The Wrong Woman

by Linda Warren

  A whimpering sound left Aurora’s throat before she said, “You didn’t know my daughter, Celia.”

  “Obviously neither did you,” Celia shot back.

  Aurora met Celia’s eyes. “I know John took her from me out of spite and you did nothing to stop it.”

  “Me?” Celia’s mouth fell open. “What could I do? John and I were already separated and he was living in the garage apartment.”

  “You and John were separated?” Serena repeated.

  “Yes, but that was typical for us. After our son died, we could only stay together a few months at a time. John always came back, though. He and Jasmine fought like hellcats, and in the end all that held them together was the babies. He wanted to be a father again. That was one of John’s good points. He loved kids. That’s why he tried to make sure the two of you had a good home.”

  Silence once again dominated the room.

  “Then…he wanted us?” Serena asked, softly.

  “Yes,” Celia answered. “I don’t know what kind of future they had in mind for you, but both Jasmine and John wanted you.”

  “Shut up, Celia!” Aurora said angrily.

  Serena could see that Gran was having a hard time facing the truth—just as she had in years past. She stood up and then knelt by Aurora’s chair. Sarah followed suit.

  “Gran,” she said, quietly, “I don’t think Jasmine meant to hurt you.”

  “Yes, she did. Oh, yes, she did.” The words were low and bitter.

  Serena patted her clasped hands. “Let it go, Gran. Let it go.”

  “I can’t,” Aurora choked out. “Jasmine did a terrible thing—but so did I. I forgot about Sarah. I pretended she didn’t exist and I didn’t want you to know about her. I kept holding on to my secret because…because I didn’t want you to know you had a terrible grandmother.”

  “You should’ve told me,” Serena couldn’t help saying, “if not when I was a child, then when I mentioned the other woman who looked like me. I had a right to know and Sarah definitely had a right to know her family.”

  Aurora’s eyes filled with tears. “Sarah, I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me and understand that I was overcome with grief and didn’t realize what I was doing. And…”

  “And what, Gran?”

  “I guess I should tell you everything.” Aurora reached into her purse for a handkerchief.

  “I was wondering if you were ever gonna get around to it,” Celia said.

  Aurora shot her a dark look, but didn’t say anything.

  “What?” Serena asked again. “Please don’t keep any more secrets.”

  A nerve in Aurora’s neck pulsed erratically, and Serena wondered what could cause her such distress. Her stomach felt queasy and she didn’t know if she could take much more, but that was the coward’s response. She had to know the whole truth.

  “Gran?” she prompted softly.

  “Before…before Jasmine…died, she signed papers granting custody of the babies to Celia.”

  It took Serena a moment to assimilate this information. Then she had one question. “Why…why would she do that?”

  Aurora couldn’t answer, so Celia answered for her. “Because Jasmine didn’t want Aurora to raise her babies.”

  Serena shook her head. “She was planning on coming home, so why wouldn’t she want Gran to raise us?”

  “Just because she was planning to return home didn’t mean she’d let Aurora have her babies. She planned to raise you herself.”

  Serena still didn’t understand. She looked at Celia. “But why would she want you to raise us?”

  “When John asked me to take them, I was thrown for a loop, and I had to know how Jasmine felt. They let me see her and she said she wanted it, too, and asked the nurse to get the papers. She said her mother would make replicas of herself out of you. She wanted more for her children.”

  A sound of agony left Aurora’s throat, and for the first time Serena truly grasped the bitterness in the relationship between mother and daughter. How did their lives get so out of control? She’d probably never understand it, because she had such a different relationship with Aurora. There’d been occasions when Aurora had tried to dress her up as a miniature version of herself, and Serena had said point-blank she wasn’t wearing that and Aurora had accepted her decision. Maybe that willingness to accept Serena’s refusal had come from her mistakes with Jasmine.

  “Tension and emotions were running high that day.” Celia’s voice penetrated Serena’s numb mind. “I’d agreed to take the babies, but I didn’t know how I could afford to raise two kids. I was glad when Henry showed up the next morning. At first he offered to help me financially, but then when he saw the girls, he had a better plan. He said he and Aurora were Jasmine’s parents and they should have one of the babies. He didn’t know how Aurora would take the news, but he said she’d adjust. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I knew I couldn’t handle two babies. Afterward I felt good about that decision. With the money Henry gave me, I was able to move out of the trailer park and rent a nice place in Oklahoma City for Sarah and me. Having her gave me a new lease on life. It wasn’t easy, but we got by. Separating the twins was the best solution then, but now…now I wish we’d worked out something else.”

  “What you and my grandparents forgot was that Sarah and I are connected by a single birth, a special bond, and no one had a right to take that away from us,” Serena said sternly.

  “Darling, don’t be angry,” Aurora pleaded, seeming to regain some of her strength.

  “I’m confused, Gran,” Serena admitted. “I don’t understand why we weren’t told we had a twin. Why did it have to be a secret?”

