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“Hi Bella, sorry if I got a little emotional,” Brenda said, wiping away the tears. “I’ve just gotten my hopes up so many times over the years, and every time, they get dashed with reality.”
“I’m sorry,” I told her. “And I understand, it’s emotional for me too. I can’t believe all the signs pointing towards me being your daughter. I want to believe it so badly.”
“Well, we will find out soon enough,” Charles said. “That is, if you’re still okay with us moving forward with the investigation.”
“I am, yes.”
“Good. I’m sure they will do a DNA test, but we can also do our own. Not that I have any doubt, I am fully convinced of it now,” Charles said. He comforted his wife as she cried into his shoulder. Seeing her so emotional, and seeing the love between the two of them, brought tears to my eyes too.
“Would you like to see the babies? Well, two of them at least, just the girls are home right now,” I said.
“Yes, yes, of course,” Charles said. “I told her all about them, and how we might be grandparents.”
“I didn’t believe him, I thought he was just chasing another unicorn.” Brenda said.
“But now you believe me?” Charles asked with a small chuckle.
“I want to, and yes, she does look so much like me, just like you said and—” She seemed to be struggling with speaking. It was likely a huge shock to see the daughter she thought she’d lost decades ago staring back at her.
“There’s just too many coincidences,” I added, getting up off the bed and walking toward the nursery where the girls were sleeping.
I stepped inside and turned the camera toward Ariana first.
“What a sweet baby,” Brenda cooed. “She looks so much like—”
“Our Bella when she was a baby?” Charles finished for her.
“Yes,” Brenda said in a choked voice.
I then showed them Lucy, and Brenda had the same reaction. Since I’d never seen a photo of myself as a baby, it was hard to know if what they were saying was true or not, but it made me happy to know my daughters looked like me.
As we were talking about the girls, another call flashed across my screen. It was the woman who’d raised me. I canceled the call and went back to talking to Brenda and Charles, heading back into the bedroom so as not to wake the girls.
As I was getting comfortable on the bed, a call popped up on my screen again. I let out a groan as I canceled it, and not even a second later, it popped up again. After months of not talking to me, suddenly whatever she had to say was urgent? I was so annoyed, and it showed on my face.
“Do you need to take the other call?” Charles asked.
“No, it’s just my mom, err, Mary. Maria, as you knew her, I suspect.”
“Oh,” Charles said, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Does she know that we’re pursuing an investigation?”
“No, I haven’t told her anything. In fact, we haven’t talked in months. But I’m not about to give her a heads up, I want her caught and brought to justice if she did indeed, kidnap me.”
“Are you okay with that, Bella? I know Brenda and I hold negative feelings toward this woman, but she did raise you, and you had a father too, from what you’ve told me. Are you okay with them being put in jail?”
I had thought about it long and hard, and the question didn’t affect me as it did when we first started talking about it. “The man who raised me is already in prison for a very long time, and I haven’t talked to him in years. And as far as Maria, we hardly talk at all anymore and I don’t think she ever loved me anyway. What I’m trying to say is, I’m okay with it. If she did kidnap me, then I am prepared for justice to be served.”
We were quiet for a second, and the number popped up on my screen again.
Dammit, why now?
“You know that we have all the time in the world to get to know each other,” Charles said softly. “We hope to meet you in person soon, and your babies too. Maybe you should take the call and see what she wants?”
“Maybe, since she’s so damned persistent,” I muttered.
Her number popped up again.
“It was nice seeing you,” Brenda said, her voice weaker than before. “I hope we can talk again soon.”
