Chapter 56

Valerie

The weight of the truth settled over me like a suffocating blanket, pressing down on my chest and stealing the air from my lungs. As Mr. Johnson revealed the identity of my potential biological father, I felt a surge of conflicting emotions wash over me. Relief mingled with uncertainty, gratitude mixed with resentment, leaving me reeling in a whirlwind of confusion.

"Please don't tell him about me," I pleaded, my voice trembling with emotion as tears glistened in my eyes. The thought of confronting my potential twin brother, of shattering the illusion of the family I had known for so long, filled me with a sense of dread I couldn't shake. I couldn't replace my father, not with a man who seemed to come with such a colorful and tumultuous history. The idea of losing the father-daughter bond we had fought so hard to revive filled me with a sense of despair I couldn't bear.

My dad's and Mr. Johnson's eyes softened as they took in my tear-stained face, their expressions reflecti