No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 205

CHAPTER 0205

ELIZABETH’S POV

“Wait, what did you just say? I was what?” I asked, hoping the words I just heard would somehow change if Iquestion again. My voice trembled with disbelief, my heart pounding loud enough to drown out everything else.

you were adopted

“I know it’s hard to take in. Anyone in your shoes would be just as shocked, but that’s the truth, Elizabeth You’re not our biological daughter,” my dad added, his voice steady, as if he had rehearsed this line a thousa. times.

I let out a shaky laugh that sounded nothing like amusement, “Haha, very funny. You can stop with the silly jokes now because it’s not funny anymore.” My throat tightened as the words forced themselves out.

“This isn’t a joke, Elizabeth,” my mom said gently. “Your father and I would never joke about something like this. We hoped this day would never come, but with what you just showed us on the Internet, there was no hiding it anymore.”

I slowly pulled the phone away from my ear and stared down at the screen, even though the conversation was still happening. It was like I was looking directly at my mother through that small piece of glass, like I could feel her eyes avoiding mine. Tears began to gather and blur my vision as I tried to process what they just told me.

All my life, the people I’d called Mom and Dad weren’t even really my parents. I’d admired them, depended on them, loved

them deeply. And now they were telling me this. Just like that.

“So you weren’t even planning on telling me this?” I asked, my voice small. It was like I was speaking from somewhere deep

inside me.

“When we adopted you, we promised to care for you and love you like our own daughter,” my mom replied softly. “So… we didn’t see the need to tell you. But then you saw this person online, and now… everything’s been forced out into the open.”

“This just had to happen at the wrong time,” my dad added. “It’s really not something that’s supposed to be discussed over the phone, but I’ll tell you this, finding this out doesn’t change anything between us. You’re still our little girl. You’re still a Brenson. We raised you, and we love you. Don’t let this get to you.”

“Oh wow, Dad. And you just expect me to accept news like this in a fine way? And pretend that after hearing this, everything would be like it used to be? Well, you two are wrong about that.” My voice grew sharper, harder. “Things won’t be like they used to be anymore because now I know you two aren’t even my real parents.”

“Calm down, dear,” my mom said in her soothing voice. “When you get back, we’re going to talk about this properly. It’s not something that’s supposed to cause a rift in our family, okay? We’re all still the same.”

“My real parents…” I paused, my voice dropping. “Do you know who they are?”

“No,” my dad said, and I could hear the regret in his tone. “We adopted you from an orphanage. They told us your parents died

in a car accident.”

My grip on the phone tightened, an involuntary reaction that sent a small pulse of pain through my wrist. I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing myself to breathe, forcing myself to stay grounded. It felt like the ground I knew was collapsing under my feet.

“And this Lauren Darrow,” I said, trying to hold my voice steady. “What does she have to do with this? You still haven’t explained why she looks exactly like me.”

“This might come as another shock,” my dad began, and I already sensed where this was going. “But when we came to adopt you, the orphanage told us you had a twin sister. At first, we were glad about adopting twins. But when we weighed everything, the responsibilities that came with it, the costs, the time, we realized we couldn’t afford to take care of both of you. The

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company had just started then. Paying school fees, clothing, and healthcare for two. We just weren’t re adopt fist you.

My mouth hung open a little as I took in what he said.

So you’re saying this Lauren Darrow might be my twin sister?” The disbelief was still heavy in my

to fully register it.

“I’m pretty sure she is your twin sister,” my mom said softly. “The identical resemblance says it all”

I stayed silent, my eyes widening in shock. The room around me seemed to blur, fade into the background. The air felt thick, impossible to draw in. All I could think about was that girl on the screen, the girl who shared y face. My twin.

“I know all this is a lot to take in, but…”

I ended the call before my father could finish his sentence.

I didn’t want to hear any more, I was done. Completely done. I was annoyed, angry, and hurt, and his voice was just making everything worse. I didn’t need to hear more apologies, excuses, or explanations. I’d already gotten what I called them for, hell, I’d gotten more than I ever expected. More than I wanted. Too much.

I placed the phone gently on the bed, staring at it like it was something fragile. My hand slid into my hair, gripping it tightly. What the fuck. I have a twin sister. And my parents, well, the people I thought were my parents kept this from me my entire life?

Everything I’d known was now shattered, lying in a thousand unfamiliar pieces around me. All this information, all at once, it was like my brain couldn’t hold it. Couldn’t breathe through it. Couldn’t think past it.

I’d grown up alone in that giant house, with parents who were constantly busy. I’d wished secretly, painfully for a sibling Someone to talk to while I was always by myself in the empty rooms. Someone to laugh with over dinner, someone who understood what it was like to be me.

And now I find out I’ve had a sister this whole time. A twin.

If what my dad said was true, if my real parents were dead then she was all I had left. My only true family.

And I didn’t even know her.

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