Page 76 of The Wife Deception
"Do you have any more proof? My mother could have had twins and one ended up being a stillbirth or something."
"Kelly found some tests your sister did a while ago. She must have had the same suspicions and had taken a DNA test just to make sure. Nolan took the tablet from my weak fingers, opened another document, and handed it to me. "Aelin found a twenty-five percent match with her supposed mother."
"I can't believe it." My voice had gone hoarse. I could barely make out the words. Nolan sank onto the settee beside me and enveloped me in his arms. I was unsure whether to cry or laugh. I was numb. A lot of things were making sense, but a lot wasn't. When I was able to speak again, I said, "What does that have to do with wanting to kill you?"
"That's what I wanted to know. What do you know about the murder attempt?"
"Nothing at all. I had no idea Aelin planned it. I thought it was a random mugging or something."
"Aelin and your grandfather. I don't trust that man for a second."
"I gave her one hundred thousand," I said, more to myself than to Nolan. "She said she was broke."
The doorbell rang. Ever since Nolan got shot, we had increased security and few people came up without the concierge calling first. I froze. Nolan did the same. The doorbell rang again like a jump scare from a cheap horror movie. "It could be the service people," Nolan explained. "Stay here." He got out of the room and I followed him, regardless. I traced his steps as he went to check the door camera. "It's Aelin," he said, even though I could see her clearly on the monitor. She looked a little harried. And she kept darting her bloodshot eyes around.
Nolan made a move to answer the door, but I held his arm. "Don't."
"She's alone, I don't think—" He glanced over his shoulder. He must have seen the worry etched in my face, because he held my hand and softly said, "Don't worry. I don't think she'll do anything. It looks like she told the concierge she was you."
"Then we really shouldn't let her in."
"Don't you want to know why she's here?"
I was curious. Especially after what I had learned. She was aware, and she never told me. All this time I was in the dark and she never said a thing. "Fine."
Nolan opened the door, and I stood behind him as Aelin entered. She was wearing what looked like a cocktail dress even though it was the middle of the day. She completed the look with a bejeweled purse that hung across her shoulder.
"Hi husband," she leaned in to kiss Nolan, but he pulled back, avoiding her.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was gruff and curt.
Aelin perked up, her eyes honing on me and brightening as though she was seeing me for the first time."That's no way to greet family. Looks like your husband knows. Interesting."
My sister. I was still processing that morsel of information. Looking at her now, it's funny how I didn't see it before. We looked alike. Not identical, but I had been obsessed with looking for the differences that I rarely saw the similarities.
I stepped out from behind Nolan, and he put his working arm around my waist. Aelin noticed my swollen belly. "How did you get past the concierge?"
She shrugged. "You know me. I have a way with people." Her gaze darted to Nolan. "Aren't you going to let me in?"
Nolan and I stepped aside, and Aelin entered. Her gaze wandered around the townhouse as she sauntered in front of us. "What a lovely place you have."
We entered the family living room. Nolan I sat down on the loveseat while Aelin chose the armchair.
"Can I talk to you alone?" she said to me.
"Whatever you can say to Aire, you can say to me."
A smile, not quite reaching her eyes, crossed her lips. "Maybe it's better if I speak with you since you're my husband, after all."
"Well, speak." Nolan's voice was strong and threatening, but his hand on my knee was reassuring.
She leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. "The police are after me. Apparently, I'm being implicated in a scheme to murder you."
"They're implicating me! You told your hitman that you were me!"
"Yeah. yeah. But sadly, that little prick also told them where I live, and they came to my apartment. If I hadn't seen them at the door as I was coming out of the elevator, who knows where I would be? But you don't have to worry about me, dear husband."
Nolan's grip on my knee got tighter. "You tried to kill me."
