Chapter 7: The Girl Who Had My Face
“She's asking for her sister.””
The officer's words seemed to echo around the conference room.
Mom grabbed the edge of the table.
“Where is she?””
“St. Mary's Hospital. She's been examined, and the medical team says she's physically stable. But she's frightened and refusing to speak to anyone except her mother.””
Detective Miller immediately reached for her coat.
“Has Laura been located?””
“No. Her phone is switched off, and her vehicle was found abandoned near the hospital.””
Mom looked at the officer.
“Can we see the child?””
“Not until we establish the situation and make sure the appropriate people are present.””
I stood up.
“I want to meet her.””
Mom turned toward me.
“Emily, sweetheart, we don't know what's happening.””
“She might be my sister.””
Michael lowered his head.
“She is.””
I looked at him.
“Why didn't anybody tell me?””
He didn't have an answer.
Detective Miller interrupted gently.
“Emily, I promise we'll get you answers. But first, we need to make sure Lily is safe.””
The drive to St. Mary's felt endless.
Mom sat beside me in the back of the police vehicle. She kept looking through the window, rubbing her wedding ring with her thumb.
I had never seen her do that before.
“Mom?””
“Yes, baby?””
“Did you know about Lily?””
She shook her head.
“Not until today.””
“Did Dad love her?””
Mom looked at me.
“I don't know what your father understands about love anymore.””
I stared at my reflection in the window.
If Lily was my twin, she had spent her entire life somewhere else.
Maybe she had the same birthday cake.
Maybe she liked the same cartoons.
Maybe she had also hidden beneath her bed when someone shouted.
I wondered whether she had ever heard our father scream.
At the hospital, a nurse escorted us to a private consultation room.
Detective Miller spoke to the attending physician while Mom and I waited outside.
Then a little voice came from behind the door.
“Is she here?””
Mom froze.
The nurse opened the door.
A small girl stood beside the bed, clutching a stuffed purple elephant.
She had dark brown hair.
Brown eyes.
A tiny birthmark near her left eyebrow.
I touched my own eyebrow.
I had the same mark.
The girl looked at me.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then she whispered, “Emily?””
I nodded.
“Are you Lily?””
She nodded too.
I took one step closer.
She looked at Mom.
“Is that Rachel?””
Mom covered her mouth.
“Yes, sweetheart.””
Lily began crying.
“I thought you were dead.””
Mom dropped to her knees.
“Oh, baby.””
Lily rushed into her arms.
Mom held her carefully, as if she were afraid someone would take her away.
I stood beside them, watching a family I hadn't known existed come together in a hospital room.
Lily eventually looked at me.
“You look like me.””
I smiled weakly.
“You look like me too.””
She held out her stuffed elephant.
“His name is Mr. Buttons.””
I laughed through my tears.
“I have a rabbit named Benjamin.””
“Does he sleep with you?””
“Every night.””
Lily smiled.
For a moment, we were just two children meeting for the first time.
Then Detective Miller entered.
“Lily, sweetheart, I need to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?””
Lily immediately grabbed Mom's hand.
“Is Daddy coming?””
Mom's smile disappeared.
“No, sweetheart. Not right now.””
Lily looked down.
“He said you weren't allowed to find me.””
Mom closed her eyes.
Detective Miller pulled up a chair.
“Can you tell us what happened today?””
Lily nodded.
“Daddy came to the apartment this morning. He was angry because Laura was packing.””
“Did he hurt Laura?””
Lily hesitated.
“She was crying.””
“What happened next?””
“He told me to get my backpack. He said we were going on a trip.””
“Where?””
“He didn't tell me.””
Detective Miller wrote something down.
“Did you know about Emily before today?””
Lily looked at me.
“Daddy showed me pictures.””
My stomach tightened.
“What kind of pictures?””
“Pictures of you at school. He said you were my sister, but I wasn't allowed to tell anybody.””
I remembered the photograph of me outside school.
The black car.
The person watching me.
“Was he taking pictures of me?””
Lily nodded.
“He said he needed to know where you went.””
Detective Miller leaned forward.
“Did he explain why?””
Lily shook her head.
Then she whispered something else.
“He said we were going to be together after Friday.””
Mom's face changed.
“Friday?””
Lily nodded.
“He said the money would be ours, and then we could live in a big house.””
Detective Miller exchanged a glance with Officer Bennett.
“Did he say where the money was coming from?””
Lily pointed toward the stuffed elephant.
“He put papers inside Mr. Buttons.””
The detective carefully examined the toy.
A small zipper ran along its back.
Inside was a folded piece of paper and a tiny flash drive.
Detective Miller unfolded the paper.
It contained an address.
And underneath it, in Daniel's handwriting, were the words:
*Original birth records. Do not let Rachel see these.*
Mom's knees nearly gave way.
“Where did you get that, Lily?””
Lily started crying.
“Daddy gave it to me. He said if anything happened, I had to keep it safe.””
Detective Miller placed the flash drive in an evidence bag.
Then she turned toward Mom.
“Mrs. Carter, we may finally have the original documentation.””
Mom looked at Lily.
“Why would your father give you something like this?””
Lily buried her face in Mom's shoulder.
“Because he said you would try to steal us.””
I felt my hands curl into fists.
Dad had spent years telling each of us a different story.
He had made Lily believe Mom was dangerous.
He had made me believe Laura didn't exist.
And somehow, he had convinced both of us that he was the person keeping our family together.
Detective Miller stepped outside to arrange for the flash drive to be examined.
I sat beside Lily.
“Do you remember anything about when we were babies?””
She shook her head.
“Not really.””
“Do you have pictures?””
“Only one.””
She pointed toward the hospital bedside table.
A small photograph showed two newborn babies lying in separate bassinets.
One wore a pink hospital cap.
The other wore a yellow one.
On the back, someone had written:
*Emily and Lily. Born together. Never meant to be separated.*
Mom began crying again.
Then Lily whispered:
“Emily, there's something else Daddy told me.””
I turned toward her.
“What?””
May you like
She looked at the closed door.
“He said one of us wasn't supposed to survive.””