  Aurora and Celia glanced at each other. Celia was the first to speak. “It wasn’t initially a conscious decision, but later I didn’t want any contact with Henry or Aurora because I was afraid they’d hire a lawyer and try to take Sarah. They were her grandparents. So I stayed away, hoping they wouldn’t find us. We only came back to Dallas about five years ago because I had an aunt who died and left me her house.”

  “And we were afraid, too,” Aurora added. “Celia had legal custody and we felt that as long as we had no contact, she couldn’t try to get Serena. The secrecy just came about as a way to protect ourselves.”

  Serena stood up. “I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. I’m so mixed up inside. But I’m glad Sarah and I have found each other. We won’t lose touch again.”

  Sarah stood, too, and they embraced.

  Celia walked over to them with tears in her eyes. “Well, I guess I always knew this day would come.”

  Sarah turned to her. “You shouldn’t have lied to me, Celia.”

  “I realize that now, honey, but back then things were different.”

  “I’m trying to understand, but it’s hard. All I know is that I need time to be with my family,” Sarah said.

  Celia stroked Sarah’s hair. “Honey, I did what I thought was best.”

  “I’m trying to believe that.”

  “Try not to think too badly of me, your grandparents or your parents,” Celia murmured. “It was a difficult time.” She paused for a second. “I hope you feel better soon, honey. If you need me, you know where to find me.”

  As Celia hurried out of the room, Serena thought about the power of love. Could it bring forgiveness—and put a family back together?

  AFTER TALKING to Serena and Sarah, Aurora left to return home. Serena would bring Sarah once the doctor released her. Daniel arrived soon after with a man from his department, and Serena held Sarah’s hand as she told her story. She faltered at times, but eventually everything was down on paper. Daniel had already taken Molly’s statement, and he told them the D.A. was building an unbeatable case against Boyd. Since Boyd had killed a police officer, the D.A. was seeking the death penalty. Serena tried not to think about that. She was just glad Sarah seemed so much stronger. The truth about her birth seemed to bolster her, not traumatize her further. Serena knew Sarah had a long way t
o go before she was herself again, but they’d face the future together—whatever that future held. At the moment it looked bleak. Coping with their financial crisis wouldn’t be easy. They had to make some tough decisions and live by them. But the question uppermost in her mind was how she’d live without Ethan.

  Her love would now be tested. It would either survive and grow stronger or be overshadowed by their respective family problems. Serena knew in her heart which it would be. She would love Ethan forever. But would he love her?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  TRAVIS HAD PACKED Molly and Ethan’s bags and brought them to the hospital. Ethan had the release papers in his hand. They were ready to go except for one thing: he had to say goodbye to Serena. For a moment his courage faltered, but he had to do it. It would be the last time he’d see her for a while. He gave the papers to Travis.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said.

  “Where’re you going?”

  Ethan didn’t answer. He walked out of the room and down the hall to Sarah’s room. He stood outside the door for a few seconds, irresolute, then he knocked and went in. Serena and Sarah were sitting on the bed talking. They’d be doing a lot of that in the days ahead, he thought. They’d share their lives and their hopes and dreams. It was a new beginning for both of them and he was happy about that. Then why did he feel so discouraged?

  “Ethan,” Serena said, easing off the bed.

  “Could I speak with you?”

  He was leaving. Serena found it difficult to draw a breath. She reminded herself that she had to let him go with as much pride as she could muster.

  “Yes, yes,” she replied, meeting him at the door.

  “I wish you the best,” Ethan said to Sarah.

  “Thank you,” Sarah answered. “And thanks for everything.”

  Ethan nodded, and he and Serena walked down the hall to the family room without saying a word. Several people were sitting there already, so they went out to the patio.

  “Is Molly ready to go?” she asked as she sat on one of the benches.

  “Yeah. She gave her statement earlier and now she just wants to go home and see her son.”

  “I’m glad she’s okay.” Serena was talking, but she wasn’t sure what she was saying. She kept thinking this was it…this was goodbye.

  “And Sarah will be okay, too,” he said.

  “I know.” She went on to tell him everything they’d learned. “I can hardly believe that Jasmine didn’t want Aurora to raise her children. She chose Celia over her own parents.”

  “It is hard to understand, but their relationship had probably deteriorated so much that Jasmine didn’t believe Aurora could love her babies—especially since John Welch was the father.”

  “I suppose, but to give custody to Celia, her lover’s wife, is, well…bizarre.”

  “Maybe, but Jasmine knew how much Celia loved John and probably felt she’d love his children.”

  “By another woman?” Her words were sharper than she intended, and she got up and walked to the railing. The wind blew her hair across her face and she shoved it impatiently away. “These people are my parents and I find it difficult to relate to them. I always thought of Jasmine as someone who was spoiled and pampered and misunderstood, but it was more than that. How could she hate her mother so much?”

  “Only Jasmine can answer that.”

  “And that’s not going to happen, is it.”

  There wasn’t much Ethan could say, and for several minutes they were absorbed in their own thoughts. It would take a while for her to adjust to these revelations. He wished he could help her, but that wouldn’t happen, either. Their time together was over and he had to let her go…let her live the new life she deserved.

  “I’m trying to find something to like about my father, but he seems a selfish, self-centered man.”

