Chapter 24: The Duty Of The Heir (Book 3): Chapter 24

Spring City

I’m sitting there, numb and lost, holding the paper with shaky hands. The words on it are just jumbled letters, not making any sense. Aunt Geneva just finished explaining everything and those printed words about the IVF process stare back at me, cold and stark. My mind can’t wrap around what she’s said. Everything inside me is a chaotic mess, and for a second, it feels like the whole world just fades away.

I take a deep, shaky breath and look up at Aunt Geneva. I’m searching for something, anything that might help me understand, but all I see is sympathy on their faces. My voice is barely there, a shaky whisper, ‘Simone Lewis.’

That name rings a bell.

I’ve heard it before, somewhere.

A memory flashes. Heather. She talked about her. I take a deep breath, trying to find some solid ground in all this mess.

‘Do you know her?’ my mom asks, her voice cutting through my thoughts.

I can’t even speak.

Aunt Geneva says she’s got pictures, asking if I want to see them. I just shake my head. No way. I can’t deal with that now.

‘But she looks like us, Aisling. You should know,’ Mom pushes.

Aunt Geneva adds, ‘Yeah, she does. But we don’t think she’s related. We checked. It’s just a weird coincidence.’

The conversation shifts to the IVF schedule. ‘So he’s scheduled for semen collection next Thursday?’ My voice is all over the place.

‘Correct,’ Aunt Geneva confirms.

I just nod, feeling like my heart is breaking inside. ‘Okay.’

Mom’s asking about his travel plans, and I tell them he’ll be out of town. Kari’s asking where he said he was going, but I can’t remember. Everything’s just too much.

Then Aunt Geneva is there, holding my hand, and I can barely say his name, ‘Duke…’ It’s like the world is spinning, and I’m just trying to hold on.

‘I know you warned me about Duke, Aunt Geneva,’ I say, my voice quivering. ‘You were right.’

Aunt Geneva pulls me into a hug, and I’m shaking, trying to hold back tears. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispers.

Kari stands and hugs me too. ‘You don’t deserve any of this.’

‘We had to tell you tonight, Aisling,’ My mother says. ‘We couldn’t wait. You know I wouldn’t rush you here for no reason.’

I’m struggling to speak, my emotions a whirlwind. ‘Who is she? The one who told us?’

‘The whistleblower? She works at the hospital, but we don’t know more than that,’ Aunt Geneva says. ‘She could be anyone there, but her information was crucial.’

‘Okay,’ I whisper, feeling like my world is falling apart.

I need to get out, to think. ‘I need to find my bag. I should go home.’

My mother steps forward, her face full of concern. ‘You’re not going home tonight, Aisling.’

‘Why not?’

‘We’ve planned a slumber party for you here,’ she explains gently.

‘I’m fine, Mom. Really,’ I say.

‘You can’t go back to the Estates tonight, not after what you’ve learned,’ she insists, kind but firm.

‘I’ll be okay. Please, let me go. I won’t make a scene,’ I plead, my heart racing.

But Aunt Geneva shakes her head. ‘No, Aisling.’

‘You’re staying here with me tonight,’ my mother says, deciding for me.

‘I’m fine, Mom,’ I try to reassure her, but inside, I’m anything but calm. ‘Don’t worry.’

‘I’m not going to cause trouble, I swear,’ I tell them.

‘Aisling, this is a lot to take in,’ my mother says, her voice a mix of sympathy and firmness.

‘I’ll be okay, Mom,’ I manage, my smile weak, not hiding the shock I feel.

‘Aisling, you should stay here tonight. The Chateau isn’t safe for you now,’ Kari pleads, her eyes begging me to understand.

‘I’ll call him and say you’re staying for the slumber party,’ Aunt Geneva offers.

‘Maybe I should call him myself. If you do it, he’ll suspect something’s up,’ Kari suggests, thinking ahead.

My mother nods in agreement. ‘You’re right, Kari.’

Reluctantly, I agree. ‘Fine.’

‘Will you call him then?’ Aunt Geneva asks, worry in her eyes.

‘Yeah, I will.’

My mother looks relieved but still worried. ‘Good.’

I need to know more. ‘How far along are they with this?’

‘They’re almost ready for the egg retrieval and his semen collection next week,’ Aunt Geneva reminds me.

