Chapter 2 - The Silver Locket
The item the little girl pulled from her faded pink backpack was a tarnished silver locket shaped like a tear. I froze. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I knew that locket. I had bought it eight years ago in a small antique shop in Florence, during a summer study abroad program. I had given it to Maya—the love of my life who had mysteriously vanished from my life seven years ago without leaving a note, a text, or a trace.
“Where did you get that?” my voice trembled, barely audible over the low murmur of the restaurant patrons who were all unabashedly staring at our table.
The taller girl, whose eyes bore an uncanny, heart-wrenching resemblance to my own hazel ones, snapped the locket open with her small thumb. Inside was a tiny, faded photograph of me and Maya, laughing under the Tuscan sun. Beneath the photo, etched into the silver metal, were my exact initials and a date: E.V. – 05.14.2018.
“Mom gave it to us before she went to the hospital,” the girl said softly. Her lower lip quivered, but she stood her ground with extraordinary courage. “She said if anything ever happened to her, we had to find Ethan Vance. She said you were our father, but that your new wife told her you died in a car accident years ago.”
A cold chill ran down my spine. I slowly turned my head toward my fiancée, Victoria.
Victoria was pale, her hands trembling as she clutched her designer purse. Her eyes darted toward the restaurant exit, looking like a cornered animal searching for an escape route.
“Victoria…” I said, my voice dropping an octave, thick with disbelief. “What is she talking about?”
“Ethan, don’t listen to these street urchins!” Victoria gasped, stepping between me and the children. Her tone was sharp, laced with desperation. “This is a scam! Someone is trying to ruin our engagement! Call security right now!”
“She’s lying,” the younger twin whispered, tugging at her sister’s sleeve. “Mom said the lady with the red hair paid the doctors to make her go away. She said the red-haired lady stole our letters.”
Victoria had bright auburn hair.
The pieces of a horrifying puzzle began assembling themselves in my mind. Seven years ago, right after Maya disappeared, Victoria—an old family friend—had suddenly re-entered my life. She was there to comfort me through my depression, standing by me as I grieved the mysterious loss of Maya. Over the years, grief had turned into comfort, and comfort had turned into a relationship. We were supposed to be married in three months.
“They’re twins, aren’t they?” I asked, dropping to one knee in front of the girls, completely ignoring Victoria’s screeching protests. Up close, the resemblance was undeniable. They had Maya’s dark wavy hair, but their facial structure, their dimples, and their hazel eyes were unmistakably mine.
“I’m Lily,” the older twin said, pointing to herself, then to her sister. “And this is Mia. We’re seven.”
Seven years. Maya had been pregnant when she left. Or rather, when she was forced to leave.
“Where is your mother now, Lily?” I asked, my voice cracking with emotion.
“She’s in the city general hospital,” Lily whispered, tears finally overflowing her lashes. “She’s very sick. The landlady threw us out of our apartment this morning because we couldn't pay rent. Mom told us to hide, but we took the subway here using the address written on the back of your picture.”
I stood up, my mind spinning. The glamorous restaurant, the expensive champagne, the diamond ring sitting in my pocket—it all felt filthy now. I looked at Victoria, seeing her clearly for the very first time.
“You knew,” I said, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. “You knew Maya was pregnant. You told her I was dead?”
“Ethan, please, let’s talk about this in private!” Victoria pleaded, grabbing my arm. “I did it for us! She was a nobody! She would have ruined your career, your family’s reputation! I loved you, Ethan! I saved you from a mistake!”
I pulled my arm away from her touch as if her hand burned me. “You didn’t save me. You stole my life. You stole my children.”
May you like
Without another word to Victoria, I took Lily and Mia by their small, cold hands.
“Come on,” I told them, wiping a tear from Mia’s cheek. “Take me to your mother.”
