Elara hadn't slept a wink.
The early morning light filtered through her bedroom curtains, casting soft shadows on the floor, but there was no comfort in it. She sat on the edge of her bed, clutching the letter Clara had thrown into her life like a bombshell. Her hands trembled as she read through the words for what felt like the hundredth time.
The Sinclair family's official seal. The DNA results. The cold, clinical wording that stripped away everything she thought she knew about herself. The possibility that her whole existence was a lie.
Her mother had said they would get answers, but Elara couldn't wait. She needed to know now. She needed to understand who she was—or wasn't.
There was a knock at the door, pulling her from her spiraling thoughts.
"Elara?" Violet's voice was tentative as she cracked the door open. "Are you okay?"
Elara looked up, her eyes red-rimmed and weary. "Do I look okay?"
Violet sighed and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "I didn't think so."
Elara tried to smile, but it was forced. "I can't stop thinking about it. What if it's true, Violet? What if I'm not their daughter?"
Violet sat down next to her on the bed, her face softening with sympathy. "I get it, Elara. This is huge. But you can't just assume the worst. There's still a chance that Clara's lying. She's desperate to tear you down."
Elara stared at the letter in her hands, her fingers tracing the edges. "But what if she's not? What if I've been living someone else's life?"
Violet paused, then took a deep breath. "Then we deal with it. But you won't have to face it alone."
Elara appreciated the sentiment, but the gnawing uncertainty inside her wouldn't fade. She couldn't just sit around waiting for answers. She had to take action.
"I want to get tested," Elara said suddenly, her voice firm despite the tremor beneath it. "I need to know for sure. I need to get a DNA test."
Violet nodded slowly. "Okay. If that's what you want, I'll help you. But are you sure you want to do this without talking to your parents first?"
Elara hesitated, her heart torn between the urge to know the truth and the fear of confronting her family with it. But the need for answers won out.
"I don't want to wait for them to decide what's best for me," Elara said, standing up with newfound determination. "This is my life. I need to know for myself."
Violet stood too, grabbing her phone. "Then let's make it happen. There's a private clinic nearby. I'll make an appointment."
As Violet made the call, Elara stared out the window, her thoughts racing ahead of her. Would the truth set her free? Or would it destroy her completely?
---
A few hours later, Elara sat in a sterile white room at the clinic, her nerves on edge. The DNA test had been simple enough—a quick swab, a few forms to fill out—but the weight of what it represented felt anything but simple. Her entire future rested on the results of a single test.
Violet had stayed by her side the whole time, offering quiet support as they waited. But the tension in the air was thick, and even Violet's calm presence couldn't ease Elara's nerves.
The door to the room opened, and the doctor stepped inside, holding a clipboard. Elara's heart leapt into her throat. She felt like she was on the edge of a cliff, and the doctor's next words would either pull her back to safety or send her plummeting into the unknown.
"Elara Sinclair?" the doctor asked, looking up from the clipboard.
Elara nodded, unable to speak.
The doctor gave her a sympathetic look before glancing down at the papers again. "We've expedited your test, as requested. The results are in."
Time seemed to slow as Elara braced herself. This was it. This was the moment that could change everything.
"The DNA test confirms that there is a mismatch with your genetic profile and that of the Sinclair family," the doctor said, his voice neutral and professional, as if he were delivering a weather report rather than dismantling her entire world.
Elara's stomach dropped. The room spun. She could hear Violet's sharp intake of breath beside her, but all Elara could focus on was the doctor's words.
A mismatch.
Her world crumbled in an instant.
"You mean… I'm not…" Elara couldn't finish the sentence. Her throat felt tight, and her chest ached with the weight of it all.
The doctor nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Miss Sinclair. The test confirms that you are not biologically related to the Sinclair family."
Elara's head swam as the truth hit her like a punch to the gut. All her fears, all her doubts—it was true. She wasn't a Sinclair. She wasn't their daughter. Her entire life had been built on a lie.
She barely registered the rest of the doctor's words. He was talking about next steps, about options, but Elara couldn't focus. The ground beneath her feet felt like it was slipping away, and she didn't know how to hold on.
"Elara?" Violet's voice was soft, but filled with concern. She placed a hand on Elara's arm, pulling her out of her daze. "Are you okay?"
Elara shook her head slowly, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know who I am anymore, Violet. I don't know anything."
Violet wrapped her arms around her, holding her tight. "You're still you, Elara. This doesn't change that."
But to Elara, it felt like everything had changed. She wasn't the Sinclair heiress. She wasn't the person she thought she was. She was a fraud, living someone else's life.
And now,
she had to figure out who she really was and what that meant for the future.