Ruby and Maisie raced across our backyard, their golden curls bouncing in the sunlight.
They were not identical. Ruby had my brown eyes, while Maisie’s were gray, and Maisie was slightly taller. Still, they shared the same heart-shaped face, button nose, deep left-cheek dimple, and mischievous smile.
They looked more like cousins than children who had met only two weeks earlier.
That thought should have reassured me.
Instead, it made my stomach tighten.
“Paige?”
I turned to find my husband, Colin, watching me from the patio.
“You all right?” he asked.
“I was just noticing how much the girls resemble each other.”
His expression changed instantly. His shoulders stiffened, and his eyes moved toward Maisie.
“Families repeat the same features sometimes,” he murmured.
“What families?”
Before he could answer, Ruby ran over and grabbed his hand.
“Dad, come push us on the swing!”
Maisie waited beneath the maple tree. When Colin approached her, something painful crossed his face. He helped her onto the swing with unusual care, then stood behind her as she laughed.
He looked at her with affection, grief, and recognition.
Like he already knew her.
Maisie and her father, Theo, had moved into the house next door two weeks earlier. Theo had introduced himself politely, explaining that he had accepted a job at the local hospital after losing his wife the previous year.
Colin had barely spoken to him.
Whenever Theo waved across the driveway, Colin found an excuse to go inside. Whenever I mentioned Maisie’s resemblance to Ruby, he changed the subject.
His behavior made no sense unless he was hiding something.
That night, I pulled out our family albums after Ruby went to bed. I compared her baby pictures with Colin’s childhood photographs.
Ruby had inherited most of her features from Colin’s side. His mother had the same pale curls, delicate chin, and pronounced dimples.
So did Maisie.
“What are you looking for?”
I quickly closed the album.
Colin stood in the doorway, his face tense.
“Answers,” I said.
He glanced at the album and seemed to understand.
“Paige, I need to tell you something.”
“Then tell me.”
He opened his mouth, but no words came.
After several seconds, he looked away.
“I’m sorry. I’m not ready.”
“You’ve been acting strangely since Theo and Maisie arrived. Were you expecting them?”
His silence answered for him.
“How long have you known they were coming?”
“Two weeks before they moved in.”
“And you didn’t think to mention it?”
“I tried.”
“No, Colin. You thought about trying.”
I stood and faced him.
“Is Maisie your daughter?”
His head snapped up.
“No.”
The answer came immediately and firmly.
“Then why does she look like Ruby? Why do you watch her like that? Why are you avoiding her father?”
Colin rubbed a hand over his face.
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