She was thinner, though, by at least ten pounds. Her eyebrows were waxed to a popular thinness, whereas Ash left hers untouched because they were tapered naturally. The other woman dressed in the latest sexy fashions and held herself with the confidence of a cover model, or an actress.
Ash always looked so stiff in photos like this. It was as if she had a sixth sense the press was zeroing in on her and would tense up just before any shot. She really disliked having her photo taken. The fax was black-and-white, so Ash couldn't tell what color of eyes the woman had or if her companion's hair was black or brown.
She flipped to the next page and one of her questions was answered. The man's hair was brown. The full color sheet photo was of the same woman and man, this time kissing on the beach. The woman wore a bikini and hip sarong. She was so thin, her bottom rib was outlined. She didn't look sick like some Hollywood starlets, but she was definitely ultrathin.
As Ash flipped through the pictures, she realized the woman's eyes were the same color as hers. She looked even more like Ash than a sister would. Except for the weight thing and a few other cosmetic differences, the woman could have been Ash's double.
The last picture was of the two people in bed together. She felt like a voyeur looking at it, but she could not tear her eyes away because it spoke so deeply to her. As Ash recognized the same vulnerable look on the woman's face as she herself wore after making love to Nikos, she knew this woman was her sister. She did not know how it was possible. She tried to tell herself the doppelganger was just that…some stranger who shared enough genetic makeup from a distant past that they looked like twins though were probably not even considered really related.
But her instincts screamed it was more. She knew somewhere deep in her soul, somewhere so primitive she could not deny it…that this woman was her twin.
Her mother had never said anything about another baby being born. But it had to be. And her mother had lied to her. How she and her twin had gotten separated, she didn't know. And she didn't care.
All she knew was that out there was a human being who would have loved her because sisters loved each other. A woman she would have loved and been there for, too.
She turned to Nikos. "Get out."
"That is all you have to say to me?"
"No."
He looked like he was almost hoping she could explain the pictures, but that had to be a trick of the lighting. He didn't care. He'd wanted to marry her in order to make his business bigger. Even his mom had gotten it right, while Ash had lived in dumb ignorance. Enough was never enough for Nikos and his company would always come first. Just like her mother.
"I think you are contemptible."
That seemed to rock him back on his proverbial heels. "What the hell did you just say to me?"
"You lied to me. You said you wanted me, but all you wanted was my mom's company."
"You think to use this to justify your behavior?"
"No. I don't have to justify my behavior and yours is irredeemable. Get out of my apartment, Nikos, and don't come back. Ever."
He didn't move. "Ash…"
"Stop talking and leave." Too much was going through her mind. Too much pain. Too many surprises. Terror that all she had believed about life and herself was one big deception.
"At least tell me why you went to him. Was he an old lover…was it a last fling?"
"I don't owe you any explanations."
"You came home prepared to marry me."
"Yes, more the fool me."
"Ash, make me understand."
She stared at him. The words felt like a plea from the heart, but he didn't have a heart. He only really cared about his company, about proving he was bigger and better than his father. He didn't care about her. His deal with her mom and the fact he had not told her about it proved that.
"You said you couldn't hide truth from your mother."
"It is not the same."