Chapter Twenty-Five: Two Boys

Nobody moved.

Two identical boys stood inside the chapel.

One held Elena's hand.

The other stood beside Victor.

Same dark eyes.

Same small face.

Same scar.

Even the toy car in the second boy's hand looked identical to the one Lucas had carried since the beginning.

Elena stared at them.

Her mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing.

"No."

The word came out barely above a whisper.

Damien stepped in front of her.

"Stay behind me."

Victor gave a quiet laugh.

"You still think you can protect everyone."

Damien ignored him.

His eyes remained on the boys.

"Which one is Lucas?"

Neither child answered.

The boy beside Elena tightened his grip on her hand.

The other looked frightened.

Then he slowly raised his eyes toward Damien.

"Daddy?"

Damien's chest tightened.

The boy beside Elena looked at him.

"Daddy."

Two voices.

The same voice.

Elena's breathing became uneven.

"How is this possible?"

Adrian stepped forward.

"Because Victor didn't simply switch the children."

Damien turned sharply.

"Then explain."

Adrian looked at the boys.

"They are twins."

Silence.

Damien stared at him.

"Twins?"

Adrian nodded.

"Identical."

Elena shook her head.

"You said Lucas was created from my DNA."

"I said Victor used your genetic material."

"That's not the same thing."

"No."

Adrian looked ashamed.

"It isn't."

Damien's voice hardened.

"Tell us the truth."

Adrian took a slow breath.

"Five years ago, Elena gave birth to twins."

Elena froze.

"I don't remember."

"You weren't supposed to."

Adrian continued.

"The records were altered before you woke up."

Damien looked at the two boys.

"Then who is the other mother?"

Adrian's eyes moved toward Eva.

"Neither child was born to Eva."

Eva lowered her head.

"But I carried one."

Elena stared at her.

"What?"

Eva's eyes filled with tears.

"Victor used me."

Damien's expression darkened.

"Used you for what?"

"To carry one of Elena's embryos."

Elena's face went pale.

Adrian nodded.

"Victor had taken genetic material from Elena before the accident."

"Why?"

"Because he wanted an heir connected to the family bloodline."

Damien looked toward Victor.

"And you created a child using Elena's DNA."

Victor remained silent.

"Two children," Adrian corrected.

Damien's eyes narrowed.

"Two."

Adrian nodded.

"One embryo was implanted into Eva. The other was implanted into another surrogate."

Elena stared at the boys.

"Who?"

Adrian hesitated.

Victor answered.

"Your mother."

Damien's entire body went still.

"My mother?"

Victor looked at him.

"She carried one of them."

Damien shook his head.

"That's impossible."

"She was already pregnant?"

"No."

Victor's voice remained calm.

"She agreed."

Damien's face tightened.

"Why would she?"

"Because she knew what I was planning."

"And she helped you?"

"She thought she could control me."

Damien looked at Adrian.

"Is that true?"

Adrian nodded reluctantly.

"Your mother believed she could protect the children by keeping them close."

"Then what happened?"

Adrian looked toward the boys.

"The accident happened."

---

Elena suddenly remembered something.

A hospital corridor.

Her mother's voice.

A baby crying.

Another baby crying farther away.

Then hands pulling her toward a room.

She pressed her fingers against her temple.

"Two babies."

Damien turned.

"What?"

"I remember."

Her voice trembled.

"There were two cries."

Adrian nodded.

"Yes."

"I remember holding one."

"Yes."

"Then someone took the other."

"Yes."

Elena looked at Victor.

"You took my child."

Victor's expression remained cold.

"I took what belonged to the family."

"No."

Her voice strengthened.

"You stole my baby."

Victor said nothing.

Elena stepped toward him.

"Where was my other child?"

Victor looked at the boy beside him.

"With Eva."

Eva closed her eyes.

"I didn't know what he was."

Elena looked at her.

"You raised him."

"I tried."

"Why?"

"Because I was told you were dead."

Elena's eyes filled with tears.

"And you believed him?"

Eva's voice broke.

"I had no reason not to."

---

Damien looked at the two boys.

"Which one is mine?"

Adrian answered carefully.

"Both."

Damien's breath caught.

"Both?"

"They are your biological sons."

The chapel became silent again.

Elena looked at Damien.

"Then they're both ours."

Damien nodded.

"Yes."

For the first time that night, his expression softened.

He looked toward the boy beside Victor.

"Come here."

The boy didn't move.

Victor placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't."

Damien's eyes hardened.

"Let him go."

Victor shook his head.

