Twinsequences Ivy (Twisted Twin #2)(16)

I dialed the number from the cell phone I’d stolen. Stoshua’s voice answered on the second ring. He was out of breath, but I could recognize him even after the time we’d spent apart. I hung up quickly, refusing to even mention it was the wrong number. If he tried to call it back he’d find the voicemail to someone he didn’t know.

I’d found them. I’d located their safe house – where they’d moved to hide from me in case something like this would happen.

I had to move fast. With no regard for my mother, or Mikael, I walked out of the kitchen, leaving them to sit and wait until police discovered them.

After fetching my bag, I headed out to Mikael’s vehicle. I made sure no neighbors were peeking out their windows being nosey, so I’d have ample time to get a head start.

I threw the cell phone out the window a couple miles after I left my parent’s neighborhood, but only after mapping out where I needed to go.

I’d spent my whole life living in the same state. I knew where I was headed, and approximately how long it would take for me to get there. By the time police would find them, I’d already be at my sister’s house. She wasn’t getting away from me this time. I waited far too long to let it happen.

While driving I thought about my family. We were once happy, I suppose, back before there were report cards and good deeds, before there was a reason to pick favorites, maybe before I understood what it all meant. I wished I could turn back time and be the child they were proud of; to feel what it was like just once in my life.

I wanted to feel the love and appreciation radiating through them when they looked into my eyes.

Now all I felt was sadness. They were never happy to see me. They didn’t miss me. In fact, they’d all but written me off as a lost cause. What kind of parent would do that?

Not me.

I was going to be a devoted mother. My child would want for nothing, and I’d make sure she knew without a doubt how much I loved her each and every day.

I thought about Stoshua, and how I’d gone from using him as a way to escape my parents, to loving him with everything I had in me. His inability to get over my sister destroyed me, leaving me no other choice than to give him a piece of what he longed for. I let them be together, because I knew the end result would give me what I was unable to have – a child.

Now I wondered what he would do if I took his beloved away. Would he want to be with me again? Was there a chance I could convince him we’d be happy?

I didn’t have time to keep running it through my head. His decision wouldn’t break me, I couldn’t let it. They’d ruined my life for the last time. If he chose death over being with me, it was his loss. I’d be a good mother to his daughter. I’d raise her as my own, and make sure nothing hurt her. I wouldn’t let a man she loved toss her away for a better version. She’d appreciate me for my devotion, and we’d grow old without the need for anyone else in our lives.

I’d imagined it in my head so many times. When I slept I dreamt of her. Now I was about to meet the real beauty. It was overwhelming, and in the midst of running from the law, and out of time, I’d be patient with her, because that’s what all good mothers were.





Chapter 8


Their driveway was off the beaten path. I pulled over to the shoulder of the road and parked the vehicle. I couldn’t take the chance of them becoming alarmed if I drove up to the house. I checked my face to make sure I didn’t look awful. I had to make a good impression for my new little girl. It wasn’t like I could have her as a newborn, where she’d immediately have a relationship with the person who cared for her. This child was fragile. It was going to take time to convince her we’d be happy. I had to learn to put her before myself, and to treat her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Then she’d love me. She’d love me forever.

The sun was fully out, causing every bug known to man to come flying at me as I hiked up the long dirt driveway. I swatted them away, while trying to keep from being detected. With this type of entrance to the home, there was no telling how visible I’d be.

When I first noticed the wooden trim in the distance, I ducked down into a thicket to prevent from being caught. I made it the rest of the distance by staying in the woods, camouflaged from the naked eye. The house was cute. I could see why they’d picked it. It was like a little gingerbread cabin, nestled in between patches of woods. Children’s toys were randomly placed around the yard, and a swing set was nestled in the back. The large front porch had two rocking chairs side by side. I imagined my sister and Stoshua sitting together while they watched their daughter playing happily in the grass.

It took me a few seconds to consider how to get closer to the residence. I picked a side window, focusing on staying out of view as I reached the siding and put my back against it. My heart was racing as I realized how close I was to having what I wanted. The mere thought made me giddy. My future was inside of this very house, and I was about to seize it and never let go.

I peered through the window, shaking from head to toe, not because I was afraid, but more so for the reason that I'd located them so easily.

There she was, my mirror image, her hair cut shorter on her shoulders in a lighter hue than she used to wear it. She was washing dishes, standing at a center kitchen island, while a little girl colored across from her. She held up the picture, showing her mother. It was a drawing of a family, and as cute as it seemed, something caught me off guard. There weren’t three people in the picture, there were four.