Lauren eases out of Ash’s embrace, approaching Jamie and Ro. “I’m Lauren, Vivien’s mom. And this is my husband, Jonathon.” She glances back at her husband, and he tips his head at my brother and friend.
“I’m Jamie, and this is Ronan.”
“I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but thank you for being here. I know it will mean a lot to my daughter.”
Lauren moves back to the comfort of her husband’s arms, and her eyes connect with mine. Her brow creases. “Who are you?” she asks, exchanging a puzzled look with her husband.
I clear my throat, shoving my hands in the pockets of my jeans. “I’m Dillon O’Donoghue. I’m Ash and Ronan’s brother.”
“You’re Viv’s ex-boyfriend!” Lauren steps away from her husband, walking toward me. “I saw pictures of you,” she adds, scrutinizing my face. “But you didn’t look like this.” Jonathon steps up behind her, circling his arms around her waist as he regards me with suspicion. “You look like—” She clamps a hand over her mouth, sucking in a sharp gasp.
“He looks like Reeve,” her husband says, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. “What is going on here?”
Lauren’s hand drops to her side. “Oh my God. It’s you! You’re Reeve’s twin!”
I nod. “I am. Viv didn’t tell you we met two weeks ago?” I remember she was close to her parents. Her mum especially, and I know Reeve is like their prodigal son. I assumed they would’ve told them.
“What the hell is going on?” Lauren glares at me. “We knew you existed because we spoke to Reeve after he discovered he had a twin, but we left for location then.” Lauren glances briefly at her husband before her eyes drill into mine. “Neither of them said a word on the phone, but I sensed something was troubling my daughter. She seemed distracted. Stressed.”
She fixes me with a scary look, and her hands clench into fists at her sides. Honestly, she looks like she’s seconds away from punching me. “I’m beginning to understand why. I don’t believe in coincidence. You didn’t want to meet us in Dublin on purpose. You were afraid we would recognize you.” She hits the nail on the head, not that I’m confirming anything right now. I have zero desire to leave this hospital in a body bag, and with the way Viv’s parents are glaring at me, it’s a distinct possibility. “You knew who she was. You knew about Reeve. What sort of sick game were you playing?”
Viv’s dad straightens up, regarding me with blatant hostility. “I’d like to know the answer to that question too,” he says as the door opens and a man in blue scrubs enters the room.
“Mr. and Mrs. Mills. I’m Dr. Dwyer, and this is Officer Lawson. He’s investigating the accident,” he adds, stepping aside to let a tall man into the room. He has a head of thick black hair and a slight paunch, and he’s wearing a wrinkled black suit. The cop’s eyes widen when he gets a load of Jamie, Ro, and me, but he quickly composes himself. The doctor shuts the door, and tense anticipation bleeds into the air.
At least Viv’s parents have forgotten about me.
For now.
My heart is ping-ponging around my chest, and I think I might throw up. Ash walks to me, looping her arm through mine. Her lower lip wobbles, and she’s as white as a sheet. I know she’s every bit as terrified as me.
“Is our daughter out of surgery? Is she okay?” Lauren asks in a shaky voice.
“Vivien is in recovery, and she’ll be moved to a private room shortly. You can see her then. She lost a lot of blood, and we also discovered some internal bleeding. We found the source, repaired the damaged blood vessel, and cleaned out the pooled blood. She has a few bruised ribs, a concussion, and a sprained wrist, but she will make a full recovery. She needs rest and time to heal.”
Relief floods my system, and I wrap my arms around my sister, squeezing my eyes shut as I press a kiss to her head.
“Thank God,” Jonathon sobs, losing control of his emotions.
“What about the baby?” Ash asks.
The doctor’s features soften, and Jamie is up on his feet, striding toward us with purpose.
“We delivered the baby by C-section, but she was stillborn. She was deprived of oxygen for too long, and we didn’t get to her fast enough. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Ash bursts into tears, and I release her into Jamie’s care. This will bring back traumatic memories for them.
“Oh no, Jon.” Lauren buries her face in her husband’s shirt, sobbing her heart out.
Pain slices across my chest. If Viv has lost Reeve too, I don’t know if she’ll be able to come back from this. “What about my brother?” I ask. “Where is Reeve?”
The cop clears his throat, clasping his hands in front of his body. “Mr. Lancaster was pronounced dead at the scene,” he confirms, his features solemn.
I blink profusely, unable to process what he’s just said or understand how I’m feeling.
“Oh my God. No!” Lauren wails, and her legs almost go out from under her. Her husband keeps her upright, even though I can tell he’s struggling with the news too. “Not Reeve too! Not our son! She’ll never get over this, Jon.”
Lauren’s tearstained face almost undoes me. Ro gets up, walking to my side, offering me quiet comfort.
“Why is this happening?” she cries. “Why is God doing this to us?”
Ash is full-on crying too, and Jamie is doing his best to console her.
“What happened?” Jonathon asks the officer while holding his devastated wife. “How did our son-in-law die?”
“It appears Reeve unbuckled his belt and threw himself across Vivien to shield her and the baby before the tree toppled on their car. He took the brunt of the injury. The paramedics at the scene said your daughter would most likely have died if he hadn’t protected her.”
Every ugly thought I’ve ever had about my twin, and every ugly word I’ve ever spoken about him, comes back to haunt me. I know his actions tonight don’t exonerate his sins, but it’s possible Viv was right.
That I didn’t know the real Reeve.
And now I never will.
He sacrificed his life to save her and his unborn child, and that speaks volumes about the kind of man he was.
I hang my head as shame and a myriad of different emotions clouds my brain.
“I can’t process this,” Lauren says, clinging to her husband’s tear-soaked shirt. “Please tell me this is a nightmare and I’m going to wake up and Reeve will still be alive and Vivien will still be carrying little Lainey.”
Jonathon’s shoulders heave as he wraps his arms around his wife, and it’s clear he can’t form words.
“I know you need time to grieve,” the cop says, “but I just wanted to let you know we have taken the other driver in for questioning, and we’re conducting a full investigation. He has openly confessed to not seeing their car and clipping the back of their vehicle, which ultimately caused the accident.”
“Can we discuss this another time?” I say through gritted teeth. “I know you’re only doing your job, but they are in no state to hear this.”
“Of course.” He hands me his card and gives one to Jonathon too. “I’ll be in touch, but if you need anything else, feel free to call me.” He retrieves a bloodstained large white envelope from inside his jacket, handing it to me. “These were found in the car. They are not evidence, but I didn’t want to leave them where they might fall into the wrong hands.” His dark brown eyes drill into mine. “I believe they are safest left in your care.”