Chapter 5 - The Impossible Truth
The doctor's words hung in the sterile air like a thick, suffocating smoke.
I looked at Grace, expecting to see guilt or shame on her face.
Instead, I saw sheer, unadulterated shock.
She shook her head violently, her voice breaking into a hysterical pitch.
She yelled at the doctor to run the test again.
She swore on her life that she had never been with another man.
I wanted to believe her, but the scientific evidence was printed in black and white right in front of me.
Doubt began to creep into my mind like a venomous snake.
I asked Grace if she was sure she hadn't made a mistake during our marriage.
Grace slapped me across the face so hard my ears rang.
She pointed a trembling finger at the observation window.
She told me to look at that boy's face and tell her he wasn't my son.
I looked through the glass at the unconscious child on the bed.
He had my eyes, my nose, and the exact shape of my jaw.
It was genetically impossible for him to belong to a complete stranger.
The doctor interrupted our argument, looking very uncomfortable.
He said there was only one rare medical anomaly that could explain this situation.
He asked if I had a twin brother.
I stared at the doctor in utter confusion.
I told him I was an only child and always had been.
Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the end of the hallway swung open.
A tall man in a dark tailored suit walked purposefully toward us.
He looked exactly like me, down to the very last detail.
He had the same gray-blue eyes, the same jawline, and the same walk.
The only difference was a small, pale scar above his left eyebrow.
Grace gasped, covering her mouth with both hands in pure horror.
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The man stopped in front of us and looked directly at me.
He introduced himself as Julian, the twin brother my mother had secretly given up for adoption thirty-eight years ago.
