CHAPTER 3
1092 Words
**Keeping Secrets **
I took off running.
I didn't pause to reflect. I simply turned and took off running.
My heart beats faster than my feet. I had a constricted chest. My head was whirling. What was causing Victoria's smile? Who was the man who bore a striking resemblance to James?
How come I felt like my whole world was falling apart?
Upon reaching my house, I leaned against the door and shut it behind me, gasping for air. James jumped out of the couch in shock.
"Lily? Are you alright?
I gazed at him. James of mine. Or did he?
He got up and went over. "What took place?"
"I—I noticed her."
Victoria? he inquired.
I gave a nod.
"And she wasn't by herself."
He stopped. "The boy?"
"No," I responded gradually. "A man was with her."
James scowled. "Who?"
"I'm not sure. However, I paused. "He resembled you."
He blinked. "What?"
" James, he looked just like you. The same face. The same stroll. I believed I was experiencing visions.
James's eyes were wide as he gazed at me. "That isn't feasible."
"What I observed is known to me."
He began to pace while running his fingers through his hair. "There is no logic to this. There isn't a twin of mine. Not a long-lost sibling. No family likes that.
"Is it possible that someone is impersonating you?"
James paused. However, why? Who would act in that way? Furthermore, how did Victoria know him?
I gave a headshake. "That smile of hers... It wasn't only cordial. It had the feel of a warning. As if she is aware of something we are not.
James gave me a serious look. "Then we have to identify what it is."
---
I had trouble sleeping after that night.
Something didn't feel right.
It was not just the surprise or the child. It was Victoria's behavior, the timing, and now this man.
I took out my laptop and got to work.
I did an internet search for Victoria. Her name triggered old pictures of her and James together. elegant gatherings. Events for charity. Always looking flawless. However, one image attracted my attention.
It wasn't recently. It was six years in the past.
A man was with Victoria. His face was James's.
I panned in.
The same eyes. The same jawline. Above his brow, however, was another scar.
James is not scarred.
My heart skipped a beat.
Was the man on the street the same one?
The caption did not include a name. Only "Victoria pictured attending a mystery date at a function."
I saved the image after copying it.
I then conducted a more thorough search. I researched everything, including forums and gossip blogs. Then I discovered an odd object.
A comment on a blog post on clothes from years ago:
"That isn't James." Jordan is that person. His younger sibling. **
I read it again by shaking hands.
A younger sibling?
James didn't have a brother.
Correct?
I hurried down the steps.
James continued to read his emails.
I showed him the picture.
His gaze expanded. That's her. That's Victoria.
I gestured toward the man. "Are you acquainted with him?"
James fixed his gaze. "No, but he resembles me." Too much like me.
I showed him the remark.
He scowled. Jordan? Nothing about that makes sense. I am the lone child.
"Are you certain?"
He gave a nod. Indeed. When I was a little child, my father left. My mother never mentioned him again. But if I had a brother, I would have known.
I didn't respond. Once more, my heart was pounding.
James gently took a seat and gazed at the photo.
"Is she deceiving us?" I inquired.
"She might be."
"Or... what if that remark is true?"
---
James called his mother the following day.
I watched him from a distance.
I saw a change in his expression from his initial calmness.
When he hung up, his hands were shaking.
“She confessed it,” he added calmly.
I gazed. “Admitted what?”
"I've got a brother," he muttered. Jordan. We were identical twins. However, he became ill as a newborn. After taking him, my dad departed. Mom didn't tell me. She claimed to want to keep me safe.
My knees were weak.
Do you mean that Victoria may have been aware of this all along?
James appeared disoriented. "It is feasible."
"What about the boy? She claims that one is yours.
He looked directly into my eyes.
"What if I don't own him?" He spoke slowly. "What if he belongs to Jordan?"
The room whirled.
Victoria had given birth to a child.
She had gestured toward James.
What if, however, she was lying about the father's true identity?
---
The following morning, we met Victoria in a coffee shop.
She had on a crimson coat and sunglasses. Her smile was modest but arrogant.
James did not take a seat. I didn't either.
"I must know the truth," he remarked abrasively. "Is he mine? or Jordan's?
Victoria's eyebrows went up. "Jordan?" she repeated. "I haven't heard that name in a long time."
James moved in closer. "Reply to me."
The woman c****d her head. Is it important? Don't you already adore him?
"That isn't the purpose."
She took off her sunglasses carefully. "All right. Do you want the truth?
We waited.
She bent over.
"You own him."
I gave a quick breath.
She went on, "But before I met you, I met Jordan." "I didn't even realize you two were related back then."
James spoke in a chilly tone. "How can we be sure you're telling the truth?"
Victoria grinned. "You don't."
---
James sat quietly on the side of the bed that night.
I went with him. I remained silent. I simply put my hand into his.
He gave me a glance. "What if, deep down, I've been raising someone else's son?"
I had nothing to say.
One thing was certain, though: until we had the whole truth, we couldn't proceed.
which implied...
an examination of DNA.
James concurred.
The following morning, he gave Victoria a call.
On the second ring, she answered.
"Bring the boy in," he said.
She chuckled.
She answered, "I would, but Jordan stole him."
James stopped. "What?"
"Your brother," she remarked breezily. "He arrived to collect his son."
The line died.
Victoria claims that James's hidden twin brother, Jordan, snatched the child and disappeared with him. Is she speaking the truth, though? Or is this just another aspect of her risky strategy?
- Writer
