She asked, perplexed, “Is this some sort of joke?”

Damon pulled his phone away. “What do you wish to convey? Not only is my child a fantastic painter, but he also likes painting.

But still… I may not fully understand. Did you also adopt your child, even if you never mentioned it? I asked Emily.

“I didn’t.” Damon frowned. Emily, you’re saying some really strange things. Is everything in its proper place?

Emily pulled out her phone and showed Damon a photo of Bradley wearing his soccer uniform. Both adults were perplexed now.

“Our boys are mirror images of each other, like long-lost twins!” But how on earth is that even feasible? Emily said something surprised. “Wait, my son is fourteen, too, is yours?”

“14. What is your son’s birthday?” putting Damon to the test.

On April 16, Emily responded.

“Same as Jordan,” Damon murmured, unable to focus. It’s not achievable. Twins were not mentioned by her.

“Damon, are you familiar with this?” Emily continued, seeing his suffering.

No, but my ex-partner might. She would be the only one to know if we had twins. Damon said he was sorry, but he had to hurry to get information.

By herself, Emily considered the way her late husband Jack had handled Bradley’s adoption. She questioned Jack’s ability to identify a twin.

Jack had gotten a call shortly before Emily was released from the hospital where she had undergone knee surgery, alerting him to the fact that a baby was for sale.

When Emily finally arrived home, Jack and a baby boy bundled up in a dinosaur blanket were at the door. Her spouse was beaming from ear to ear, and the baby in his arms was the most beautiful human being she had ever laid eyes on.

As Emily arrived home, Bradley noticed that she was uncomfortable.

What’s wrong, mom? Did Damon do anything to make you feel bad? If he were to do that—

“Everything’s fine, honey,” she forced a smile and said as she hurried to her bedroom.

Emily searched all over for Bradley’s adoption paperwork, but she was unable to locate them. The fact that she had never seen them made her feel even more uneasy because she had assumed Jack had handled everything expertly.

She changed into home clothes and went up to the attic, determined to find out. Hoping to learn more, she made her way toward a chest in the dusty attic holding Jack’s belongings in the faint light of her flashlight.

Emily was shocked by Jack’s untimely passing. One day, as they were talking about their next family vacation, she received a call from the police the following day.

Due to a fatal brain aneurysm that Jack had suffered while driving home, his automobile drifted off the highway, which caused an accident that claimed his life.

Emily was having a hard time dealing with Jack’s loss and childbirth, so she asked her brother to help her carry his belongings into the attic. Now that she was looking for information on her son’s adoption, she discovered that Jack had an envelope with his handwriting in it.

“To Emily,” Jack had wrote, “I’ve been lying to you for almost a year,” in the letter.

While waiting, Damon visited the facility where his ex-wife, Naomi, was kept; it had been three years since he had visited. An uncomfortable atmosphere was produced by quiet orderlies and people lost in their own thoughts.

Naomi greeted him coldly and said, “Damon, I told you not to come back here.”

Yes, but this is a really important issue. Could you tell me what happened on the night of Jordan’s birth?

Naomi frowned and lowered her head. Her gaze darted in every way. “Damon, you already know.” I complied with the large man’s request to go. Nothing more that I can think of!

When Damon and Naomi started dating in college, they were happy. When Naomi fell pregnant shortly after Damon began working for a well-known corporation, their happiness grew even more. However, their happiness was short-lived as Naomi started to exhibit signs of preeclampsia, a medical condition characterized by severe headaches and blurred vision.

Naomi’s diagnosis caused her to become furious. She sacked her doctor and her job, deciding to recuperate at home. But as her condition worsened, she started to become increasingly nervous and kept bringing up the possibility that their unborn kid was in danger. She once claimed, as her anxiety increased, that while they were shopping, a tall person had warned her of danger, even though no such man had really approached them.

Unfortunately, Naomi’s mental health continued to deteriorate, and Damon had to convince her to see a psychologist. The psychologist concluded that Naomi was suffering from stress-induced schizophrenia and that she had been lying to Damon about a family history of the condition. This information helped to explain her unpredictable behavior, but because of her preeclampsia, it also made treating her schizophrenia more challenging.

As Naomi’s due date approached, Damon’s worry and anxiety for his wife overshadowed his enthusiasm for the birth of his child. Tragically, with more than a month remaining in her pregnancy, Naomi disappeared without a trace. She didn’t seem to be there, even though Damon claimed she was vanished.

 

 

 

Damon spent all of his evenings searching for Naomi. He checked all the obvious spots, but she was not to be found. His search came to an end when the police called to say that Naomi had been discovered in labor in an alley and taken to the hospital.

