Chapter 12: My Wife's Second Wedding
I read the sentence three times.
Ask her why she married me before she married you.
The hospital corridor seemed to stretch endlessly.
My wife.
Olivia.
The woman I had buried in my memories after the boating accident.
The woman whose funeral I had never attended because Adrian told me she had died while I was recovering.
Now I was looking at a photograph of her standing beside my identical twin.
Alive.
Wearing a wedding ring.
Sarah touched my arm.
“Dominic?””
I handed her the photograph.
She stared at it.
“Is that Olivia?””
I nodded.
My mother began crying.
“I'm sorry.””
I turned toward her.
“Did you know?””
“No.””
“Did you know Olivia was alive?””
She shook her head.
“Dominic, I didn't even know Daniel existed until tonight.””
I looked back at the photograph.
Olivia was smiling.
Her hand rested on Daniel's chest.
The same way she used to touch mine when we were alone.
I felt something break inside me.
Five years earlier, Olivia and I had been married for three years.
She was a corporate attorney who had helped my father negotiate several property acquisitions.
She had been intelligent, independent, and fiercely protective of our family.
The night before the boating accident, she had kissed me goodbye and told me she would see me the following morning.
I never saw her again.
Or so I believed.
I turned to Bennett.
“Find out where this photograph was taken.””
He examined the background.
“Looks like the Whitmore estate.””
Sarah stepped forward.
“Then we're going there.””
I looked at Margaret.
“Can you travel?””
She shook her head.
“Not yet.””
A nurse entered to check her medication.
Before leaving, Margaret grabbed my hand.
“Dominic, there's something I need you to understand.””
I leaned closer.
“Tell me.””
“Olivia didn't marry Daniel because she loved him.””
“How do you know?””
Margaret swallowed.
“Because she came to me six months ago.””
“What did she say?””
“She told me Daniel was planning to destroy the Valerio family from the inside. She said he had been given instructions by someone who wanted the estate transferred.””
“Who?””
Margaret looked toward Eleanor.
“Your grandfather.””
My mother shook her head.
“Arthur is dead.””
Margaret nodded.
“His body is dead. His instructions aren't.””
She reached for another envelope.
Inside was a copy of a letter dated six months before Arthur's death.
The letter was addressed to Daniel.
You are the rightful replacement. Dominic will never understand what it takes to protect this family. Olivia will help you obtain his legal identity. Once the trust is transferred, you will receive everything.
I stared at the handwriting.
My grandfather's.
At the bottom was a second paragraph.
If Dominic returns, eliminate him before the final hearing.
Sarah read it over my shoulder.
“He knew you might survive.””
I nodded.
“And he prepared Daniel to finish the job.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
Stop looking for answers. Come to the Whitmore estate at midnight. Olivia will explain everything.
I looked at the time.
2:17 a.m.
I called the number.
It rang twice.
Then a woman's voice answered.
“Dominic?””
I closed my eyes.
“Olivia.””
She started crying.
“I'm sorry.””
“Are you alive?””
“Yes.””
“Are you married to Daniel?””
A long silence followed.
Then she whispered, “Yes.””
I felt the words hit me harder than I expected.
“Why?””
“Because I had no choice.””
“That's what everyone says.””
“Please listen to me.””
“Five years, Olivia. Five years without a single message. I believed you were dead.””
“I know.””
“Did you ever love him?””
“No.””
“Then why did you marry him?””
Her voice broke.
“Because he had your medical records, your identity, and your father's original trust documents. He told me that if I refused, he would have you declared legally dead forever.””
I looked toward Sarah.
She was listening.
Olivia continued.
“I tried to leave. But he had people watching me. He threatened to send your mother to prison and expose Isabella's identity.””
“Where are you now?””
“Inside the Whitmore estate.””
“Is Daniel there?””
“Yes.””
“Put him on the phone.””
She hesitated.
Then a man's voice came through.
My voice.
“Hello, brother.””
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“Daniel.””
“Did you enjoy the wedding photograph?””
“What do you want?””
“The same thing you've always had.””
“Which is?””
“Everything.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You were raised as a backup child. That doesn't make you the rightful heir.””
His voice turned cold.
“You think I wanted to be the backup? You got the father. You got the name.
You got the childhood. I got a locked house and a man who told me I existed only because you might fail.””
I had no answer.
Daniel continued.
“Grandfather promised me the empire. Then Arthur died before he could finish the transfer.””
“So you helped kill him?””
“I didn't kill Arthur.””
“Who did?””
A pause.
Then Daniel spoke quietly.
“Ask your mother what she did with the original medication bottle.””
I turned toward Eleanor.
She had gone completely still.
“Mom?””
Daniel laughed.
“You see? There are still secrets.””
I heard Olivia shouting in the background.
“Daniel, stop!””
Then a crash.
A door slammed.
Daniel returned to the phone.
“Bring the original birth certificate and the flash drive. Come alone. If you bring the police, Olivia dies.””
The call ended.
I looked at Sarah.
“We're going.””
She nodded.
Bennett immediately objected.
“Dominic, this is a trap.””
“I know.””
“Then why walk into it?””
I looked at the photograph of Olivia.
“Because she's my wife.””
My mother stepped forward.
“I'm coming too.””
“No.””
She placed her hand over mine.
“Daniel has spent five years using our family against us. I know how he thinks. I know what he wants.””
I studied her face.
For the first time, she wasn't asking me to forgive her.
She was asking me to let her help.
I finally nodded.
We left the hospital with two police officers following in an unmarked vehicle.
At 3:06 a.m., we reached the Whitmore estate.
The enormous iron gates stood open.
Lights illuminated the mansion's marble entrance.
A man stood on the front steps.
He looked exactly like me.
Daniel.
Beside him stood Olivia.
Her eyes filled with tears when she saw me.
“Dominic.””
I took one step forward.
Then Daniel raised his hand.
“Before you come any closer, there's something you should know.””
He held up a document.
An original marriage certificate.
My name appeared beside Olivia's.
But the date was six months before my actual wedding.
Daniel smiled.
“According to the records, Olivia married me first.””
I stared at the paper.
Then he turned it over.
A second signature appeared.
My grandfather's.
And beneath it was a handwritten statement:
*Dominic Valerio is not the biological son of Arthur Valerio.*
My mother gasped.
Daniel smiled wider.
“Welcome to the family, brother.””
May you like
Then he looked at me and delivered the final blow.
“Your real father is Charles Whitmore.””