  “He gave you life,” Ethan said.

  She turned. “Any man could’ve done that.”

  “No, if another man had, you wouldn’t be the person you are.”

  “I don’t know if that matters.”

  “Oh, it does, believe me. You wouldn’t be such a strong-minded woman with such determination. You’d be different from the Serena I know and I wouldn’t like that.”

  “You wouldn’t?”

  “No.”

  Her eyes caught his. “So you like me the way I am.”

  “Yes,” he said without hesitation, and for a moment she was lost in the warmth of his gaze.

  Serena knew then that she couldn’t let him go without telling the truth about how she felt. It might not be what he wanted to hear, but she had to tell him.

  “I lied to you last night.” The words came out in a rush.

  He raised his eyebrows. “About what?”

  She walked back to the bench and sat down. “I said it didn’t matter that you didn’t pledge your undying love. I lied. It matters a lot.”

  “Serena,” he groaned, an agonizing sound.

  “I don’t normally sleep with a man after knowing him for only a couple of days. It took months for me to sleep with Brad, and I had to think about it for a long time, wondering if I was doing the right thing. With you, I didn’t even have to think. I knew in my heart that it was right. Somehow we connected in a way that’s never happened for me before. I realize you think it was too fast and that we were just swept up in the emotions, but it’s more than that…for me.” She took a long breath. “I love you, Ethan.”

  He closed his eyes as if he was in pain, then sank down beside her.

  She watched as the pain continued to grip his features. “This is exactly what you didn’t want, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” he admitted. “The last thing I wanted was to hurt you, but my feelings for you overshadowed my reasoning.”

  Hope unfurled inside her. “Then you do care for me?”

  “Yes, you’re more than a one-night stand to me—much more—but I should have stopped what was happening between us. I’m a man, though, and I selfishly took what you offered.”

  “You didn’t take anything. I gave freely with all my heart.”

  “I know.” He sighed tiredly.

  That hope grew stronger. “You don’t want children. I understand that, but you haven’t even asked me how I feel. If I had a choice of spending my life with you or having children, it wouldn’t be much of a choice.”

  “I’m not giving you that choice.” His words were quick and final.

  She trembled at his tone and all hope died. “Ethan.”

  He rose to his feet. “You deserve a lot more than I can give you. Right now our emotions are tempered by what we’ve been through. But in the days to come things will change, and we’ll feel differently.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Do you really believe that?”

  No, he didn’t, but he couldn’t say the words. He’d taken enough from her. He inhaled deeply. “I have to.”

  “I see,” she murmured, knowing their time was over—for now.

  She moved into his arms. He didn’t resist—just held her tight. She savored this moment, letting his arms soothe and comfort because she knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind and she had to accept that—for now. She raised her head and stood on tiptoe to meet his kiss. His hands tangled in her hair as the kiss went on and on, both taking as if they needed the closeness as sustenance for the lonely times ahead.

  Finally he rested his forehead against hers. “I’m not saying goodbye,” she whispered.

  “I know.”

  “I realize we both have family commitments and…” Emotion clogged her throat.

  “Yes.” He finished her thought. “You have to be there for Sarah. She has the trial to get through, and I have to be there for my family.”

  He stepped back and removed a piece of paper from his pocket. As he handed it to her, she realized it was a check. “Ethan?” She glanced at his face.

  “Just some money to tide you over.”

  “I can’t take money from you!�
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  “I’ll sleep a lot better knowing you don’t have to struggle to stay afloat.”

  And I’d sleep better if you were with me.

  “No.” She gave the check back to him. “I have to do this on my own without borrowing more money.”

  “Just keep it,” he insisted. “Tear it up if you don’t need it.”

  “This isn’t what I need.” There was a wealth of meaning in her words.

  Ethan stared into the blue of her eyes, wanting everything she was offering, but knowing he wouldn’t take it.

  “Look after yourself,” he said quietly, and this time his stubbornness cost him more than he’d ever dreamed.

  Serena’s heart must have stopped beating. She knew that by the pain in her chest. She drew in a deep breath. “You, too.”

  They looked at each other for endless seconds, then Ethan turned and left the patio. She wanted to run after him, to plead, to persuade, but she did nothing. She had to let him go. It was what he wanted.

  ETHAN FELT as if someone had ripped his heart out, but he kept walking…walking toward the life that was waiting for him. The future didn’t hold much hope or promise without Serena. That was the way it had to be, though. Life would go on, and in time her memory would fade—just as her feelings would fade. That was life. They had touched each other’s lives in a profound way and now…now he had a hard time believing the drivel in his head. In time he would, though. He had to keep telling himself that.

  ETHAN WAS IN A HURRY to leave Dallas. He had to put some distance between him and Serena. Molly was in the bathroom and Ethan waited impatiently. Travis watched him for several seconds.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Travis asked.

  “Sure,” Ethan said absently.

  “When I picked up your stuff at the motel, there was a fragrance in the room—like a woman’s perfume or scented lotion or something.” His eyes narrowed. “Did you have a woman at the motel with you?”

  Lavender…Serena.