Page 10 of The Other Twin
I lean back against the wall, utterly deflated. ‘Can I just ask how you came to that decision?’
Harriet sighs, and there’s a silence as though she’s weighing up what to say. But then she inhales briskly. ‘We decided to go in a different direction, that’s all.’
I’m not stupid. I understand that’s code forwe don’t want to get into it. ‘Okay,’ I reply. ‘Well, thanks for letting me know.’
‘You’re welcome, Bella. Take care.’
‘And you.’
The line disconnects.
I stare at the phone for a long moment, and then glance around. It’s only when I see my reflection in a gilt-edged, full-length mirror – hair all wind-messed, expression blank – that I realise I’m still clutching Tori’s cigarette, burnt out between my fingers.
I stub it in one of the handily placed ashtrays, pocket the phone, and try to steady my breathing. I can’t believe I was worrying about how to break the news to my parents that I was going to be bringing in investors to the company. When the alternative is so, so much worse.
Back on deck, the party is peaking. Everyone is up, arms around each other, swaying and singing off-key, a brief interruption of the usual British reserve. I try to slot myself back into it, but there is an invisible wall now, some membrane between me and everyone else, and I have no idea how to cross it. I know I should give up and go home, but the thought of returning to my empty apartment is too depressing to contemplate after tonight’s disappointment. And I’m not in the mood for Reece’s optimistic spin on everything.
Along with the heavy feeling of dread, Tori’s earlier observation about seeing me looking ‘odd’ has somehow got under my skin, even though I know it’s probably just a combination of her having drunk too much, along with her overactive imagination. I shake it off and decide to find her. Maybe I can salvage the night and try to have a bit of fun.
The rest of the evening passes in a blur of shouted conversation and awkward dancing, with Tori occasionally staring at me with a look I can’t quite decode. At some point, I accidentally spill prosecco on someone’s boat shoes and apologise so profusely that it becomes a running joke for the rest of the event. I smile and nod and laugh, even though my mind is in a dark pit. I wish I could rewind time. I wish I hadn’t been so ambitious. All I wanted to do was make my parents proud. I thought branching out into the property development market was such a smart move. Clearly not.
Chapter Eight
Jade
‘Sure you don’t want me to come in with you?’ Zac asks as I fumble with my seat belt.
I want to accept his offer – his support might calm my racing heart – but I also need space. ‘No. I need some time alone. To think.’ My pulse thumps like a jackhammer.
He leans over to kiss me, and it feels tender for a change. Like he actually might care about me. ‘Don’t forget your bags are in the boot.’
I frown, blink, then remember the shopping spree we went on hours ago. It already feels like another lifetime. The thrill of new clothes, new everything, seems laughable now. ‘Oh. Thanks,’ I say automatically, my mind skittering elsewhere.
‘Call me later, if you like,’ he offers. ‘Might go down the King’s Head with Jed and Callum, if you’re up for it? Jed’s got a new girlfriend. Apparently she works for Nike. Might score us some freebies.’
Part of me wants to go – any excuse to stay distracted – but I shake my head. ‘Not tonight. Have a good one.’ I force a smile he doesn’t return.
‘Okay.’ He watches me climb out, disappointment in his eyes. I grab my bags from the boot and make my way across the pavement and up the steps towards the apartment building. Glancing over my shoulder, I see him give a forlorn wave and drive away. I want to be alone to process what I saw today, but now that he’s gone, I feel a little untethered.
Back in Lymington, I chickened out of confronting my doppelganger. Told myself I need to speak to Mum alone first. To discover what’s going on here. If that woman isn’t my mother, then who is she? And why has Mum never mentioned her? I might not have spoken to the two women, but I did take a few sneaky photos to prove to myself that I wasn’t hallucinating, and to show Mum the evidence, so that she can’t give me the brush-off again.
After Zac and I traipsed half a mile to get petrol, all I could think about on the journey home was that I might have a twin. Atwin. I repeated the word in my head so many times that it started to feel made up. Zac tried talking to me, but I shushed him, needing silence. But thinking only tangled my thoughts further. It was weird enough seeing that posh version of Mum, but to see my own face on someone else was surreal.
Outside the entrance to our block, my arms are laden with bags, and I pause, trying to work out how to get the door key from my bag.
‘Jade Morgan?’ A man’s voice, deep and authoritative, calls from down the street.
Shit. I freeze momentarily, and my heart starts to pound, but I’m quick-witted enough not to turn around. To keep my face turned away so I can pretend I’m not who they’re looking for.Stay calm, stay calm.If I can just get to my key.
Just when I think I’m going to have to drop all my shopping bags, I glance up to see one of the neighbours heading throughthe lobby towards me, his gait too slow for my liking.Come on! Come on!
‘Jade Morgan... we need a word.’ The voice is closer now, and I hear heavy footsteps along the pavement behind me.
The neighbour opens the door and holds it for me.
‘Thanks so much,’ I stutter and almost shove past him into the lobby in my haste to get inside, sweat coating my upper lip and beading down my back.
He nods curtly and continues on his way as I hurry across the lobby to Mum’s front door, praying none of the other neighbours come along to open the entrance doors before I can get safely into the flat.
