Page 7 of Bittersweet Legacy

He shook his head. “No, you’re born October 12th. Your mother was born November 17th.”

He nodded. “This explains it.”

“Explain what? Why change my date of birth?” It made no sense.

“It made it harder for me to find you even with all the means at my disposal and you couldn’t even comprehend the extend of my reach Esmeralda. Altering your date of birth on your birth certificate delayed me when I was looking for you. Your mother tried to cover all basis.”

“How did…” I have been raised believing I killed her, I had a hard time letting go of this guilt.

“How did she die?” I nodded, not trusting my own voice.

“She died in a car accident when you would have been about five. She was joining me at a gala outside of town, the road was icy, she was driving too fast. Speed and winter are an unforgiving combination.” He sounded so cold – there was not a hint of emotion, pain, fondness. It felt like he was talking about an article he read in the news instead of the woman he was supposed to love, the mother of his child.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you home, where you belong.”

“Where’s home?”

“Stonewood, Connecticut.”

That was too cliché for me to mock.

“And since you asked about your potential siblings, I can confirm that you have a brother, Archibald.”

I winced at the name, that was quite a mouthful.

“Don’t look offended, this was the name of your grandfather, a man with immense dignity and integrity. Your brother’s nothing but proud of the legacy his name is carrying.”

Somehow, I doubted my father’s moral compass and mine pointed in the same direction.

“Your mother picked your name. She has always been obsessed with Victor Hugo and I was magnanimous enough to grant her wish. “

Magnanimous? Right!I nodded. “Yes, I knew my mother loved Hugo,” I admitted. “My father told me stories about how-”

William sat straighter on his seat in such a fast motion I recoiled. “He is not your father.” He pointed to his chest.“Iam your father; you have my eyes, Esmeralda. He’s your uncle, nothing more. I strongly advise you to reprogram your way of thinking.”

The threat was not even veiled. I pursed my lips but nodded, there wasn’t much I could do about this. “How old is my brother?”

“Seventeen,” he replied. “Actually, he is a little older than you.”

I arched my eyebrows in surprise and then frowned in anger as reality hit me. I was offended on behalf of my mother. If my brother was 17 too, it meant he’d had an affair. How horrible could this man be?

“Well I’m saying that based on the birth certificates but at the same time how accurate are they? Yours says ‘Esmeralda Rosalind Forbes, born on October 12that 8:48pm status Stillborn and yet…” he gestured toward me, “you seem very much alive to me.”

“Esmeralda Rosalind?” I scrunched my nose. Lord, I will miss Esme Victoria.

“Based on his birth certificate your brother was born at 8:32pm so a whole 16 minutes before you.”

“16 minutes…” I whispered. “Is he?”

“Your twin, yes.”

My twin… Of all the things I could have imagined, the existence of a twin was not one of them.

“I’m counting on him to help you adapt as fast as possible, it is quite a steep learning curve, but I have faith in your abilities. You’re my child after all.”

“Does he know I exist?”

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