chapter 52

The twins sat in silence, processing everything. Finally, Justin took a deep breath."I don’t want to go back yet," he admitted, staring at Alex. "I want to stay with... with her. I need to know if she's really my mother."Alex's eyes widened. "You mean... a DNA test?"Justin nodded. "Yeah. Something feels off. Selena doesn’t feel like my real mom. I need to know for sure."Alex looked away, deep in thought. "I get it," he murmured. "Actually... I feel the same way. If Nicolo is really my dad, why did Mom lie to me? And why does Selena claim to be your mom? Something’s wrong here."A silence stretched between them, before Alex turned back to Justin with determination in his eyes."Let's keep the swap," he suggested. "For now."Justin looked up, intrigued. "You mean...?"Alex smirked. "I'll stay with dad. You stay with Mom. This way, we can find out the truth ourselves."A mischievous glint flickered in Justin's eyes. "And we can learn more about our parents while we're at it."Alex nodded. "Exactly."They shook hands again, sealing their plan. Then, without wasting any time, they swapped jackets and adjusted their caps, making sure everything looked the same as before."See you soon, bro" Alex said with a grin.Justin grinned back. "See you soon."With that, they turned and walked in opposite directions—Justin heading back to Amaira, and Alex returning to Nicolo, both determined to uncover the truth.***As soon as Alex—now in Justin’s place—stepped into the hotel, he saw Nicolo standing there, his arms crossed, waiting for him. His sharp eyes narrowed.“Where were you?” Nicolo’s voice was calm, but the weight behind it was heavy.Alex swallowed. He had prepared an excuse, but before he could even utter a word, Nicolo’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then looked back at Alex.“We’re leaving. Now.”“What?” Alex’s eyes widened.Before he knew it, Nicolo placed a firm hand on his back, leading him outside. The black car waiting for them drove straight to the private helipad.“Wait, I—” Alex started, but Nicolo shot him a look that made him stop.“Whatever you were doing, we’ll talk about it later. Get in.”Alex clenched his fists, knowing he had no way out. He barely managed to pull out his phone and send a quick message to Justin before being ushered onto the helicopter."Change of plans. He’s taking me back. Already on the chopper."Justin, still in Amaira’s hotel room, felt his phone vibrate. He opened the message and froze.“What do you mean, back?” he whispered.But it was too late. By the time Justin processed what had happened, Alex was already in the air.The helicopter landed on a sprawling estate surrounded by high walls and security cameras after a continuous 3 hours. It was massive yet eerily quiet. Nicolo led Alex inside, straight to the main hall, where a familiar woman stood waiting.Selena.The moment she saw Alex, her eyes lit up with a forced warmth. “Oh, my darling, Justin! You’re finally home.”As they walked inside, Selena suddenly appeared, rushing toward him. “Justin, baby! You didn’t even call me—”Alex tensed as she hugged him, her perfume overwhelming. He had never met this woman before, but everything about her screamed fake. Justin had been right.Nicolo, uninterested, simply said, “Enough, Selena. He’s tired. Let him rest.”Alex saw the way Nicolo dismissed her so easily. He made a mental note—if Nicolo truly loved Justin, then why did he tolerate this woman?As he was led to Justin’s room, he realized something.This house was a mystery.And if he wanted to uncover the truth, he had to play his role carefully.***Justin stepped into the grand house, still trying to process everything. The warm, inviting scent of freshly baked pastries filled the air, making his stomach rumble. It felt… homely. More than the cold mansion he had grown up in."You are home darling? Now come on, I made your favorite chocolate pudding.”Justin blinked. Chocolate pudding? His favorite? He didn’t even know that was Alex’s favorite, but he wasn’t about to correct her. He followed her inside, a small smile forming on his lips. Maybe staying here wasn’t such a bad idea after all.Justin sat at the dining table, enjoying a warm meal prepared by Amaira. The food was different from what he usually ate at home—simpler, but it had a warmth that filled not just his stomach but also something deep inside him.For the first time, he felt like he was truly home.But something felt off.Amaira had been quiet. She barely ate and kept glancing at her phone as if waiting for something. Then, without a word, she got up and left the table.Curious, Justin put his spoon down and silently followed her.Amaira stood in front of an open suitcase, neatly folding her clothes and placing them inside.Justin’s heart dropped."You're leaving?" His voice was small but firm.Amaira turned around, surprised to see him standing by the door. "Yes, WE are leaving." she answered, continuing her packing. "We were supposed to leave today, but I got delayed. Now that things are settled, it's time to go back to Italy."Justin clenched his fists. "But… why so soon?"Amaira sighed, pausing for a moment. "Because London is not home for me, Justin. We only came to find your twin brother" she whispered.Justin froze. His chest tightened."I thought I would find him here," Amaira continued, her voice heavy with disappointment. "But he’s nowhere to be found. I don’t know where else to look… I thought I would feel something, a connection, a sign… but there’s nothing."Justin swallowed hard. He had known she was looking for him, but hearing her say it out loud, seeing the pain in her eyes—it was too much.She smiled at him softly, ruffling his hair. "But I have you, Alex. And that’s enough. We’ll return home for now. And search him until he is back."No.Justin gripped the edge of his seat. He had to stop her. He needed time. He had to take her to Bristol if he wanted her to meet dad."Mummy" he said, his voice hesitant. "What if we’re searching in the wrong place?"Amaira looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"Justin quickly thought of an idea. "What if he’s in Bristol?"Amaira blinked. "Bristol?"Justin nodded. "Think about it. He could be anywhere, right? If he wasn’t here, maybe he’s in Bristil. It's a place with a lot of orphanages. Maybe he is in one of them."Amaira looked unsure. "Justin, we can’t just travel to every state blindly.""But we’re not!" Justin insisted. "I mean, what’s the harm in trying? What if he’s there, Mom? What if we’re close?"Amaira’s fingers tightened around her cup. She looked away, deep in thought. Justin saw her hesitation and pushed a little more."If we leave now, we might never come back," he said softly. "And if he’s really there… we’d never know."Amaira sighed deeply. "I don’t know, Justin…"Justin reached for her hand, squeezing it. "Please, Mom. Just one more chance. Let’s go to Bristol."Amaira looked at him for a long time, then finally, she nodded."Alright," she said. "One last chance. We’ll go to Bristol. And then no more England. Okay?"Justin let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.Mission accomplished.