I just nod, the weight of it all hitting me. It feels unreal.

‘We don’t know why they’re doing IVF,’ Aunt Geneva says, deep in thought.

‘That’s what I can’t figure out,’ I admit.

‘Could it be a contract thing between them, or…’ Aunt Geneva asks, trailing off.

‘Or maybe they tried naturally and it didn’t work,’ My mother suggests, trying to piece things together.

Kari wonders out loud if the problem is with him. ‘What if he’s the one with issues?’

‘He’s fine, as far as the tests show,’ I defend, but my voice falters.

‘Why IVF then? Is it just for a baby?’ Kari wonders.

‘It might be,’ My mother considers.

‘He must really want a baby,’ Aunt Geneva says, sadness in her voice.

I whisper to myself, realizing the truth. ‘She was right.’

‘Who was right?’ Aunt Geneva asks gently.

I let out a sob. ‘They’re all the same.’

Settling on the couch, still reeling from the shock, Mom comes over with a cordless phone. She looks at me, her eyes full of concern.

‘You sure you can talk to him without giving anything away?’ she asks softly.

‘Yeah, I can do it,’ I say, my heart racing.

‘Go ahead then,’ she encourages me.

My fingers are shaking as I dial Duke’s number. He picks up almost immediately. ‘Hello?’

Just hearing his voice makes the first tear roll down my cheek. I tilt my head back, trying to stop the tears.

‘Hello?’ he repeats.

‘Hey…’ I finally get out.

‘Hey, how’s it going?’ he asks, sounding nice.

‘Good,’ I lie, my voice barely holding together.

‘You having fun?’ he asks.

‘Yes, I am,’ I force some cheerfulness into my voice.

‘Awesome,’ he sounds relieved. ‘Where are you? Still at work?’

‘Yeah. Heading home soon,’ he tells me.

‘Okay,’ I mumble, struggling to stay composed.

‘You coming back late?’ he asks.

‘Actually, I’m staying here tonight, so… um, don’t wait up,’ I stammer, my voice shaky.

‘Oo…kay. A slumber party, huh?’ He sounds surprised.

‘Ye…’ I start, gripping the phone tight, trying to keep talking. ‘So… see you tomor…’

I end the call abruptly, unable to hold back my tears anymore. I collapse to my knees, breaking down completely. My mother rushes to me, holding me close as I sob uncontrollably.

She whispers, ‘It’s going to be okay.’

The phone rings again, shattering the silence.

‘I got it,’ Aunt Geneva says, picking up the handset. She puts it on speaker. ‘Hello, Duke?’

‘I was talking to Aisling, and the line got cut. Can I talk to her, please?’ Duke’s voice is full of worry.

‘Sure,’ Aunt Geneva says, looking at me.

I just shake my head, unable to face more. I stand up and leave the living room, needing the quiet of my room.

Lying in my old room later that night, I’m wrapped in Mom’s arms, tears flowing freely. I can’t believe how I missed all the signs.

‘Why didn’t I see he could be cheating?’ I cry.

‘He never made it obvious,’ my mother says, her voice filled with empathy.

‘But there were signs, Mom. So many.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes. Heather asked me about her.’

‘Heather asked about Simone?’

‘Yes.’

Her eyebrow raises. ‘She knew?’

‘Yeah. At the cafe opening, she asked why Simone wasn’t there.’

‘She said that?’

‘She mentioned Simone looked like me.’

She nods. ‘She must know something.’

‘I was so confused. I didn’t know who she was talking about. I thought Heather believed she was part of the family.’

‘Okay.’

‘But Heather didn’t stop there. She hinted at men cheating… Now I know Duke’s having a baby with her. She must’ve known.’

‘You need to talk to Heather. This is insane.’

‘I can’t believe Duke’s making a baby with someone else, Mom. I thought we were in this together.’

‘He’s chosen his family over you.’

I choke back another sob. ‘This morning I told him he seemed indifferent. He really doesn’t care about the baby anymore. I never thought he could be this cruel.’

The phone rings, jolting me. My heart sinks at the thought of talking to him.

‘It’s probably him,’ my mother says, seeing my fear.

‘I can’t talk to him, Mom.’

‘I understand, sweetheart. I’ll tell him you’re sleeping.’

She leaves the room, and I’m left alone, my heart in pieces, echoing in the silence of my childhood room.