Page 51 of My Twin Sister

“Well, Tina and I will get going. I think both of the boys are asleep. Carter went to bed an hour ago, and last time I checked, Jack was reading in bed.”

I force my lips to smile. “Thanks, Frank.”

“Yep.” He stands up with a grunt and shakes Tina’s shoulder.

She startles awake and looks right past Frank at me. Her face screws up a bit.

“Grace? Oh Grace, I’m so sorry.”

“Tina. Wake up. It’s Geny,” Frank says.

Tina’s eyes seem to focus, and her face changes as she comes into full consciousness. She sits up, smoothing down her hair. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was having such a strange dream.”

She stands up, looking uncomfortable. I try to tell her thank you, but my throat is too tight. Instead, I keep the fake, polite smile plastered to my face.

I stand awkwardly as they get their shoes and coats on. Every few seconds, Frank glances up at me and each time he does it I wonder if he heard what actually happened outside. I’m not sure I even take a breath until they’re both outside and the door is closed between us. The second it is, my body starts to shake.

What is wrong with me? I can’t stop making a mess of everything. The harder I try to keep Wyatt close, the more I push him right into Grace’s arms. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end the week having lost both my husband and my sister.

The tears come faster and faster, along with my breath. I need to calm down, but I can’t. I go to the bathroom down the hall and nearly jump out of skin at my reflection. I look insane. Black streaks run down my face from the makeup I thought I’d wear to look pretty for my husband. My hair is all messed up like I just got off a carnival ride.

Is this how I looked when I came into the house? Is this what Frank and Tina just saw?

It’s all too much. Wyatt should be home by now. I rush out of the bathroom and onto the porch. It’s cold, but I hardly feel it. Wyatt isn’t here. He isn’t here because he’s with Grace. And he’s with Grace because of me.

Everything is my fault. I was stupid to think I could keep him. Grace is back from the dead and they should be together. I shouldn’t stand in the way. I always knew they were meant to end up together, and I did what I could to take that from them because I’m a monster. This is what I deserve.

When my breathing finally slows and the tears dry up, I realize I’m no longer home. I didn’t intend to leave, but I just started walking and now I’m close to town. I immediately recognize the houses on the block and keep going. I do my best to blindly fix my tear-stained face and wild hair.

Thirty-One: Grace

I can’t sleep. I’m sick about everything. The fight with Geny. The fact that she knows something that could get her killed. The way she screamed it so carelessly when Frank was inside tells me she has no clue just how much danger she’s put herself in.

How long has she known my horrible secret? Since before I disappeared? Or did she recently find out? But more than any of that, I need to know how she knows.

Wyatt swears he didn’t tell her and I believe him. And that’s part of the story Geny can never know. She can’t know Wyatt helped me, that he knew the truth while she and my family grieved me. She can’t know that Frank tried to have me killed to keep our secret, and Wyatt put himself in the middle of a murder plot to protect me. She’d never understand why she wasn’t told.

I give up on sleep for the moment and grab my car keys from my purse before putting on my running shoes. I can’t count on Geny taking me to get my car in the morning after our fight and I need to blow off some steam.

Murphy’s house is a nice long run from my parents’ place. It feels good to let all the thoughts drift away, even if it’s only temporary. I’m out of breath by the time I arrive. The lights are all off at Murphy’s house and I try my best to be silent as I retrieve my car.

When I’m back home, I collapse into bed. I was hoping the run would be enough to exhaust me. That I would lay down and be asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. But it was wishful thinking.

I spend the rest of the night tossing and turning. My nose aches now that the adrenaline from the fight has started to wear off. That night at the lake keeps replaying in my mind, like if I just run through it enough times I can go back and change something. I still don’t know how things got as bad as they did so fast. I’ve thought about it a million times, and in all those times I can’t find where things went from bad to worse.

Thirty-Two: Grace

Eighteen years ago

I told Wyatt everything. All the lies and the guilt were making me hate myself. I’d thought about what it would be like to tell the truth for so long. I knew it would be awful. But it was so much worse than I imagined it would be.

I’ll never forget the pain in Wyatt’s eyes. I’ll never forget that it was me who put it there. The one he trusted the most. It was worse that he didn’t scream. I wanted him to yell at me. I deserved it. I deserved so much more. But he was quiet when he told me to get out of his truck. I fought back my tears because I had no right to them. I shut the door and walked until my legs begged for the burn of a run. And then I ran.

Frank is going to be pissed when he finds out I told Wyatt. When he learns that our little secret isn’t just between us anymore. But screw it. Wyatt deserves to know. So does Tina for that matter. He has to know this wasn’t going to stay hidden forever. The truth always comes out. And when it does, I’ll be labeled a homewrecker. The heartless bitch who was sleeping with my perfect boyfriend’s dad.

What a cliche.

I stop running when I get to the beach. My lungs burn. It’s my favorite feeling, and as soon as I think it, I think maybe I’ll never run again. I don’t deserve my favorite feelings. I’m an awful, terrible, disgusting whore.