I became suspicious when a new family moved in next door since their daughter looked so much like my own. Could my spouse be keeping something from me? The truth was more darker than I had thought when I had to face him.
Emma and Lily were seen spinning about in our backyard, resembling two sunflowers seeking sunlight. Their harmonious laughter should have warmed my heart as it resounded. Rather, it made my spine tingle.
Squinting, I tried to find any difference at all between my daughter and the child of our new neighbor. However, it was similar to viewing two different versions of the same image. The same cheeky twinkle in their eyes, the same button nose, and the same golden curls catching the sunlight.
The inch or so of height difference between Lily and my Emma was the only evident way I could tell the two apart.
“Heather?” I was startled out of my reverie by Jack’s words. “Are you alright? You appear to have witnessed a ghost.”
I looked back at my husband and attempted a grin. “Just thinking.”
I did not add anything about how our small world of perfection might be constructed on quicksand.
Jack looked at me like I was crazy, but Emma rushed forward and took his hand.
“Come push Lily and me on the swing, Dad!” she gasped.
“Uh… sure, sweetie.” He let Emma lead him to the swing, where Lily was waiting, but his smile never reached his eyes.
“Can I go first, pleeease?” Asking Lily.
Jack answered, “Okay, but then it’s Emma’s turn.”
It was impossible for me not to notice how comfortable they looked together as he helped Lily onto the swing. similar to a father and daughter. I felt my stomach turn at the prospect.
After tucking Emma down later that evening, I caught myself glancing through old photo albums. Looking through Emma’s baby photos, I tried to find a trait that would say, “Jack’s genes.”
“What are you doing?” When Jack spoke, I jumped.
His expression was one of bewilderment as he stood in the doorway.
I closed the album with a snap. “Not a thing. Simply put, reflecting.”
“Looking back…,” he murmured, scowling a little as he peered over my shoulder at the picture album resting on my lap.
The questions were visible in his eyes. queries that he omitted. In the same way that I never inquired about our increasing physical separation or the reason behind his constant digression when I brought up our new neighbors.
Weeks passed, and my doubts spread like weeds in a neglected garden. Every giggle Jack and Lily share together, every tense look on my face whenever I bring up the neighbors. It all fueled the doubt that was growing inside of me.
After a restless night, I lost all patience. In bed, I turned to face Jack.
“Is Lily your daughter?” I lost my mind.
The words were stifling and bitter, hanging in the air like smoke. Jack’s body stiffened.
“What?” His expression was one of disbelief as he slowly turned. “Heather, what topic are you discussing? From where does this originate?”
“Don’t act foolish, Jack. The girls are the same. Additionally, ever since Lily and her family came in, you have been acting strangely.” My voice broke. “Just be honest with me. Have you had a romantic relationship?”
Jack raked his fingers through his hair and sat up. “This is really crazy. I didn’t have an affair, of course! In front of God, I vowed to you. How are you expecting me to shatter that?”
“So why won’t you discuss them? Why do you always get upset when I bring up Lily?”
His head was hanging. His quiet said more than words could. Truths and lies were being weighed by gears in his skull, which I could almost hear turning.
“I am unable to…” At last, he murmured, “I can’t talk about this right now,” and swung his legs off the bed.
“Jack, don’t you dare walk away from me!”
However, he had already left, leaving me to deal with my worries and thoughts on my own.
I awoke the following morning to find the bed vacant and a message left on the nightstand. “I left early for work. Tonight, we’ll speak.”
Traditional Jack, staying out of trouble.
I was lost in a fog and went through the motions of everyday life, but my mind was always racing. By midday, I was getting tired of it. I knew just where to look for the answers I needed.
“Emma, my love,” I yelled. “Why don’t you go play with Lily for a bit?”
Emma bolted out the door with excitement. My heart was racing as I waited for an hour before following. Placing on my best “neighborhood mom” smile, I knocked on the neighbor’s door.
When he spotted me, Lily’s father’s comfortable smile faltered a little. “Hey, you think this is Heather? I’m so glad we’ve finally met! Please enter. My name is Ryan. Emma is with Lily out back if you are trying to find her.”
“I am… Would you kindly give her a call?”
As soon as Ryan turned to face me, I began rummaging around his living room.
Framed pictures of Ryan and Lily with folks who usually had olive skin tones and dark hair were everywhere. His folks, I assumed. But why wasn’t Lily’s mother in any of the pictures?