"You still don't understand."

"What?"

"One of these boys is the reason you lost your memory."

Damien frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Victor looked at Adrian.

"Tell him."

Adrian's face tightened.

"The accident wasn't only an attempt to kill Elena."

Damien waited.

"It was designed to make you forget."

"Why?"

"Because you discovered the children existed."

Elena stared at him.

"What did he discover?"

Adrian answered.

"That Victor planned to use one child as Damien's heir and eliminate the other."

Damien's expression changed.

"Which one?"

Adrian looked toward the boy standing beside Victor.

"The child Victor wanted to keep."

"Why him?"

"Because he carried something Victor needed."

"What?"

Adrian hesitated.

"Your mother's original inheritance marker."

Damien stared.

"That's impossible."

"No."

Adrian's voice lowered.

"Victor believed the child carrying that marker could legally inherit your mother's estate."

Damien finally understood.

"This was never about me."

Adrian shook his head.

"It was about controlling your family."

---

A sudden sound came from outside.

Footsteps.

Many of them.

Marcus looked toward the chapel entrance.

"We have company."

Victor smiled.

Damien noticed.

"You called them."

Victor didn't deny it.

"The police are coming."

Damien looked at Marcus.

"How long?"

"Less than five minutes."

Elena pulled both boys toward her.

Victor immediately stepped forward.

"Leave one."

Damien blocked him.

"You're not taking either of them."

Victor's expression hardened.

"You can't protect them forever."

"I don't need forever."

Damien looked at Elena.

"Just long enough."

Marcus moved toward the rear exit.

"We need to go."

Adrian pointed toward the side passage.

"There."

Damien took Elena's hand.

"Come on."

She grabbed the first boy.

Damien reached for the second.

The boy hesitated.

"It's okay."

Damien crouched.

"I'm your father."

The boy stared at him.

Then slowly reached out.

Damien took his hand.

The moment their fingers touched, the boy whispered:

"I remember you."

Damien froze.

"What?"

"You were there."

"Where?"

The boy's eyes filled with tears.

"The night Mommy disappeared."

Elena stopped.

"Which mommy?"

The boy looked at her.

Then pointed toward Eva.

"Her."

Eva's face went white.

Damien stared.

"You remember Eva?"

The boy nodded.

"She told me to hide."

Eva shook her head.

"No."

The boy continued.

"She told me not to tell Daddy."

Eva's eyes widened.

"I never said that."

The boy looked confused.

"You did."

Victor suddenly stepped forward.

"Enough."

Damien's attention snapped toward him.

"What did you do to that boy?"

Victor's face hardened.

"Nothing."

The boy suddenly screamed.

"Grandpa!"

Victor froze.

The child pointed toward Adrian.

"He was the one who took Mommy."

Adrian went pale.

Damien stared at him.

"Adrian?"

Adrian took a step backward.

"I can explain."

"Explain."

"I didn't take Elena."

"Then who did?"

Adrian looked toward Victor.

"Your father."

Victor's expression changed.

Adrian continued.

"But I helped him."

Damien's jaw tightened.

"Why?"

Adrian's voice cracked.

"Because I thought Elena was already dead."

Elena stared at him.

"And you left me?"

Adrian couldn't answer.

The sound of approaching vehicles grew louder outside.

Marcus shouted:

"We have to move!"

Damien pulled Elena toward the passage.

Both boys followed.

But before they reached the door, Victor called out.

"Damien."

He stopped.

Victor looked at him.

"You think taking those boys will end this."

Damien turned.

Victor smiled.

"It won't."

"Why?"

Victor's gaze moved toward Elena.

"Because there is one more child."

Elena froze.

Damien's expression changed.

"What child?"

Victor's smile widened.

"The child Elena was pregnant with after the accident."

Elena stared at him.

"I was never pregnant after the accident."

Victor's voice became almost a whisper.

"That's what you were made to believe."

Then the chapel doors burst open.

Police officers stormed inside.

And the first officer pointed directly at Elena.

"Elena Ashford, you're under arrest for the abduction of Lucas Vale."

Damien stared in disbelief.

"What?"

The officer raised another photograph.

"This is evidence."

He showed it to Damien.

The photograph showed Elena carrying one of the boys out of the hospital five years earlier.

But beneath it was a timestamp.

The date was three days before Elena's accident.

Damien's face went pale.

Because Elena had supposedly been unconscious in the hospital that entire week.

And the woman in the photograph was smiling directly at the camera.

She looked exactly like Elena.

But Elena was standing beside him.

Alive.

And terrified.