Chapter 13: The Second Bride
I stared at her.
“What?”
Charlotte wiped her tears.
“Five years ago, Adrian and I were together.”
My heart hammered.
“That’s impossible.
He never mentioned you.”
She nodded sadly.
“Because he didn’t know my real name.”
I stepped backward.
“Explain.”
Charlotte took a shaky breath.
“I was adopted by a family who worked for the Harringtons.
My adoptive parents called me Caroline.”
She paused.
“Adrian and I fell in love when we were twenty-four.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“Then what happened?”
Charlotte looked down.
“Victoria found out.”
My blood turned cold.
“She told Adrian I’d stolen jewelry from the Harrington estate.
Then she threatened to have my adoptive father arrested unless I disappeared.”
I stared at her.
“So you left?”
“I had no choice.”
She began crying.
“I changed my name after my adoptive parents died.”
My mother covered her mouth.
Charlotte continued.
“Three months ago, I saw your engagement announcement.”
She looked at me.
“Emma…
I recognized you immediately.”
I frowned.
“How?”
She reached into her handbag.
And removed a photograph.
Two babies.
Identical faces.
Wrapped in matching blankets.
“I’d been searching for my birth family for years.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“When I saw your photograph, I knew.”
My hands trembled.
“Then why didn’t you contact me?”
Charlotte looked terrified.
“Because someone warned me not to.”
“Who?”
She swallowed.
“Victoria.”
I stared at her.
Charlotte continued.
“She told me that if I approached you, she’d reveal something about Adrian that would destroy both our lives.”
My chest tightened.
“What secret?”
Charlotte shook her head.
“I didn’t believe her.”
Then she reached into her purse.
And pulled out a small velvet box.
Inside lay a diamond engagement ring.
The same design Adrian had given me.
I whispered:
“Adrian gave you that?”
She nodded.
“Five years ago.”
For a moment, the room spun.
Two sisters.
One man.
Two identical engagement rings.
And a mother-in-law who had tried to destroy both relationships.
I looked at Charlotte.
“Does Adrian know we’re twins?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Then she whispered something even worse.
“But Victoria does.”
