Chapter 3 - The Secret in the LibraryThree weeks passed inside the Vance estate, transforming my world completely.
My life as a struggling, exhausted waitress was replaced by an existence surrounded by unimaginable wealth, high-tech security, and an unspoken, lingering mystery.
Little Leo thrived under my care. His rosy cheeks returned, his quiet laughter filled the nursery, and he gained weight rapidly, sleeping through the night as long as my sweater lay beside his pillow.
Every day, Dante spent hours in his private study managing his vast corporate network, but he spent every evening with us in the nursery.
We ate dinner together in the quiet dining room—talking for hours about music, history, and my childhood in the Saint Jude's Orphanage in Manhattan. I learned that beneath his fierce, formidable exterior sat a man of brilliant intellect, fierce loyalty, and a deep, protective heart for his family.
A quiet, profound connection began to bloom between us—a silent, intense fire that grew with every shared glance across the nursery crib, every warm touch when our hands brushed over a baby bottle, and every long conversation under the starlight.
Then, on a rainy Thursday night while Leo was sleeping, I walked down the quiet, dimly lit corridor toward the master library to return a book I had borrowed.
The heavy oak doors were slightly push open.
I stepped into the dark room, smelling old leather, beeswax, and tobacco.
Sitting at a massive mahogany desk near the fireplace was a young, sharp-featured woman in her late twenties wearing an expensive silk suit—Julianne Vance, Dante’s younger sister.
She was reviewing a stack of old medical files under a green reading lamp.
When she heard my footsteps, Julianne jumped up instantly, her manicured hand knocking over a cup of tea, her face turning paper-white as she stared at me under the lamp light.
"You shouldn't be in here, Elina," Julianne spoke sharply, her voice trembling slightly as she frantically gathered the medical files into a folder.
"I'm sorry, Julianne," I said, stepping backward toward the door. "I was just returning a book."
My eyes caught the open document sitting on top of the desk before Julianne could cover it.
It was an official birth record from Saint Jude’s Orphanage, dated nineteen years ago.
Attached to the top were two identical newborn footprints under the header:
[ST. JUDE MATERNITY HOSPITAL: MULTIPLE BIRTH REGISTRY — TWIN FEMALES (BABY A & BABY B).]
[BABY A: ADOPTED BY RICHARD & ELIZABETH STERLING (NAME: ISABELLA STERLING).]
[BABY B: SURRENDERED TO STATE CARE (NAME: ELINA).]
My blood ran completely cold. The room seemed to tilt violently under my feet.
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My breath hitched in my chest as I stared at the document.
Isabella Sterling—the dead wife of Dante Vance... was my twin sister.
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