Angela wrapped her arms around herself, her shoulders hunching. "But our jobs… our apartment…"
"Those can be replaced," Kiara said, squeezing Angela's arm. "Angie, this could be our chance. Remember our plan? Getting away from here for good?"
"I know, but…" Angela's voice trailed off as she stared down at the table.
Jude leaned forward slightly. "Angela, I understand this is overwhelming. But I need to be honest with you now about why we're here."
She looked up, those blue-green eyes filled with wariness and a flicker of fear. "What do you mean?"
Jude took a steadying breath. There was no easy way to say this. "The woman in the photograph—her name is Annalisa. Annie. She's not just someone who looks like you. She's your twin sister."
Angela's face went completely white. Kiara's hand flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp.
"My… my twin?" Angela's voice was barely audible. “We wondered if that was possible, but we couldn’t figure out why we weren’t kept together.”
"There’s a reason for that,” Jude said, hating that he had to completely upend her belief about her past. “Twenty-four years ago, you and Annie were kidnapped from your family's home in upstate New York by your nanny and her husband, a member of the security team. A ransom was paid, and Annie was returned to the family. You…" Jude's voice gentled. "You were never found."
The silence in the small room was deafening. Angela sat frozen, staring at him as if he'd spoken in a foreign language.
"That's impossible," she whispered finally. "Jim said my birth parents couldn't take care of me. That they were… that they were bad people."
"Jim Reynolds lied to you." Jude's voice carried quiet conviction. "Your birth father is Duncan Burke. He's spent the last twenty-four years searching for you. Your family never stopped looking, never stopped hoping to one day find you."
Tears spilled down Angela's cheeks. "I don't… I can't…"
Kiara moved closer, wrapping her arms around Angela's shoulders. "It's okay, Angie. Breathe."
Jude could see that Angela's hands were shaking as she pressed them against her mouth as if trying to hold back sobs. The revelation had obviously taken her totally off-guard.
He fought the urge to offer her comfort, knowing it wasn’t his place. Plus, Kiara was there for her.
"I was… I was stolen?" The words came out broken, fractured by the weight of understanding. "You're saying that Jim… that Jim kidnapped me?"
"Yes." Jude kept his voice steady, hoping to help calm her. "Along with your nanny."
"Sandra was our nanny?" The words came out strangled. Angela pressed a hand to her chest. "But she… she was my mother."
"She was the woman who raised you," Jude corrected gently. "But she wasn't your mother. You were taken from your family, who loved you deeply. Who has never stopped loving you."
"But Jim said…" Angela's voice cracked. "He said they didn't want me. That they couldn't take care of me properly."
"He lied." Jude's voice carried a gentle firmness. "Everything he told you about your birth family was a lie designed to keep you from questioning your situation or trying to find them."
Kiara wrapped her arms around Angela, her own eyes bright with unshed tears. "Angie, this is good news. This means you have a family out there who wants you."
Angela pulled back slightly, looking at Kiara with panic in her eyes. "But what about you? If I have a real family, where does that leave you?"
"Hey." Kiara cupped Angela's face in her hands. "You're my sister, no matter what. That doesn't change."
Jude watched the exchange, struck by the depth of their bond. "Kiara would be welcome as well. Your father—Duncan—made that very clear. He understands that family isn't just about blood."
Angela's breathing was still coming in short, panicked bursts. "But why would they do this? Why would Jim and Sandra take me away from my family?"
"Money," Jude said simply. "Your father is a wealthy man. They demanded a ransom of a million dollars for the return of both you and your sister."
"But they only returned Annie," Kiara said, her brow furrowing. “If they only wanted the money, why would they keep Angie?”
“We think the money was for Jim, and you were for Sandra.”