Triggered by a tidal wave of emotions, Damon rushed to the hospital, only to be confronted with an explosive revelation from Naomi, who lay in bed with their newborn, Jordan. “I’m divorcing you and giving up my parental rights,” she declared.

Years later, Damon sat opposite Naomi and inquired about their shared history. “Naomi, are you the mother of twins?” he asked.

Naomi replied, her thoughts clouded by her circumstances, “No, there were no twins.” There was Jordan and the parasite. My assistant was that tall man. He took it off.

While going through her own struggles, Emily read Jack’s letter. He acknowledged that he had kept his irreversible brain aneurysm from her because he was worried about how she would react. He also admitted to have made up adoption paperwork for their son Bradley and pulled a newborn out of an alley.

“I took the baby and called the police.” Although my original goal was to turn the boy over to the police, as soon as I laid eyes on his darling little face, I knew you would be the perfect home for him. Once I got him home, I talked Michael into pretending to be the person listed on the adoption paperwork that’s included with this package. You should be aware that they won’t hold up in court, even though they should pass a fast check.

Oh, dear Emily I apologize if I was able to assist you more.

Emily clutched the letter to her chest as she sobbed. Should she tell Damon that Bradley might be his biological son, she wondered. After making a call, she paused, but Damon’s phone was answered.

“Hey!” Emily responded tensely.

“I’ve just spoken to my ex-wife, Naomi,” Damon moaned as he got into his car. She has schizophrenia, and she talked about something weird that happened the night Jordan was born. Emily, it’s imperative.

“Damon, please come over. “I’ve found something, too,” she replied.

***

While at Emily’s place, Damon related Emily’s story. “She thought she was carrying twins and thought one was a parasite.” She might have thrown the infant in a dumpster.

As Emily handed Jack Jack’s letter, she corrected him, saying, “I don’t think the baby was in a dumpster, actually.”

“So Jack returned my son?” Damon realized as he read the paper.

“Please, don’t take Bradley away,” Emily pleaded. “You are right; I acknowledge that. But don’t. Please.

“Nobody wishes to accompany me!” Bradley grabbed Jack’s hunting rifle as it flashed into the room. “I’m not going to abandon you!”

Damon held up his hands and said, “Bradley, I’m not here to take you.” Emily’s son you are. I will not change it.

Emily had been holding everything within until now. She threw her arms around Damon’s neck and wept into his shoulder. She quickly massaged his back and said, “Thank you,” in a whisper. After a few minutes, she broke away and turned to smile appreciatively at her kid.

Emily pleaded with Bradley to put down the rifle. We apologize for the amount of conversation you overheard, but there is nothing we can do about it. Kindly sit down so that Damon and I may discuss.

“Damon?” Bradley lowered the weapon against the wall, raising an incredulous brow. “Is this the same Damon you were dating before?”

Indeed, Emily said, “But we need to explain something else as well.” Bradley finally sat down, and Emily and Damon gave the little child the straight talk.

“So, my father is also my twin brother?” Bradley asked.

“We think so,” Emily answered, nodding. “DNA testing can confirm that.”

“Why me? She left my brother behind, but not me. Why? Bradley asked Damon, his voice tinged with anguish.

“Naomi was very sick, suffering from schizophrenia,” Damon added softly. She was confused and thought there was only one child left alive. It was she that requested Jack to take you.

Bradley tried not to cry as he nodded and accepted the explanation.

“What happens next?” Bradley asked.

We conduct a DNA test and make a decision after that. Holding Emily’s hand, Damon answered, “If this validates everything, then we’re a family.”

“Don’t you think this first date has been amazing?” Damon stared at Emily, giving her a half smile.

Emily laughed, but it was a nervous, high-pitched laugh. “You can reword that!”

“I know this is a lot to take in, Bradley,” said Damon as he turned to face the young guy. “We will handle this as a family. We both want what’s best for you, which is why Emily and I are here to support you through this.

Gradually nodding, Bradley kept his eyes on the details. “I just… You know, I need time to think things through.

Emily said, “Of course,” with a worried look in her eyes. Please take as much time as you need, my dear. Nothing is hurried. This journey will need to be taken collaboratively by all of us.

Emily looked at Damon with a mix of confusion and gratitude as Bradley excused himself and headed upstairs.

What need to we do now, Damon? How are we going to deal with everything?

Damon raked a hand through his hair, grunting. “Jordan should know first, but that can wait until the next morning. Then we should have that DNA test finished. It will provide us the necessary understanding. Once we have the results, we can decide together how to proceed with the future. His eyes met Emily’s gaze with a reassuring sparkle. “We deal with everything as a family.”

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