Carl looked straight at me.
“Lucas and Daniel shared the same blood type… the same rare genetic markers.”
A cold realization crept into my mind.
“No…”
Carl nodded slowly.
“The doctors asked if Daniel and Lucas might be related.”
My voice barely worked.
“And?”
Carl looked away.
“Lucas is Daniel’s twin.”
The world stopped.
“What?”
“The hospital discovered there had been a mix-up at the maternity ward nineteen years ago,” Carl said quietly. “Two babies born at the same time were accidentally switched.”
My hands trembled.
“Lucas… was supposed to be our son.”
The words echoed through the room.
“Our son.”
“And Daniel… belonged to the family next door.”
Silence filled the house.
All these years…
We had raised someone else’s child.
And the family next door had raised ours.
Tears streamed down my face.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Carl looked broken.
“The other parents didn’t want to reopen the case. They said losing Daniel was already unbearable. They were terrified of losing Lucas too.”
“And you agreed?”
Carl nodded slowly.
“I thought it would destroy you.”
I stood up slowly.
My legs felt weak.
Outside, through the window, I could see the house next door.
A young man stepped into the yard.
Lucas.
Next
