Chapter 33

“James.” Caleb was taken aback when Stella said the word. He had no idea what to make of the situation. Sia and Mason had surprised expressions on their faces, while Stella and Zack appeared pale enough to pass out.

Olivia shifted her gaze away from her brother after a few minutes when she became aware of other people's presence in the room.

“You guys here?” She stammered.

“We were worried about you, so we followed you here,” Mason explained.

“Why didn't you tell us anything?” Zack asked her, feeling betrayed.

“I was terrified. I only found out about it last week.” She told them, looking down, apologetic.

“What are you kids doing here?” David asked them, surprised to see all the kids here.

When no one answered, he asked again.

“Caleb?” He asked his son.

He was about to ask again when his gaze was drawn to a familiar face, which rendered him speechless. He dashed towards the bed, where he discovered his oldest godson dead to the world.

“How on earth is this possible?” He muttered.

“Did you have any idea about it, Olivia?” He asked gently, to which she gave a sly nod.

Olivia explained everything about how she found James to David and her fellow patients in that hospital room after taking a few deep breaths.

Everyone had different expressions, but they were all thinking about the same thing.

They were relieved that James was still alive, but his current condition was not making things any better.

After listening to the full story, David left to look into the details of James’s case. Whereas Olivia was ashamed that she had hidden this fact from everyone.

“I am sorry, guys. I know that I should have told you sooner.” She said to them.

“It’s all right, Olivia. None of us blames you.” Stella told her in a kind voice.

Except for Caleb, everyone hugged her. He was still baffled. He didn’t know what to do or how to react. He hadn’t even given James a proper look. But it would be an understatement to say he was shocked when he gave a sly glance.

The resemblance between James and Olivia was difficult to ignore. It’s no surprise that Olivia was upset about Caleb destroying his relationship with Carson. It wasn’t because of Cameron, but because of James.

He could never imagine himself in Olivia’s shoes. He couldn’t picture his life without his older brother.

He had no idea how Olivia had survived until now. Knowing that her brother had been missing for four years, the police declared his death without even finding his body, and people looked at her with pity.

He wanted to go to Olivia and hug her tightly, but he couldn’t because his father and Dr. John had arrived.

How did Olivia live till now was beyond him?

“Dad, James is alive,” Stella said, her eyes welling up with tears.

“I know, sweetie. David went over everything with me.” Stella received a sad smile from him and a tight hug. He knew how difficult it was for his daughter after James went missing. She was tormented by it.

“Kids, you need not worry. John and I will handle James’ case personally. Tomorrow morning, we will take....” Before David could complete his sentence, Olivia panicked at his words.

“Take... where are you going to take him? You cannot take James anywhere. He is not going anywhere.” Olivia was having a panic attack.

“Olivia, listen...” David was trying to control the situation, but Olivia was refusing, so he was forced to inject her.

“Dad, Livy?” says Livy’s father. Caleb asked him in a concerned voice.

“She is fine. Everything was taking a toll on her. She will wake up in an hour or two.” He explained to his son.

“You guys should go home right now,” John said to the kids.

“No,” Stella said adamantly to her father. They were all reluctant to leave.

“Listen, we will be transferring James to David's home tomorrow, where he will be properly cared for. And you are welcome to pay him a visit at any time. And, for the time being, we cannot allow every one of you to stay here.” He explained everything to them.

“Kids, don't worry. Trust us.” David said, to which everyone nodded.

“Now, John will take you guys home, and Caleb and Olivia will stay with Carson because none of you are in driving condition tonight,” David explained.

“I don't think it's a good idea,” Caleb told his dad, which made him raise his eyebrows.

“Olivia is going to flip, Dad.” He told him.

“Caleb is correct. Olivia will demand to be here as soon as she wakes up.” Stella agreed.

“Will see about that. At present, you guys should get going.” David stated.

“Thank God, we had an emergency operation. Or we would not have found out.” John spoke his thoughts aloud, to which David nodded.

When everyone left, it was just Caleb and David, with the exception of Olivia, who was fast asleep, and James on his bed.

“I am staying with Olivia, Dad. I am not leaving her alone.” Caleb said this while he and his father were both sitting on the couch nearby.

“I figured that much.” David sighed.

“Caleb, you know that now right, James is Olivia's...”

“Brother, I know. It's hard to miss the similarities between them.”

“They are, in fact, twins.”

“What? It must be terrible for Olivia.”

“You have no idea, Caleb. It's one thing to lose a brother, but it's quite another to lose a twin. I am not saying it's any less painful, but twin siblings have connections, and if one dies, the pain for the others becomes unbearable.” David elaborated.

“I understand. But, once James wakes up, everything will be fine, right?” He asked his father, hoping.

“We can only hope, son. I am scared for Olivia and James. When James wakes up, how is Olivia going to explain the situation to him about their parents.”

“Whatever happens is going to happen. What I do know is that I will be there for Olivia every step of the way.” He told his father, and he meant it.

“I am proud of you.” David patted his son on the back. “Now, if you excuse me, I need to talk to Tom, who was kind enough to take care of my godson for four years.”

Caleb moved slowly towards Olivia, who was sleeping on the other couch in the room. He sat beside her, his fingers on her cheek.

Olivia slowly opened her eyes to see Caleb’s face. At first, she was confused, but when she remembered David’s words, she jerked up. However, Caleb quickly calmed her down.

“Are you okay, Olivia?” He asked her.

“Would you like me to lie to you or tell you the truth?”

“Want me to lie or tell you the truth.”

“Caleb, I am sorry I never told you before, but James is my...”

“Your twin, I know. You both look alike.” He told her.

“Will he be okay?” Her eyes were filled with pain as she asked him.

Caleb couldn’t lie to her as he didn’t know what to expect in the future. So, he hugged her tightly.

“I don’t know, Olivia. I don’t know. But whatever happens, I will be there beside you.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said as she kissed his cheek and returned to his warm embrace.

Caleb was mesmerized by Olivia’s actions. He smiled as he lightly touched the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him.

His emotions can take a back seat for the time being.