not assumptions. The truth.I grabbed my phone and called the only person I trusted in situations like this.“Hello, Dave?” My voice was sharp, urgent.“Boss?” Dave responded instantly, like always.“I need you to meet me outside HB Hospital. Right now.”There was no hesitation in his voice. “On my way.”Twenty minutes later, the black SUV pulled up in front of the hospital. Dave rolled down the window, eyes scanning me.“Where are we headed?” he asked.“My father’s house.”Dave’s hands froze on the wheel for a moment. “You’re going there?”“Yes.”He turned fully toward me, his brows drawing together. “Why? You haven’t been there in years. You know how you get when you go back.”“I need to check something,” I cut him off. “Something I should have looked into a long time ago.”
Louis' POV"What do you mean?"The words tore from my lips before I could stop them. My voice cracked, rough with disbelief. "What do you mean you're going to get an abortion?"She didn’t flinch. Her fingers tapped furiously on the iPad again. The voice that echoed from the device was sharp, clipped, deliberate."I said I’m going to get an abortion."I stared at her, my mouth half open, heart racing. The hospital room suddenly felt too small, the air too thick to breathe. This fierce, trembling woman in front of me didn’t look like the Evelyn I knew. But maybe I never truly knew her. Maybe I only ever saw what I wanted to see.She glared at me now, her jaw set. Her eyes, red, wet, but blazing, burned into mine with a fury that knocked the breath out of me. She typed again."You forced me. You had sex with me without me knowing. I never gave you consent."My heart dropped.She didn’t stop. Her hands moved like they were possessed, her shoulders heaving with each breath."I wanted a div
Evelyn's POVSomething was wrong.I didn’t know what it was at first, it crept in slowly, crawling up my spine like ice water. But then, just like that, a nauseating wave rolled through me, and my body jolted forward.I pressed a hand to my mouth.Louis noticed immediately.His eyes widened as he bent down in front of me, his expression tight with concern. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice low but alarmed.I shook my head, trying to breathe. My fingers scrambled over the iPad."I don't know. I just feel like throwing up."His jaw clenched. “Come on, let me help you.”He slid his arm around me, careful, firm but gentle, and helped me up from the couch. My legs were weak, rubbery, like they were made of string. I leaned into him without meaning to as he guided me to the bathroom.I barely made it to the toilet before I retched violently.My stomach heaved again and again, even after there was nothing left. I could feel Louis behind me, hovering, uncertain. He reached for a towel a
Evelyn’s POVI was still shaking.The kind of shaking that started somewhere deep in your chest and wouldn’t stop, no matter how still you tried to be.Louis hadn't said anything in the car on the way home. He kept one hand on the wheel, the other gripping the steering tightly like it was the only thing keeping him from breaking.I kept hearing the message.“I miss you so much. I want to see you badly.”My mother’s phone.Her number.Her words.Or… someone pretending to be her.Each possibility made my stomach twist in a different way.We pulled up to the house, and I just sat there for a moment, staring at the front door like I didn't recognize it anymore. This place used to feel safe. Now it felt like a hollow shell.Louis came around and opened the door for me. I climbed out slowly, like my body had forgotten how to move.He didn't touch me.Not yet.But his presence hovered close, solid and steady.Inside, the silence wrapped around me like a thick blanket I couldn’t shake off. I
Evelyn’s POVMy fingers trembled as I stared at the message.“I’m really enjoying this little hide-and-seek game. Hope we find her mom soon.”Louis noticed the shift in my face. He turned sharply toward me, his eyes narrowed with concern, urgency, and something else…fear.“What’s going on?” he asked, voice low but tense.I couldn’t speak. Of course, I couldn’t. But even if I could, I wouldn’t have known what to say. The words were choking me from the inside out.I just looked at him, eyes wide, frantic, and shook my head.His brow furrowed. “Evelyn, don’t shut me out. What is it?” He was trying to stay calm, but his grip tightened on my arm.I slowly turned the screen toward him.His eyes scanned the message.His face darkened. His jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might crack. “What the f..”He cut himself off, cursing under his breath. The glow from the screen cast sharp shadows over his face. He looked furious… and scared.Louis threw open the car door and got out. I followed qu