The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 58

She held my gaze, her eyes softer than I had ever seen them. In this moment, she looked so much like Laila that my heart ached. This was Laila’s softness exuding from Vanessa’s body.

I was confused but comforted.

“I have something to tell you,” she said, nervously wringing her hands together. “Something I should have told you from the start but I was afraid to.”

“You never have to be afraid of me,” I told her. I inched closer, confident when she didn’t pull away. She glanced up at me, and my breath caught.

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” I promised. “Whatever it is, I’m here for you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You won’t be angry?”

“I won’t be angry.” I was fully certain that there was nothing she could tell me that I wouldn’t forgive.

She took a steadying breath. Then she said, “I’ve been lying to you. To everyone. I’m not actually Vanessa Harper. I’m… your Laila.”

My heart soared. I couldn’t wait a moment before a smile broke out over my face.

Relief flooded through my veins and a weight that had been pressing down on my chest since Laila had left was finally lifted.

She was here. She’d been here all along.

I opened my arms, moved to embrace her, and she fell into me right away, without prompting. Like she had been aching for this

same moment.

We held each other tightly, unwilling this moment to end.

***

But then I woke up.

I sat upright in the bed, my arms suddenly empty. I looked around, confused. Angry.

Where was Laila? Who had dared to take her from me?

But then I realized where I was, and the late hour.

Laila hadn’t been here. This had only been a dream.

I clenched my empty hands into fists. The memory of the dream lingered. It had felt so real.

Vanessa’s confession…

It hadn’t been reality, but what if there were truths there that just hadn’t been revealed yet?

I was determined to find them, no matter what.

I would prove that Vanessa was Laila, and I would have Laila back.

Then I’d never let her go again.

r

After the banquet that day, my mother couldn’t stop telling me about the uncanny resemblance between Ava and me, how our face in profile looks similar and how we have the same eyes.

Chapter 58

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Then there is the matter of Ava’s seafood allergy. This was another thing that we shared.

For the next few days, I checked th with Marcus daily, both in the morning and in the evening, eager for any information about the progress of collecting the DNA from Vanessa and Laila.

Patience was a struggle to hold onto, when all I wanted was answers.

I reminded myself that I couldn’t get carried away by hope. Until I could be sure, I had to assume that Laila and our mysterious child were gone, and any and all similarities between her and Vanessa and Ava were coincidence.

But…

Having Laila back was all I could think about. All day long, I compared Vanessa to Laila in my mind, remembering the dream and her confession.

And then, at night, more dreams haunted me. I held Laila, as Vanessa, in my arms. She apologized again and again for the deception. I understood.

I just wanted her back. I wanted the truth. I wanted her in my arms for real.

Eventually, I had to attend a meeting with Vanessa herself.

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