Lily couldn't believe this. It sounded like something straight out of a soap opera. She had a long-lost identical twin! A long-lost identical twin with a seriously complicated life. How could she have the same DNA as a pageant queen with a secret daughter and lover?
"Look, I'm sure this is a great shock to you but can I please have the phone now?" she begged. "You did promise."
Eddie handed it over without a word, still looking like the sky was falling. Well, he had just found out the woman he loved was still missing. That was kind of a big deal. She felt sorry for him but not sorry enough to keep dawdling while her loved ones panicked.
She dialed the familiar number by heart and her mother picked up on the second ring with a frantic voice. "Hello? Do you have information about my Lily?"
Her heart twisted. They had been looking for her. They probably put up missing posters and everything.
"It's me, Mom. I'm okay. I got a concussion and lost my memory for a few days but the people that found me have been taking very good care of me."
"You what?! You went to the tide pools alone, didn't you? That was the first place we checked and we found your stuff but no you. I knew something bad would happen! Oh, but I don't care about that right now. Where are you? I'll come get you!"
"I'm…actually not sure where I am. I'm at some fancy house. Let me get the address." Lily looked up at the assistant, who was still gaping at her in disbelief. "Hey, can I have this place's address so my mom can come get me?"
He finally pulled himself together. "No need. I can take you home."
"Oh. Thanks." She smiled at him before returning her attention to the phone. "Mom? They said they can take me home so I'll be there soon."
"Are you sure these people are trustworthy? They basically kidnapped you! Why didn't they take you to a police station when you lost your memory?" she demanded.
"It wasn't like that! They thought I was someone else. Apparently I have an identical twin; there was a DNA test and everything. She has epilepsy and wears glasses too…though that seems to be all we have in common. That's not important though. I'm really okay and I'll be home in less than an hour. Okay? I love you."
Her mother sighed heavily. "An identical twin? I want to hear more about this later, young lady. For now just come back to us. I love you too."
She hung up the phone reluctantly and Lily struggled to get out of bed. The assistant saw how hard a time she was having and rushed forward to give her a hand. He helped her out of bed and she took off Angel's glasses and set them down on top of the vanity.
Eddie's face was completely devoid of hope and a twinge of guilt went through her. He hadn't been able to look for his actual fiancée properly because of her. There was no point in continuing to look when you thought you found your lost person already.
"Hey, Eddie…I'm really sorry. Thanks for taking care of me. I hope you find her soon," Lily said softly.
She was still having a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that she had an actual biological relative she knew about—a twin no less—let alone the fact that she was missing. That was a lot of emotional baggage to sort through at a later date when all her homework was done.
"It's not your fault," he said dully. "It was our mistake. Your family would have found you sooner if we hadn't intervened. Mark, take her home."
Mark! So that was the assistant's name. He nodded and led Lily away while supporting her around the waist to keep her upright. Ugh. She really needed her proper meds. She hadn't taken them for days; no wonder she was such a mess physically.
She sighed. And there was still so much to do, the least of which being that report. If her family even let her do her homework. There was a good chance they would swarm her the second she got home.
Speaking of family…Aria came running up to her reaching her arms up to be carried. Not her daughter. Her niece. She had a niece! How weird was that?
Donovan's wife was pregnant right now and she had thought that baby would be her first niece or nephew but she had one all this time. A biological one that actually looked a lot like her.
"I don't feel so good so I can't pick you up right now. Sorry, sweetie," Lily apologized.
Aria pouted. "Mommy go bye-bye?"
A stab right through the heart. Ah! She wasn't her mother! But who knows where her mother actually was or what happened to her? It had been days; for all she knew Angel might be dead.
Lily couldn't break a toddler's heart when things were uncertain. She was sure that with all the pageant stuff that her mother was gone frequently anyway. "I'm going to be busy for a little while. But I'll see you real soon."
The little girl wilted and clung to her aunt's leg. "No! Awi wants Mommy!"
Eddie finally came downstairs hearing the commotion and caught onto the dilemma. He pried his daughter off and held her close.
"It's okay, princess. Mommy…has to go away for a while."
Aria started wailing and buried her face in her father's shirt. He looked like his soul had left him.
Mark took that as an opportunity to sneak away and Lily's guilt grew worse. "Are they going to be okay? She's just a baby and her mother…"
"I know. They both rely on her way too much considering how often she's gone," he said grimly before catching himself. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't be gossiping. And she's your sister too! I had no idea you were adopted."
"Most people don't unless they see me with my family. My mom is Hispanic while my dad is a redhead and the rest of my adopted siblings look nothing alike either. It's not like I'm hiding it but I don't go around advertising it at random either.
"And don't worry about gossiping either. When I thought I was Angel I wondered what the heck was up with their relationship too. You've interacted with her…what sort of person is she?" Lily asked curiously.
She wanted to know more about the sister she had never met. She had only heard about her from the perspective of a man in love with her. He might be a bit biased.