lody was in shock. lanie—her sister? That couldn’t be possible. She stared at her mother, disbelief etched across her face. lanie had been stolen by her grandmother when they were little? But why would anyone do such a thing? Her grandmother because of so fight with her mother? Why? And more than that... how had she never known? Never rembered? How could she have lived all these years completely unaware that she even had a sister?
She understood that she was young and this was a possibility that she had no mory, but even so, she had never heard them ntion her also.
Her voice trembled as she asked, "Mother, you’re surely joking... right? This can’t be true. How can this be true? Are you absolutely sure about this? Maybe it’s just a strange coincidence. Maybe she and I really are just lookalikes. That happens, doesn’t it? Just because we resemble each other, does it really an she has to be my sister?"
Her mother looked at her with wide eyes, confused by her reaction. "lody, why do you seem so upset? If lanie truly is your sister-the one we lost so long ago-then that’s sothing to be happy about, isn’t it? Just think about it. Imagine how overjoyed your father and I would be to have our daughter back after all these years. We thought she was gone forever."
But lody wasn’t pleased. She stepped back, her expression hard and brittle as she asked sharply, "Why would you be happy? Mom, it’s been so many years. You never had any more children after . You always said I was enough. That I was everything you needed. And now-suddenly-you’re ready to believe soone’s your daughter just because she looks like ? That’s not proof."
She crossed her arms tightly, as if trying to protect herself from the implications of this revelation. "No. If you really want to go further with this madness, then you’ll have to get a DNA test first. That’s the only way I’ll believe it. And to be honest, I hope the result cos back negative. I really do. Because I’d rather have no sister at all than have lanie as my sister."
Marianne’s hand moved before lody could process or even expect what was happening. The sharp crack echoed through the room as her palm t lody’s cheek. lody gasped, one hand flying up to her face, stunned more by the suddenness than the pain itself. Her eyes welled up, not with tears, but with disbelief. Her mother had never hit her before. Never... And this ti it was because of lanie Collins.
"Stop it," Marianne said, her voice low but trembling with restrained fury. "Just stop being so selfish, lody."
lody stared at her mother, unable to speak.
"Yes, of course we’ll do a DNA test," Marianne continued, her tone still shaking but now more composed as she said slowly, "Do you think we’d accept sothing this huge just based on appearances? We’re not fools. But that doesn’t an we should charge ahead like bulls. If lanie really is who we think she is... if she’s truly the daughter your father and I lost... then she was raised by her grandmother."
She paused, her expression tight with a mix of pain and bitterness. "The sa woman who snatched her away from us because of a small fight. The sa woman who cut us off completely. If that’s the case, then lanie has probably grown up hearing horrible things about . About your father. About the kind of people we are. For all we know, she might already hate us."
She turned away slightly, as if trying to keep her own emotions in check. "So before we tell her anything... before we overwhelm her with truths she’s not ready for... we want to talk to her. Get to know her. See who she is, and let her see us- as people, not as ghosts from a past she never even knew she had."
Marianne looked back at lody then, her gaze fierce as she questioned. "Is that so wrong? Is it wrong for us to want her to know us without prejudice first? To give her a chance to form her own opinion, before the truth complicates everything? Because once it’s out, once she knows who we are, there’s no going back. And I’d rather she walk away after knowing who we are now, than hate us based on lies she’s heard her whole life and not give us a chance."
Marianne took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a mont as if gathering strength and then looked directly at her daughter, "Look, lody, maybe you need to stay out of this. I’m not asking you to get involved. I’m not expecting you to form a relationship with her. This has nothing to do with you,not directly. And I understand and respect that.
She looked tired, her earlier anger now replaced by a weary resolve. "To be completely honest, I hadn’t even planned to tell you any of this. Not now. Not like this. It just... slipped out because you asked. You pushed, and I didn’t want to lie to you. I had hoped you woudl be happy. Everyone always said that I have spoiled you rotten, but I know your heart is big. So I had hoped... But if you are unwilling to accept a sister..."
lody’s eyes narrowed, and a slow, cold expression crept across her face. Her voice, when it ca, was quiet and cutting.
"I’d rather you had lied to ."
The words hung in the air like a slap of their own as Marianne stared at her stricken.
But lody shook her head, her throat tightening with rising emotion. "And even more than that... I wish I’d never told you about the resemblance. I wish I’d just ignored it. Kept it to myself. Then all of this would never have happened."
She turned without waiting for a response, her steps stiff and quick. At the doorway, she paused just for a second, then added in a flat voice, "I hope you get what you want, Mom."
Then she walked out, leaving her mother behind in the heavy silence.
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