A dramatic sigh.
“Okay,” he murmured. “I’m sorry for lying.”
My chest tightened.
“But… Nadine… that wasn’t me.”
I blinked. “What?”
“It wasn’t me you saw,” he explained softly. “It was Maxon.”
“…Maxon?” I frowned. “Your twin brother? Lewis… he drowned. Years ago.”
“I thought so, too. We all did,” he said quickly. “But he survived. Lost his memories. He came back weeks ago. I didn’t know how to tell you because I wanted it to be special. He met Victoria by accident and… they’re dating now. We planned to surprise you yesterday but I got busy with work, and was supposed to be today but you didn’t come to the restaurant.”
I stared at him.
“So… it wasn’t you?” I whispered.
“Of course not,” he laughed shakily, pulling me into his arms. “I would never hurt you. I love you so much.”
My arms remained stiff at my sides, but he didn’t seem to notice.
A moment later, the front door opened.
“Hey,” a voice said.
I turned. And there he was. Maxon—Lewis’s identical twin you won’t even know the difference—standing beside Victoria.
They waved awkwardly.
Something in my chest twisted painfully.
Lewis kissed the top of my head. “See? Everything’s fine now.”
But something wasn’t.
That night, Lewis thought I was asleep.