Beneath Blackwater River by Leslie Wolfe (love story books to read txt) 📕

she suddenly realized what she’d been missing, and it had been right in front of her the entire time. Fascinated, she approached the photo and studied it from up close. Then, she turned to Carole with an empathetic smile.

“I understand why you had to keep these two separated, why you broke up their romance and lied about Dylan. They were siblings, right? Incest is illegal in the state of California, and it’s been like that for a while.” Carole nodded, a hint of a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Not to mention, the scandal. It would’ve destroyed everyone.”

“Exactly,” Carole replied. “I had no other choice.”

Kay wiped the fake smile off her lips, dipping her voice in ice. “Only they weren’t siblings, were they?”

Her question dropped like a bomb, filling the air with tension, thick as fog on a fall morning.

“What?” Bill asked. He’d been on his knees all that time, but he sprung to his feet and approached Kay. In a split second, his arm landed firmly in Elliot’s grip, tightly enough to make him wince.

“Were they, Mrs. Caldwell?” Kay pressed on, ignoring Bill and focusing on Carole. The woman had destroyed their lives. She deserved what she had coming.

Carole turned and walked away, then, probably realizing the issue wasn’t going to go away on its own if she ignored it, approached Kay and grabbed her hand between hers. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, my dear. But I’m begging you, this family has been through enough. It’s time for you to leave, even if that means taking Bill with you without legal representation. Our lawyer was in San Francisco when I called; that’s why he’s delayed, but he’ll meet you at the precinct. Now, please leave or I will have you escorted off my property.”

“You knew,” Kay replied calmly. “You knew they were not related, and you kept it under wraps to save your own reputation.”

“That’s it, you’re leaving, or else.” Carole walked over to the desk phone and picked up the receiver, then quickly dialed a number. Before the call could be answered, Blanche snatched the phone out of her hand and slammed it down hard.

“I want to know,” Blanche said, standing by Bill’s side and glaring at her mother. Then she turned to Kay, her voice pleading, filled with tears. “It’s our right to know.”

Kay nodded slowly, thinking there should’ve been laws against what Carole had done to her children. They’d lived all their lives under the burden of immense guilt and shame for their love, forced to lie to themselves and everyone else, including their son.

She looked at Carole, anticipating the look her words would bring in the woman’s eyes. “You see this chin dimple you and your husband both have?” Kay pointed at the picture above the fireplace. Bill touched his chin absentmindedly. “It’s called cleft chin, and in the vast majority of cases, it’s inherited, unless there’s trauma involved. The gene that carries it is dominant.” She paused for a moment. Carole had turned pale as a sheet, while Blanche and Bill seemed confused. “That means either parent will pass it on.” She turned to Blanche, pointing at her chin. “Blanche isn’t your daughter, and was not your husband’s either.”

“Oh, God,” Blanche whispered, starting to cry.

Bill clenched his fists, glaring at his mother, and bellowed, “I’ll kill you!” Elliot held him back with difficulty, as he fought to free himself and pounce on Carole. “If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll end your miserable life. You destroyed us,” he sobbed, shaking, heaving, his rage melting into powerlessness and defeat. Then he reached out to Blanche with both his cuffed hands. “Mira… I’m so sorry. I should’ve known. I felt… We both felt it. Our love was real.”

Blood draining from her face, Blanche grabbed Carole by the arm. “Was I adopted? Why did you hide that?”

Carole looked at the two of them with infinite contempt. “I don’t owe you any explanation,” she said, thrusting her chin forward and grinding her teeth. “I did what I had to do to protect your legacy.”

“What legacy?” Bill scoffed. “It’s a bloody farm! When the wind blows from the south, your precious legacy smells of manure! You’re nothing but a snob, a pretentious farmer full of airs and delusions of grandeur. You’re pathetic.” He spat on the floor at Carole’s feet, but the old woman didn’t flinch. “I envy Blanche for not having your blood coursing through her veins.”

“Please tell me,” Blanche said. “Please. It’s my right to know.”

Kay looked at the endless arrogance on the woman’s face. There was no empathy there, for either of them, no remorse for the damage she’d done. “It will come out at the trial anyway,” Kay said. “You’ll be under oath and you’ll have no choice but to answer. Right now, it’s in your best interest to cooperate.”

The old woman lowered her head, seemingly defeated, at least for a moment. “My husband had an affair,” she rasped. “Typical sordid story, nothing original. His assistant, a gold-digging blond with short skirts and no morals, had him wrapped around her finger. A few months later, she showed up on our doorstep with you,” she gestured toward Blanche. “We offered a cash settlement against her sworn silence and she sold you cheap.” She shook her head, lost in memories. “But then, as you were starting to grow, I noticed things. We’re all dark-haired, you’re a blond. Our family, on my husband’s side, they all have brown eyes, but yours remained blue. I sent your DNA and William’s to be tested, and I knew.” She sighed, closing her eyes for a long moment. “I’ve known since you were two.”

“Why did you keep me? You must’ve hated me so much,” Blanche asked, her skin deathly pale and her lips quivering.

Carole shrugged. “It’s not about you. It never was. My dear William deserved the pang of guilt he felt whenever you and I were in the same room,” she said, her