Twin Mix-up

The birthday banquet was set for ten o'clock in the morning, two days later.That day, I arrived at the restaurant early. I went over the menu and the event program again and again, determined that not a single detail be overlooked.Most of the guests were from the Grant family. None of my own relatives came.Back then, when I defied everyone's objections and insisted on raising the twin sons of my husband, Jeremy Grant, and his mistress, Janey Winston, my parents had been so furious they nearly collapsed from rage. Even after all these years, they still couldn't understand why I had thrown away a good life just to suffer and raise another woman's children.Supported by relatives, my in-laws entered the hall. They went straight to the main seats and sat down. My husband's elder brother and younger sister, along with their families, filled the seats at either side.The main table was set for eight. Surrounded by relatives, my two sons were pressed close on either side, leaving no place

"Who… who are they?"Janey's eyes widened at the two boys shuffling in from the doorway. Their hair was matted, their clothes filthy, their appearance no better than beggars. A strange panic flickered in her chest.One boy's legs were shriveled, his body slumped in a wheelchair. The other's eyes were vacant, his expression slack, breaking into the occasional foolish giggle as drool slid down his chin.I let out a cold laugh."Them? Why, they're your and Jeremy's sons."Jeremy's face turned crimson. He exploded. "Are you out of your damn mind? Dragging in a couple of beggars to disgust me?"I ignored him and gestured to the boys. "Look closely. Don't they resemble Janey?"They say sons often take after their mothers. Though dirt masked their features, a closer look revealed the truth: seven, maybe eight parts of their faces bore Janey's likeness.Janey's composure cracked. Panic rippled across her features, though she struggled to keep her voice steady. "Alison, what are you playing at?

The sharp crack of leather split the air.I knew at once—Nathan was being beaten again.With his slow wits, he made mistakes constantly, and ever since I moved in across from them, not a day passed without hearing the sounds of Jeremy's and Janey's curses and blows.One afternoon, I happened to run into Nick in the neighborhood. He was pushing his wheelchair toward the market, his face mottled with bruises, a pitiful sight.At the exit of the compound stretched a steep slope. He gripped the rims with all his strength, but his arms lacked power—every time he inched forward, the chair slipped back.I stepped in, caught the handles, and with one push drove him up the incline.He turned his head, saw it was me, and lowered his gaze. "…Thank you.""Do you want me to call the police?" I asked."It's useless. If they find out, they'll only beat us harder." His eyes narrowed, his voice laced with bitter hatred."True," I said. "Sometimes the internet does more than the police ever could."Nick

Night fell, and chaos erupted from the opposite house."Get out! Get the hell out, you shameless whore! Filthy homewrecker!"Janey hurled the nanny's suitcase out the door, then slapped her hard across the face.Jeremy yanked the nanny into his arms. "Janey, what the hell is wrong with you? Catherine is pregnant! If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you!"The moment the word pregnant left his mouth, Janey's eyes burned red, her face twisted with hysteria."I ruined my reputation to give you two sons, and this is how you repay me?"Jeremy cast a disdainful glance toward the two boys in the room."Alison refuses to let her sons acknowledge me, and you gave birth to these two… defects. Do you want the Grant family line to die out?"Their shouting dragged on endlessly until community workers had to intervene. In the end, Jeremy stormed off with the pregnant nanny in tow.But the apartment across the hall didn't fall silent."Why? Why are you my sons? Why?"Then came a

By noon, I saw Janey return home on the surveillance feed, her figure slumped with defeat.When she noticed a business card tucked into her doorknob, her first instinct was to throw it away. But after a closer look, she slipped the card into her pocket instead.I smiled to myself. It had worked.As expected, Janey borrowed from a loan shark.Within two days, she was on the operating table—double eyelid surgery, a nose lift, full facial fillers, even lip augmentation.Not long after, she packed up Nick and Nathan and moved out.She believed a new face meant a new life.What she didn't know was that I had chosen that loan card for her with exquisite care. The highest interest rates. The darkest background.The debt snowballed with terrifying speed, and soon collectors came pounding at her door.But by then, the apartment was already empty.I opened my own door to the sound of heavy fists banging."They've moved," I said.The burly man at the front narrowed his eyes. "You know