When a new family moved in next door, the uncanny resemblance between their daughter and my own made me suspicious. Could my husband be having an affair? I had to confront him, but the truth turned out to be much darker than I could have imagined. There they were, Emma and Lily, twirling around in our backyard like twin sunflowers chasing the light.
Their laughter rang out in perfect harmony, which should have warmed my heart. I squinted, trying to find the difference — any difference — between my daughter and our new neighbour’s child. But it was like looking at two copies of the same photograph. The same golden curls catching the sunlight, the same button nose and the same mischievous sparkle in their eyes. The only obvious way to tell Emma apart from Lily was the few inches difference in their height. ‘Heather?’ Jack’s voice snapped me out of my trance.
‘Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’ I forced a smile, looking back at my husband. ‘Just thinking.’ I didn’t add that our perfect little world might be built on quicksand. Jack gave me a puzzled look, but then Emma ran up and grabbed his hand. ‘Daddy, come swing Lily and me on the swings!’ she shouted. ‘Of course, sweetheart.’
A smile never left his eyes as he let Emma lead him to the swing, where Lily was already waiting. ‘Can I go first, please?’ Lily asked. ‘Okay, but then it’ll be Emma’s turn,’ Jack replied. As he helped Lily climb onto the swing, I couldn’t help but notice how natural they looked together. Like father and daughter. The thought made my stomach rumble. Later that evening, after putting Emma to bed, I started looking through old photo albums. I flipped through the pages of Emma’s childhood photos, looking for something that would scream, ‘Jack’s genes.’ ‘What are you doing?’ Jack’s voice made me jump.
He stood in the doorway, confusion written all over his face. I snapped the album shut. ‘Nothing. Just… reminiscing.’ ‘Reminiscing…’ he repeated, frowning slightly as he looked over my shoulder at the photo album lying on my lap. I could see the questions in his eyes. Questions he didn’t ask. Just as I didn’t ask about the growing distance between us or why he always changed the subject when I mentioned our new neighbours. Days turned into weeks, and my suspicions grew like weeds in a neglected garden.
Every shared laugh between Jack and Lily, every nervous glance when I mentioned the neighbours. It all fuelled my gnawing doubts. One sleepless night, I couldn’t take it anymore. I rolled over in bed, facing Jack. ‘Is Lily your daughter?’ I said. The words hung in the air like smoke, acrid and suffocating. Jack’s body tensed. ‘What?’ He turned slowly, his face frozen in shock.
‘Heather, what are you talking about? Where did this come from?’ “Don’t play dumb, Jack. The girls look alike. And you’ve been acting strange ever since Lily and her family moved in with us.‘ My voice broke. ’Just tell me the truth. Did you have an affair?‘ Jack sat down, running his hand through his hair. ’This is crazy. Of course I didn’t have an affair! I made a promise to you before God. How could you think I would break it?‘ ’Then why won’t you talk about them?
Why do you shut down every time I mention Lily?” He hung his head. His silence spoke volumes. I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head, weighing the truth against the lie. ‘I can’t… I can’t talk about it right now,’ he finally muttered, swinging his legs off the bed. ‘Jack, don’t you dare leave me!’ But he was already out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts and fears. The next morning, I woke up in an empty bed with a note on the bedside table. ‘Left early for work. Talk tonight.’
Classic Jack, avoiding confrontation. I spent the whole day in a daze, going about my usual business, while my thoughts raced ahead. By midday, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed answers, and I knew where to get them. ‘Emma, sweetie,’ I called. ‘Why don’t you go play with Lily for a while?’ Emma eagerly ran out the door. I waited an hour before following her, my heart pounding.
I knocked on the neighbour’s door, putting on my best ‘neighbour mum’ smile. Lily’s father answered, and his slight smirk faltered a little when he saw me. “Hi, you’re Heather, right? I’m so glad to finally meet you! Please come in. I’m Ryan. Emma’s in the backyard with Lily, if that’s who you’re looking for.‘ ’Yes… could you call her, please?” As soon as Ryan turned away, I started searching his living room. There were lots of framed photos of Ryan and Lily with people who generally shared Ryan’s dark hair and olive skin tone.
His family, I guessed. But why weren’t there any photos of Lily’s mother? Come to think of it, why had I never seen Lily’s mother? I glanced into the hallway. And then my attention was drawn to a large photograph of a fair-haired woman hanging on the wall above. Without thinking, I hurried up the stairs. ‘What are you doing?’ I turned and saw Ryan looking at me grimly. A million excuses flashed through my mind, but they all stuck in my throat. I had to know the truth. ‘Is that Lily’s mother? Where is she?’ Ryan flinched. “Yes… that’s Mary.