Page 104 of Ruthless Serenade

Maron’s eyes snap to mine, his surprise evident. "You know her?"

I shake my head. "Not personally. She’s my sister’s therapist. Why would she kidnap our daughter?" Saying those words out loud tastes bitter on my tongue. The image of my baby girl taken, scared and alone, makes me want to wrap my hands around this woman’s neck.

Maron’s eyes darken with regret. "Rachel Anderson is my ex’s sister."

I stare at him, dread pooling in my stomach. "And?"

"My ex-girlfriend, Eva." His voice roughens. "She killed herself. Stole a box of Tramoxine pills from my office and mixed them with alcohol." His jaw clenches. "And Rachel, her twin sister, blames me."

The word ‘twin’ is like a blow to my stomach.

Emily.

My own twin sister, taken from me in that car crash almost ten years ago. The accidentIcaused. The guilt that has eaten away at my soul ever since. People talk about twin bonds, but they don’t actually understand what it really means. It’s like having half your soul ripped away, leaving a wound that never stops bleeding.

"I’m so sorry about Eva, Maron," I whisper, tears already burning behind my eyes as Emily’s face flashes through my mind.

"Shortly after Eva died," Maron continues, his voice full of regret, "the threats started coming from Rachel." His eyes fix on some point on the ceiling. "First, she went on National TV, talking trash about Tramoxine." His gaze shifts to mine, heavy with guilt. "Then she kidnapped our daughter."

I feel the blood drain from my face as the pieces slot into place.

"You see now?" Maron’s eyes bore into mine, raw with self-loathing. "It’s all because of me, Mindy. It’s my fault ourdaughter had to go through that terrible experience. I can never forgive myself for what happened to her."

His words unleash a storm of emotions inside me, each fighting for dominance.

My little girl. My baby. Taken by a stranger who claimed to be me. I don’t even want to imagine how she must have felt. The thought of her fear, her confusion, her pain, makes me want to scream until my throat bleeds.

But beneath the rage, another emotion claws its way up.

Emily.

My beautiful, brilliant twin sister. The other half of my soul. The empty space she left behind that nothing and no one can ever fill. Losing her created a void so deep I sometimes wonder if I’ll ever stop falling into it.

And suddenly, horribly, I understand Rachel.

She lost her twin sister, just like I lost mine.

The agony of that loss – it’s beyond words, beyond reason. It’s the kind of pain that can drive someone mad.

As Maron’s confession hangs in the air between us, I’m startled by my own reaction. Besides the burning rage I feel, there’s something else - a deep, aching empathy for Rachel. Despite her unforgivable actions, I see her now as another broken soul, shattered by the same devastating loss I’ve endured.

"Please don’t hurt her," The words tumble from my lips before I can stop them.

Maron’s head snaps toward me. "What?"

"Please don’t hurt Rachel, Maron," I repeat, my voice steadier now, more certain.

He scoffs, anger flashing in his eyes. "Give me one good reason not to."

I draw a steadying breath, steeling myself. "Because I know exactly how she feels."

Confusion clouds his expression. "What are you talking about?"

"Maron," my voice trembles despite my efforts to keep it steady. "I lost my twin sister too. Remember Emily?"

His face softens slightly. "Of course I do,lisichka."

"That’s my point." The words catch in my throat. "I know exactly what it’s like to lose a twin. It’s not just losing a sibling – it’s like having half your soul torn away." My tears threaten to fall, but I force them back.

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