Now that I think about it, why hadn’t I seen Lily’s mother before?
I glanced down the corridor. That’s when I noticed a big picture of a blond woman that was up on the wall upstairs. I ran up the stairs without thinking.
“What are you doing?”
I looked over and saw Ryan scowling at me. My mind raced with a million reasons, but they were all stuck in my throat. I needed to know the real story.
“Is Lily’s mother there? “Where is she going?”
“Ryan winced. Yes, that is Mary. She’s not with us anymore.”
“Because of Jack?” I came skipping down the steps. Did they not have an affair? Isn’t that the reason Lily and Emma have such striking similarities?
Ryan shook his head, his eyes widening in terror. “Oh my god. Did Jack not mention anything to you?”
“Nah! He didn’t,” I cried out. “But you seem to know exactly what’s going on here, so please, just tell me!”
“Mommy?”
Standing at the end of the hallway with nearly identical anxious expressions were Lily and Emma.
“Everything’s okay, girls.” Ryan gave them a smile. “Me and Heather are going to talk a bit so why don’t you guys go back outside and carry on playing?”
I gave Emma a nod. “I’ll call you in a little while.”
The females exchanged a nervous glance but remained silent.
“Come, sit down.” Ryan entered the living room and called to me. “I’ll tell you everything, Heather.”
Ryan remarked, “First of all, Jack and Mary didn’t have an affair,” as our seats were opposite one another. “Lily and Emma have a grandmother’s appearance, which is why they look alike. Jack’s sister was Mary, my dear.”
“Sister?” I gave a headshake. “Jack never mentioned having a sister.”
Mary was a difficult child. Her family disowned her. They did not attend our wedding at all. The only person who even bothered to send a note indicating he wouldn’t be going was Jack.
The room whirled as Ryan’s remarks dawned. I had no idea Jack had a sibling. Lily’s mother was a sister.
“Where is she now?”
“She passed away last year,” Ryan muttered to himself. “We relocated here for that reason. I desired for Lily to maintain a relationship with her mother’s family.”
I buried my face in my palms. All of my preconceived notions about Jack and my life were disintegrating in front of me.
“I’m really sorry,” Ryan said. “I assumed you were aware. Jack has been having trouble with this. He regrets not getting back in touch with Mary before she passed away.”
I numbly nodded, my thoughts racing. Jack was raised in a traditional household, so I knew they had argued occasionally in the past, but nothing like this!
Something familiar drew my attention. Just in time, I looked up to see Jack’s vehicle pulling into our garage next door.
“I must go. Please let Emma stay here for a little while longer.”
“Ryan had been staring at me,” but he nodded now. “Yes. Jack and you have a lot on your minds. You guys can keep her here for however long you need.”
It felt like a mile to walk home. My fury had subsided by the time I got to our front door and was replaced by a hollow emptiness.
While in the kitchen, Jack was fixated on the girls playing in Ryan’s backyard through the glass. He turned to face me, a ring of red around his eyes.
“Heather, I need to tell you something—”
I interrupted him by raising a hand. “Jack, I am aware. About Mary. Concerning Lily.”
His expression twisted. “I truly apologize. I ought to have informed you.”
“Why didn’t you?” I wasn’t prepared for how softly the question was asked.
Jack sank back into his chair.
“I felt embarrassed. Although my family likes to think of themselves as wonderful people, I couldn’t stand the way they treated Mary. They refused to acknowledge that I had forsaken my sister.”
I reached for his hand as I sat across from him. “But why keep it from me?”
“I believed I could shield you from that aspect of myself. Keep Emma safe.” He gave a sour laugh. “Instead, I almost ruined everything.”
Jack finally opened up to me after years of holding guilt and family secrets, and we spoke for hours. I could feel our gap closing with every confession.
Emma and Lily’s laughter came in through the open window as the sun started to drop. Jack and I walked to observe them as the light from the sunflowers faded, their two golden heads bobbing.
I leaned in close to him and felt his heartbeat. The females continued to resemble two identical photos, but I could now see a more profound similarity between them.
The girls’ very identical appearance was a sign of healing rather than betrayal—a second opportunity for a family that had fallen apart.
As they spun around in the backyard, the sound of Emma and Lily’s laughter reverberated once more, carrying the hope of new beginnings.
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