Chapter 29

Miranda's POV

I smile at Sebastian to try and convince him that I was never at that event five years ago. Sebastian narrows his gaze and places his hands on the counter beside me. He leans in and his nose hovers over mine.

My gaze drops to his lips. My heart pounds in my chest and if I didn’t know better, I think he could hear just how fast it races whenever he’s near.

“Are you certain?” he asks. My heart skips a beat. I nod. His body stays still, frozen in place, and it makes me want to cower inside my own body and hide.

There is something about being so close to him, after sharing many intimate moments and kisses with him, that makes me nervous. Before, I’d always felt so confident and allowed my anger to take control and butt heads with him.

Sebastian pushes himself off the counter and walks back to his seat at the dining room table. He picks up his newspaper and settles into his seat. He casually picks up his cup of coffee and takes a sip from it.

“You may go now,” Sebastian says after taking a drink from the white mug. I purse my lips and nod, my face scrunching.

“Yeah…okay,” I murmur and step away from the counter. My shoes squeak against the spotless floor. I keep my head bowed and hung low, not wanting to draw any more attention to myself than I already have in the last twelve hours.

I step into the hallway that leads down to the front door, one that I had just traveled not even ten minutes ago. I sigh in relief and lift my head.

In front of me stands a young boy. He’s the same height as Noah and shares the same hair color. My posture straightens and I warmly smile at him. My smile falters when my eyes finally focus on his face.

His nose is exactly like Noah’s. He shares the same freckles that spread across his cheeks. I tilt my head to the side and hold a hand out.

Is…is that you, Noah? Did Sebastian find out about Noah?! How could he have figured it out? Noah was sick on the day of the school event!

Did he have his Beta look into me? What kind of dirt could he possibly need on me? Has his precious fiancée Lily not given him enough?

My eyes drift to the young boy’s.

“Hi, Miss Miran—” the boy’s voice is cut off. Sebastian pushes me to the side and swoops the boy up into his arms. The boy turns his head to look at me but Sebastian turns his face away.

“I told you to wear your sunglasses this morning,” Sebastian’s voice is hushed, and yet the hallway carries it in my direction.

A door slams and the walls rattle. I look around the foyer and sigh, choosing not to do or say anything, not wanting to cause any more trouble in Sebastian’s life.

I exit his home and his Beta waits outside next to his parked car. Once he sees me, his head perks up and a smile spreads across his face.

“Good morning, Miss Miranda. I was told to drive you home.” The Beta’s voice is calm.

“Can you take me to my car instead? I need to change the tire on it and—”

“No worries, ma’am, we have already fixed your car and it is waiting for you at your destination,” he gestures to the backseat of the car, the smile remaining on his face.

I nod in response and smile, dipping into the backseat of the car. The Beta closes the door behind me and quickly gets into the front seat. The engine roars to life and he pulls out of the driveway, heading towards the main road. I look out the window and stare at the blurred trees, frowning.

Why did that boy look exactly like Noah? It can’t be him! I left him at home with Ella and Anna before I went to work! Did he have his Gammas go to my home when I left?

What kind of plan does Sebastian have up his sleeve? He truly wants to cause chaos. It unsettles me, sending chills down my spine, leaving me feeling cold all over my body.

No…this has Lily and Harper written all over it. Their maniacal minds keep me up at night. I would not be surprised if it came out that they somehow had my son taken from me. Snatched out from my care like Lily did five years ago.

The thought of a boy looking like Noah makes the hair on my arms stick up. I shudder at the thought, not wanting to think about the topic any more than I have to.

The Beta’s gaze meets mine through the rearview mirror. He quickly diverts his gaze back to the road. I shift in the seat, gnawing the inside of my cheek to try and pass the time. The car takes a right hand turn and the environment evolves into something that I am much more familiar with. I sigh and relax in the seat.

Home sweet home. Finally! I get to see my wonderful children and their beautiful smiling faces. I sit up and gasp.

Noah and Ella. They have to know something, right?!

My eyes dart to the Beta’s, who stares at me with widened eyes. He looks away and clears his throat, holding the steering wheel a little bit more tightly.

I need to ask Noah and Ella if they know anything about this. Sebastian’s son, Evan, is in their class. Maybe they can ask him if he knows anything about a boy who looks just like Noah. Maybe Evan called Noah by the other child’s name by accident!

Yes! Noah and Ella have to know something! They’ve been acting so weird, too, ever since we moved here. They know way more than they’re letting on, I just know it!

“We have arrived, ma’am,” he informs me, breaking the silence of the car.

I look up and see the house come into view. It feels as if a weight has been taken off of my shoulders only for more to be added on.

I don’t want to confront my kids. I don’t want to have to investigate them because of my own suspicions and paranoia…but it is something that I need to do for our safety and security.

The car stops and Sebastian’s Beta quickly exits. He pulls open the backseat door and stands up straight. I slowly exit, pulling my bag after me, and quietly say, “Thank you for driving me home.”

“You are very welcome, miss,” he bows his head and closes the door. He extends his hand and my car key dangles from his fingers. “Your keys.”

“Oh! Thanks,” I pluck the keys from his fingers and smile. He turns around and gets back inside the still-running car. The car speeds off down the road, leaving me behind in a cloud of dust.

I turn to the front door and frown. Step by step, my heart beats faster and faster. I inch up the stairs and curl my fingers around the doorknob. I twist it open and step inside.

Immediately, Noah and Ella wrap their arms around me. I gasp and look down at them.

“Hi Mommy!” they yell in unison. My heartbeat slows and I drop my back, rubbing their backs with my hands.

Any form of confrontation I hold in my mind has vanished when they look up at me with their big smiles. I smile back at them and kneel, bringing them into a big embrace.

I lean my cheek into the side of Noah’s head. I kiss the top of his head and sigh.

The unsettling feeling of Noah having a doppelgänger lingers in my mind, though, but I push it to the back and bring my kids to the forefront of my mind.