Twin Deception(9)

Yet nothing had turned up. No remains. No Connor. If he was alive where was he? Nothing added up. Sadi could understand Luke’s hesitation to bury his brother, to move on with a life that seemed so incomplete, so unfinished. Greeson had convinced Luke that having a memorial ceremony was what the company and the world needed to move forward. Sadi knew Luke hadn’t moved on, but he had finally agreed.

Here they were, the grey morning sky echoing Sadi and Luke’s bleak moods. The ceremony was for close friends and acquaintances only. They had gathered outside in the park to release lanterns into the grey sky and to say a few nice words. Luke was willing to honor his brother’s memory, but he wasn’t willing to close the book on the hope that somehow, somewhere, he was still alive.

Sadi glanced at the lantern Luke had moved to light. The fragile white paper glowed yellow from the fire within. She looked around at the scattering of people there. Some she knew well, others she was surprised that she didn’t.

Sadi should have made more of an effort to get to know Connor. She felt a stab of guilt go through her chest. She found herself sending up another thought, another hope, sending her wishes that if Connor was alive, he would somehow hear her and know how sorry she was. She wished that Connor understood how much Luke still needed him.

Sadi saw Luke look up into the cloudy sky, taking in the lanterns that were floating away, into the wind and impending rain. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his back. He surprised her by wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.

“Let’s go home Luke,” Sadi whispered. She saw herself reflected in his eyes as he glanced down. He gave her a soft smile and nodded.





Chapter 4


When they were back in the safety of their own home, away from the worried eyes of their friends who were at Connor’s ceremony, Sadi noticed Luke relax slightly. His shoulders lost their horrible rigidity. He made coffee, poured himself a cup and sat down at the kitchen table. Sadi joined him, taking his hand in her own.

“It’s a dumb question Luke, but are you alright?” Sadi knew the answer. How could anyone be alright after losing his brother? His twin brother?

“Sadi,” Luke whispered. He tilted her face up with his free hand and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I know Connor’s out there somewhere. I just know it.”

“Luke…” Sadi wanted to caution him against false hope, yet she didn’t have the strength to contradict him. Who was she to shatter his world?

“If he was dead Sadi, I would know it wouldn’t I? Wouldn’t I feel it, right here, that he was gone?” Luke pointed to his chest.

Sadi had to shrug. She had no brother or sister, and certainly had no concept of what the bond between twins was like. Other than what she had read, she would never be able to feel what Luke instinctively felt.

“Maybe.” Sadi squeezed Luke’s hand. She didn’t want him to give up. She had no words that wouldn’t offer false hope or destroy Luke’s current optimism. “Tomorrow will be better,” she whispered because it was all she could think to say. “It has to be.”

“How do you want your eggs?” Sadi asked, turning from the burner. Luke sat at the kitchen table, a huge smile on his face. A couple days had passed since Connor’s ceremony. Sadi had expected Luke to be quiet, and she had almost feared the onslaught of his grief, but she could tell he still hadn’t lost hope. Instead of going into work to deal with more lawyers and more meetings, he had surprised her by spending time with her by relaxing in the sauna with her, by the pool, reading with her in the library. He had asked her about her thoughts on a book they read together. He had been caring, kind, and interested in her in a way he hadn’t ever been.

Sadi had wanted to do something for Luke in return. He had given her all of his devotion and she felt loved like she had never felt with him before. She had decided to give the household staff a couple weeks off.

She wanted to try and do something herself for a change. She found that the cleaning, the cooking, and the taking care of Luke had kept her grounded. She hated that she felt proud of herself for being useful, but she did. Luke had beamed at her when he caught her vacuuming.

He had smiled at her when she presented him with breakfast, lunch, and dinner that she had cooked herself, even if it was basic, slightly unhealthy, and sometimes even burnt or borderline inedible.

“Over medium? But I’m not fussy.” Luke looked down at his paper.

“Over medium?” Sadi asked, confused. Luke never ate his eggs any way other than scrambled. He found the sight of running yolk generally disgusting.

“Yes, like a little runny, but not slimy….” Luke looked up to see if Sadi knew what he meant.