Chapter 148
Nova’s POV
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Leo was out of his mind. Ivan was probably my father, not Gideon. But it was strange we had the same birthday. Unless Leo was making it up, or maybe one of us had been lied to?
My mom didn’t really lie to me though, and we’d celebrated my birthday every year on the same day for as long as I could remember. Maybe Leo’s Dad was lying to him.
Or… I guessed I had never been told for sure that Uncle Ivan was my father. I’d always just kind of assumed, since he had always been there. All the times I met Uncle Gideon, Mom had never corrected me into calling him Dad or told me he was my father…
Maybe it was all some kind of big secret, which could make Leo’s guess correct.
Leo watched me while I tried to piece everything together. Hope was bright in his eyes. I liked Leo a lot, and it would be nice if he was my full brother.
“Okay,” I said, giving in a little. “Maybe we are full siblings.”
“We have to be!” Leo said excitedly.
“But it doesn’t matter, really. Mom never told me about this, and she must have had a good reason for the secret. Maybe something bad happened between her and your dad.”
Leo frowned. “She is keeping it secret…” Just when I thought maybe I was getting to him, he shook his head. “No, I want to know more. If something happened with them, we can fix it.”
“What can we do?” I asked. “We’re only kids.”
“Adults make things confusing,” Leo said. “They need our help to… un–confuse things…”
I gave him a flat look. There was no way that was going to work.
“Come on and help me, Nova. You’ll like having my Dad for a dad. He’s a good dad.
I didn’t know if that was true, and even if it was, just because he was nice to Leo didn’t mean he would be nice to me too. If Gideon was my real dad, and something happened to separate mom and him, he hadn’t reached out to us at all in all this
time.
Was I just supposed to forgive that?
Plus, Mom acted weird around Gideon. If being a family meant she was going to act like that all the time, I didn’t know if that was such a good idea.
In fact, until Mom told me otherwise, I decided I had better just forget all about it. Until further notice, I didn’t have a dad, only a mom. That was all I had needed up until this point, anyway
“Forget it,” I told Leo. “I don’t think Gideon is my dad.”
“But our birthdays –”
“I just don’t think so,” I said again, more firmly. “And unless my Mommy says otherwise, I won’t believe it.”
Looking at me, Leo huffed, but since there was nothing he could say to change my mind, he changed the subject, returning
to our toys.
16:14 Sat, Jan 31
Chapter 148
I was relieved. I didn’t like talking about who my dad was. It had always made me kind of sad.
Leo’s POV
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Nova was being stubborn, but I couldn’t force her to help me if she didn’t want to. I still wanted to be friends with my sister, so I didn’t bug her with this too much right now. Hopefully, in the future, she would come around.
My dad was the best dad. It was sad that she was missing out on him. But that was up to her.
Well, even if Nova wouldn’t help me, maybe Daddy would. If I didn’t know about Nova’s birthday, then Dad probably didn’t either. If he knew Nova was his daughter, he would probably act differently toward her. Maybe she could even come home with us. Mommy too.
Then I could work to get them back together.
Mom let me call Dad every night. She even let me talk to him all by myself. Last night had been a short talk because I had been tired, but tonight was going to be longer.
I not–so–patiently waited most of the evening for it to be time and then, finally, Mommy let me use my phone to call Dad. I was in my bedroom. She stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her.
I barely let it shut before I dialed in the numbers.
I couldn’t wait to tell Dad. In fact, just as he said, “hello,” I spilled out, “Nova and I have the same birthday!”
Gideon’s POV
Hearing Leo’s words, I froze. Surely I misheard. “What did you say?”
“Nova and I were talking, and it turns out that we have the same birthday. Do you think that means that we are full siblings?” Leo spoke quickly, his voice filled with excitement.
I had definitely heard him right. “You’re sure?” I asked. “Same year and everything?”
“Same year,” Leo said. “We have to be twins!”
This revelation threw a wrench into absolutely everything I had thought about Claire and Nova. I had always suspected the two had to be close in age, but I’d kept myself from thinking that they were the same. After all, it wouldn’t have made sense…. unless Leo was right and they were twins.
But how could that be?
Claire had only given birth to Leo that night, and then…
Gods, could she still have been pregnant at that time?
I didn’t want to believe it, the guilt rising up to choke me, but at the same time, I knew in my heart it was true.
Nova was my daughter.
Suddenly, like a switch had been flipped, everything shifted in my mind. I felt like I could finally see the truth.
Darius had lied to me. Ivan had never been involved before Claire was cast out. And Claire had never betrayed me. She had been loyal, carrying my two children.
I hated myself for doubting her, even for a moment.
Darius had only been trying to manipulate me, just as Daphne had done back then. I should have known better than to even approach him expecting the truth. The entire family wanting nothing more than to hurt me and Claire.
Chapter 148
I wished I could understand why.
Though none of that mattered in this moment. Right here and now, the most important fact was that Nova was my daughter. Claire had always been honest.
In allowing Daphne to deceive me, I had been the one to betray Claire.
“Did I guess right, Daddy?” Leo asked, dragging me back to the present.
“I think so, yes,” I said.
For too long, I had let the resentment build up inside of me in an effort to keep from feeling the guilt of my responsibility in what happened to Claire.
But there could be no avoiding it now.
Daphne might have manipulated me, but ultimately, I was still the one who rejected Claire and cast her out. It didn’t matter- that I had been unaware of Nova, Claire had still been sent out into the wilderness alone, still very much pregnant, ready to deliver a second child.
No wonder she seemed to hate me so much, and was hiding herself away from me. No wonder she would turn to Ivan for protection.
What evidence had I ever given her that I was an honorable man who would provide for her and the children?
I had betrayed her, and she wouldn’t forget it.
AD
