The words reverberated through my mind, piercing and cold, each one slicing deeper than the last.”
I stared at Julienne–my twin sister, the person who shared my face, my childhood, my blood–but at that moment, she felt miles away. Foreign. My pulse thundered in my ears as I turned slowly to Dominic, my voice barely holding together.”
“What is this?” I whispered hoarsely. “Dominic… were you having an affair with my sister?”
His eyes went wide with panic. “No! Evelyne, I swear on everything–I never cheated. I would never do that to you.“”
I looked back to Julienne, barely able to breathe. “Then explain this. Now.”
She drew in a shaky breath, her hands tightening around the strap of her bag, shame flickering in her eyes.”
“It happened the night before my wedding to Cole,” she said quietly. “That’s when I found out I was pregnant–with Dominic’s child.”
Cole.
My former fiancé.
The man I was meant to walk down the aisle with.
The
The memories struck like a storm, dragging me under waves of pain I had long buried.”
Years ago, Cole and I were engaged, our wedding day meant to be magical, a celebration of a lifetime together. But disaster struck.
That morning, Julienne and I were abducted.
I could still feel the rough texture of the van floor, the suffocating fabric tied around our faces, the smell of gasoline and sweat. We had screamed, kicked, begged. It didn’t matter.
Two sisters. One ransom.
Our parents had to choose.
And they didn’t choose me.”
“We’re so sorry, Evelyne… We only had enough money for one,” they had said.”
I had cried, begged them not to leave me behind–but they did.
Julienne went home.”
I stayed in that nightmare.
What followed was nothing short of hell–starvation, beatings, days and nights blurred in agony. I was no longer a person to those men. Just leverage. Just a bargaining chip.
Until Dominic came for me.”
He found me. Saved me. Held me when I thought I’d never feel human again.
But the damage had already been done.”
By then, Cole had married Julienne. My wedding dress had been packed away. My place in that life had been stolen by the sister I had once trusted with everything.
And now she stood in front of me, tears streaking her cheeks, telling me she had slept with the only man I had left.
The man who had saved me.}
I took a step backward, as if distance could protect me from the depth of the betrayal.
“You were carrying his child… even before the wedding?” I asked, numb.§
Julienne nodded slowly. “I never told Cole, I couldn’t. Everything was already too messy. I was marrying him, and after what happened to you, I didn’t want any more chaos. I thought I could move on and never speak of it.”
As if a secret that big could stay buried forever.”
Dominic raked his fingers through his hair, guilt scrawled across his face. “Evelyne, I didn’t know. I swear. I had no clue she was pregnant. If I had…”
But his voice faded into static. My mind was spiraling.
Julienne stepped forward, her voice catching. “But now… I don’t have the luxury of keeping this secret. My son–he inherited my kidney disease. He’s in critical condition. If he doesn’t get a transplant, he won’t make it.“)
My throat tightened. Fury and fear battled within me.}
The Man Who Rescued Me Let My Daughter Die
Cocalice VVILUTIITTIC.W
“No!” I snapped, my voice raw. “That kidney is meant for Amara! My child is dying too!“}
The words were final. Heavy. They settled between us like a wall.
But Julienne didn’t stop.
She turned back to Dominic, clinging to his hands, sobbing openly. “Please… He’s your son. You once saved my life–now save his. Please, Dominic. Please don’t let him die.“”
Fm to ÿ – I < =
I stepped between them, trembling from head to toe. “You promised me, Dominic. You said you’d save Amara.”
His expression crumpled, anguish written across every line of his face. He was silent for a long time.
And then–he moved.
He turned away from me.
Toward her.
“I’m sorry, Evelyne,” he whispered, voice cracked and barely audible. “I have to save him.“”
The world tilted.
My breath left my lungs. My knees gave out, but somehow I didn’t fall. I stood there, frozen, as if the air had turned to ice. “No…” I whispered, the word burning on my lips.
But it was real.
He had chosen her son.
Not mine.
Not Amara.
I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t scream. I could only stand in that sterile hospital hallway as they wheeled Julienne’s son into surgery–with Dominic beside him.”
And Amara…
My daughter slipped away.
That night, as Julienne wept with joy over her son’s second chance at life, I stood in the rain alone, watching as a tiny white coffin was lowered into the earth.
There were no arms around me. No hand to hold.
Only silence, grief, and the unbearable sting of betrayal.
