Chapter 3 - THE DEAD WOMAN’S FACE
Elena stared at him.
“Who’s Claire?”
Senator Vale said nothing.
Julian felt the room tilt.
“Answer her.”
Vale recovered quickly.
“I was mistaken.”
“No,” Julian said. “You weren’t.”
Victoria moved toward her father.
“Why are you here?”
Vale kept staring at Elena.
“I called him,” Victoria said quickly.
Julian turned.
“When?”
“Before you came home.”
“Why?”
“Because this woman is unstable.”
Elena’s face tightened.
“I’m standing right here.”
Vale finally looked away.
“Julian, we should speak privately.”
“No.”
“This concerns your family.”
“Then my family will hear it.”
The senator’s jaw clenched.
For decades, people had moved when Richard Vale told them to move.
Julian didn’t.
Vale lowered his voice.
“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with.”
“Then explain it.”
Victoria whispered, “Dad, don’t.”
Julian caught that.
“Don’t what?”
No answer.
Leo tugged Elena’s sleeve.
“You know the lady.”
Elena looked down.
“What lady?”
“The lady in my dream.”
Victoria grabbed Leo.
“That’s enough!”
Leo shrieked.
Julian pulled Victoria’s arm away.
“Stop touching him like that!”
“He is my son!”
“Then act like it.”
Her face twisted.
“You have no idea what I’ve done for these boys.”
Julian stepped closer.
“That is exactly what I’m starting to wonder.”
Vale intervened.
“Julian.”
“What happened at St. Matthew’s?”
“Complications.”
“To whom?”
Victoria’s breath caught.
Julian saw it.
Vale answered carefully.
“To everyone.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
Julian looked at Elena again.
Something bothered him.
Her eyes.
Claire’s eyes had been green.
Elena’s were hazel.
Her face wasn’t identical.
Not even close.
But the way she tilted her head when confused…
The small scar beside her left eyebrow…
Julian moved nearer.
“Where did you get that scar?”
Elena touched it.
“I don’t know.”
Claire had gotten the same scar at seventeen after falling off a bicycle.
Julian’s throat tightened.
He reached toward Elena’s face, then stopped himself.
“This is impossible.”
Victoria began crying.
“No, Julian.”
He turned.
“Tell me.”
She shook her head.
“Please.”
“Tell me!”
The twins both jumped.
Julian immediately lowered his voice.
Victoria wiped her tears.
“You loved Claire.”
The name tasted like old grief.
“Yes.”
“You loved her more than me.”
“This is not about jealousy.”
“It was always about her!”
Vale grabbed his daughter’s shoulder.
“Victoria.”
She pulled away.
“You wanted the truth? Fine.”
Julian waited.
Victoria pointed at Elena.
“Claire was pregnant.”
Silence.
Julian stared.
“What?”
Victoria’s eyes burned with years of buried rage.
“When she came to the hospital that night, she was pregnant.”
Julian couldn’t process the words.
“No.”
“She was eight months along.”
“That’s impossible.”
“You hadn’t seen her in almost a year.”
Julian remembered.
Claire had disappeared after their breakup.
No calls.
No messages.
Nothing.
He had assumed she wanted a clean break.
His mouth went dry.
“Whose baby?”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“You really have to ask?”
Julian turned slowly toward Leo and Noah.
Then back to Victoria.
May you like
She smiled through tears.
“The twins weren’t the only babies born that night.”
