Chapter 4
It was seven on a Saturday evening. I was having takeout when my phone vibrated with a text from Jessica.
Jessica: [The broadcast is live. I have a distant cousin who lives in Willowbrook. She is chilling at the local diner right across from David's neighborhood, soaking up all the neighborhood gossip.]
I chuckled and typed back: [Keep the live-texting coming.]
And so, I began to picture the scene.
I could see David driving into that crumbling housing complex, feeling like a hero returning in triumph.
It was the kind of neighborhood where everyone had known each other for decades, and gossip traveled faster than light.
David would definitely roll down the windows so that every neighbor could get a good look at his shiny ride, his gorgeous new girl in the passenger seat, and the twins in the back.
He desperately wanted the grand homecoming to pull up like a local hero and prove he had finally brought glory to the family.
As soon as the car parked in the driveway, Margaret must have been watching from the balcony. At the sight of the vehicle, she would sprint down the steps like a hurricane.
She wouldn't even spare a glance for David, let alone Olivia.
All she cared about were those two baby carriers.
"My grandbaby. My precious little heir," she would wail, her shrieks echoing through the entire stairwell.
She would probably take the chosen basket into her arms with the utmost care, treating it like the Holy Grail, completely ignoring the other child.
Olivia would step out of the car, playing the perfect angel, softly saying, "We are finally home."
Margaret would barely throw her a nod. "Yeah, get inside quickly. It is chilly out here, and I do not want my grandson catching a cold."
Her attention was locked on the baby boy.
David would be trailing behind and juggle bags and suitcases, wearing a grin that could not be wiped off.
He would flaunt his prize to anyone who made eye contact. "William, Linda, come look. Boy-girl twins. Incredible, right?"
The neighbors would swarm them, buzzing with chatter. "Wow, David, you really hit the jackpot. And your wife is amazing, delivering two at once."
"Wait, is this your wife? I thought the last one was," someone would inevitably ask.
David would answer vaguely, "Oh, we got divorced. She wasn't able to have kids."
He would gladly throw me right under the bus, painting himself as the tragic, devoted family man forced to make a tough call for the sake of his bloodline.
Meanwhile, Olivia was the hero who rescued the Lane family's legacy.
They would all crowd around and head upstairs together.
Inside, David's father, Hugo Lane, would have already cooked up a whole feast.
Margaret would unbuckle the babies, lay them on the couch, and examine every inch of their faces.
She would say, "Oh, those eyebrows are a copy-paste of David when he was little. And those perfect little noses. The Lane genes are incredibly strong."
She would pull out the thick envelopes of cash she had prepared for months, tucking them proudly next to the babies.
She might even hand an envelope to Olivia. "Olivia, you have worked so hard. You gave this family the greatest gift imaginable. Consider this your home now."
At that moment, Margaret was genuinely happy.
After five years of praying, she finally got her hands on the long-awaited heir, the perfect line of succession, right in her arms.
All her previous gripes about me were because I couldn't have children.
Now that the problem was solved, she would wholeheartedly believe that dumping me was the smartest move David ever made.
David would sit off to the side, soaking up his mother's praise and the neighbors' envy.
He probably felt like the ultimate winner in life, with a booming career, a complete family, and liberation from a childless marriage.
Replacing me with Olivia was his crowning achievement. His grand vision for the future was finally fulfilled.
Olivia, meanwhile, would be playing the role of the humble, submissive wife to perfection.
She would pour water for Margaret and serve plates for Hugo, calling Margaret with a sickly sweet voice.
She would nail the audition for the perfect new wife.
Deep down, though, she was definitely sweating it.
After all, she was sitting across from the aunt she had been estranged from her entire life.
But she was placing a gamble.
She was betting that Margaret's obsession with her grandchildren would blind her to the truth.
She was praying her aunt would not recognize her face after more than a decade apart. She looked nothing like the kid she used to be.
The dinner table would be lively and warm.
Margaret would refuse to put the baby down, while David bragged about his corporate success and his grand plans for the future.
It was a picture-perfect setup, precisely the way David had orchestrated it.
He had taken a dirty affair and wrapped it up in a shiny bow of family pride.
He honestly thought he had fooled everyone and that his happily-ever-after was officially beginning.
Halfway through dessert and a few glasses of wine in, Margaret would finally manage to tear her eyes away from the baby and focus on Olivia.
She needed to properly inspect the woman who had delivered the Lane family heir.
"So, Olivia, David mentioned you went to college with Emily," she would start her classic interrogation.
Olivia would nod gracefully. "Yes, I did."
"Where is your family from? What do your parents do?" Margaret would ask.
It was a standard background check, the mandatory question every mother would grill you with.
Olivia had her story ready.
She would claim to be from a city hours away, making up a story about her parents being retired blue-collar workers.
She covered all the bases, not leaving a single loophole.
Margaret would nod, seemingly satisfied with the modest background.
She would probably reach out and squeeze Olivia's hand affectionately. "You are family now. If David ever gives you a hard time, you come straight to me, and I will set him straight."
Olivia would blink back fake tears of gratitude. "Thank you so much."
Everything was going flawlessly.
Honestly, it was too flawless to feel real.
When Olivia let her guard down, thinking she had successfully secured her spot in the family, Margaret would lean in a little closer to study Olivia's face.
"You know, there is something about you. You look incredibly familiar. Have we met somewhere before?" she would ask.
The main event was finally starting.