Chapter 2 - The Secret Inside My Daughters' Blood
I couldn't stop staring at the photograph.
Nathan.
My husband.
The man who had shared my bed for seven years.
The man who had held my hand during our wedding.
The man who had promised to protect me.
He had been working with Elias's enemies.
“No.”
The word came out as a whisper.
Elias didn't move.
“People lie.”
I looked at him.
“You're telling me my husband is involved with organized crime?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't I know?”
“Because you weren't supposed to.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Then why marry me?”
Elias's expression darkened.
“That is the question I'm trying to answer.”
I looked toward the nursery.
“What do my daughters have to do with this?”
Elias opened the folder.
“Everything.”
He showed me medical records.
I recognized the hospital name.
The date was the day my daughters were born.
But the name of the physician was unfamiliar.
“Who is Dr. Adrian Cole?”
Elias looked at me.
“A genetic specialist.”
“Why was he treating my daughters?”
“He wasn't.”
I frowned.
“Then why is his name here?”
“Because your husband arranged for him to examine them after birth.”
I felt sick.
“I never agreed to that.”
“You didn't know.”
Elias continued.
“Your daughters were supposed to undergo genetic testing.”
“Why?”
“We don't know yet.”
I stared at the paperwork.
There was a notation written in red.
GENETIC MATCH CONFIRMED.
“What does that mean?”
Elias didn't answer.
My heart began pounding.
“Elias.”
He finally said it.
“Your daughters share a rare genetic marker with someone.”
“Who?”
He looked directly at me.
“My father.”
I stopped breathing.
“What?”
“My father died twelve years ago.”
He closed the folder.
“But he had a genetic condition that only appears in a very small percentage of families.”
I stared at him.
“You think my daughters inherited something from him?”
“No.”
Elias's voice was quiet.
“I think someone used your husband to create a connection to my family.”
I didn't understand.
Then the nursery door opened.
A doctor entered.
He carried two envelopes.
“Mr. Vance.”
Elias turned.
“Results?”
The doctor nodded.
“The DNA tests are conclusive.”
I looked at him.
“What tests?”
He glanced at Elias.
Then at me.
“Your daughters' DNA.”
My throat tightened.
“What did you find?”
The doctor hesitated.
“They are not genetically related to Mr. Miller.”
I stared.
“What?”
The doctor continued.
“And they are not genetically related to you.”
The room disappeared beneath my feet.
“No.”
I grabbed the edge of the crib.
“That isn't possible.”
The doctor looked sympathetic.
“We repeated the test three times.”
I looked at Elias.
“My babies are mine.”
“I know.”
“But the test says—”
“I know.”
I felt tears streaming down my face.
“Then who are they?”
Elias stepped closer.
“We're going to find out.”
The doctor placed the envelopes on the table.
“There is something else.”
“What?”
“The girls are genetically identical.”
“That makes sense. They're twins.”
“No.”
The doctor shook his head.
“They're not twins.”
Silence.
I stared at him.
“What?”
“They were born from the same embryo.”
My heart stopped.
May you like
“That means—”
“They are clones.”
