Deception by design

"The scene before me was confounding—my brother, entangled in a warm embrace with my best friend, their bodies molded together like two halves of a puzzle. In my utter bewilderment, I questioned whether my eyes deceived me or there was more to this picture. I had to know the truth.

'What's happening here?' My voice rang out, jolting them both awake with a start.

Startled, my brother stammered, "Oh, uhh, hey Kylie... When did you get back?" I could practically feel the adrenaline coursing through him as he spoke, his body trembling and a thin layer of perspiration glistening on his forehead. My best friend, meanwhile, sat up and fixed her gaze on the floor, avoiding my piercing stare. Something was definitely amiss.fgfxxx

"That doesn't answer my question, Kyle?" I crossed the room, settling into his chair with folded arms. Directing my gaze to Catalina, I waited expectantly, and after a moment of hesitation, she sighed.

"It's what you're thinking," she answered, finally meeting my stare.

"And what exactly am I thinking?" I countered, feigning nonchalance.

"We're together," she replied, intertwining her fingers with my brother's and raising their hands to prove her point.

"For how long?" I demanded, shocked yet strangely unsurprised.

"Two years." Catalina's voice was swift, perhaps expecting my reaction.

Two whole years? How could this have been happening under my very nose, hidden from me all this time? My mind reeled with the revelation.

"Two whole years!" I exclaimed, my voice escalating with each word. The implication of their secret relationship struck me like a thunderbolt, shaking both Catalina and my brother.

Still in shock from what I'd just learned, I headed back to my room. I could feel my blood starting to boil, but even though I had suspected something was going on between Catalina and my brother, I was still surprised. After all, I was the older sibling—it was weird for my best friend to be dating my fool of a brother. But I didn't have time to dwell on that; there were more important matters at hand. Like the man in the Director's office who had Dr. Jack Stone shaking in his boots.

I laughed to myself, "I can't believe it's been two hours since I got home from work and I'm still in my work clothes. And all because I've got a brother and a best friend who've been keeping secrets!" I thought as I paced around the house. It was quiet, too quiet. I decided to look around and see if anyone was home. Checked the kitchen, nothing. Checked again, still nothing. But then something caught my eye...

Damn, the kitchen's lookin' fine!" I couldn't help but admire it as I lingered in the room. It looked like someone had given it a makeover and I had a sneaking suspicion I knew who. Pulling out my phone, I dialed his number. Yeah, it was definitely a "he."

"Hey, André, you got some 'splainin' to do," I said as soon as he picked up.

Hey, baby girl," Andrè's voice purred through the phone.

"Why'd you do it?" I cut straight to the point.

"I'm fine, thanks for askin'," he replied with heavy sarcasm.

"Andrèèèèè," I cooed, trying to sweet-talk him.

"C'mon, any man would've done the same thing," he reasoned. "Did you see those swinging cupboards and the faucet that never stopped dripping? It was an accident waiting to happen."

Thanks boo boo," I admitted, my heart softening. "It means a lot to me."

After hanging up, I continued searching for my brother and his girlfriend. It didn't take long before I realized they'd left the house—slipped away without a word.

"Looks like they're runnin' scared," I chuckled to myself. My anger was long gone; I just wanted the best for them both. But I was worried that my brother wouldn't be able to give Catalina what she deserved.

I knew my brother. He was five years younger than Catalina and didn't believe in love. Ever since the day we lost his twin brother, Riley, Kyle had closed himself off.

Riley and Kyle were practically attached at the hip—wherever one went, the other followed. August 18th, 2008 was the day our family's happiness was shattered. The day Kyle lost his other half, his twin brother. The day our lives changed forever.

Despite them being close, Riley and Kyle had distinct personalities. Riley was the quiet, intelligent, and calm type, while Kyle was stubborn, foolish, and playful. But they shared two things in common: their identical good looks and their cheerful, lovable nature.

That day, the day everything changed, started out just like any other. As we walked home from school, Kyle played and screamed Riley's name, while Riley strolled beside me with his hands in his pockets. I was lost in my novel, unaware of the danger around us.

And then, in a flash, the unthinkable happened. Kyle jumped onto the road, unaware of the approaching car.

"Kyle, come here!" Riley shouted, desperately trying to get his twin's attention. But Kyle was too distracted by his play. Riley quickly pushed him to safety, but it was too late for him to escape.

"Rileeeeyyyy!" I screamed as I ran towards my brother. I knelt down next to him, sobbing as I frantically scanned the area for the car that hit him.

My eyes, blurry with tears, caught sight of the black Hyundai that had struck my brother. Instinctively, I knew that I needed to remember the car's license plate number.

"Someone, please! I need a pen and paper!" I called out. A man who had been crouched next to Riley, checking his pulse, quickly handed me a pen and a piece of paper.

"Black Hyundai...ED 485KC," I scrawled as fast as I could, my hand shaking with the intensity of the moment.

Before I could fully process what was happening, I heard the sound of sirens in the distance. The ambulance had arrived. A team of paramedics rushed out with a stretcher and carefully placed Riley onto it, wheeling him towards the emergency room.

My thoughts raced as I followed the stretcher to the E.R. How could this be happening? Just moments ago, we were walking home from school, our biggest worry being whether I would finish my novel before the library closed. Now, I was face-to-face with a tragedy that would change our family forever.

With Riley's life hanging in the balance, I knew that I had to tell my mother what had happened. She needed to know that her sons were in danger.

I rushed to the hospital's call center, tears streaming down my face. Dialing my mother's number, I waited for her to answer. When she finally picked up, I blurted out the devastating news.

"Mom...it's Riley. He was in an accident. We're at the hospital right now."

Before I could say another word, my mother interrupted me.

"I'm on my way," she said, her voice laced with panic. Before I could respond, she had already hung up the phone. I knew that she would be here soon, and I needed to prepare myself for her reaction.

In the meantime, I went to check on Kyle, who was now awake and staring up at the ceiling, tears still rolling down his cheeks. He looked at me, his eyes full of fear and confusion.

"Is Riley OK?" he asked, his voice breaking.

I hesitated, not knowing what to say.

In that moment, I knew that I couldn't lie to my brother. He deserved to know the truth, no matter how painful it was.

"Riley...he's hurt, Kyle," I said, my voice shaky. "He's in the E.R. right now."

Kyle's face crumpled, and he began to sob uncontrollably. He clutched at his chest, as if the pain was too much to bear. I moved to his side, wrapping my arms around him in a tight embrace.

"It's gonna be OK, Kyle," I whispered.

In the midst of Kyle's sobs, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. I looked up to see my mother running towards us, her face twisted in a mask of fear and pain.

"Where are my sons?" she cried out as she approached us. "Where is Riley? I need to see my baby!"

"Mom, calm down," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Riley's in the E.R. They're doing everything they can for him."

My mother collapsed into me, sobbing uncontrollably.

As the three of us clung to each other, we waited for what felt like an eternity. Finally, a doctor in a white lab coat approached us, his face grave.

"Mrs. Hayes, I'm Dr. Martinez," he said, his voice firm yet gentle. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

We all looked at him, our eyes wide with fear.

"I'm sorry to say that Riley didn't make it. He passed away a few minutes ago."

The words hung in the air like a dark cloud, heavy and suffocating.

The silence that followed the doctor's announcement was deafening. My mother dropped to her knees, her body convulsing with sobs. Kyle buried his face in my shoulder, his tears wetting my shirt.

"Mom," I whispered, my own voice cracking with emotion. "We need to be strong for Riley. He wouldn't want us to fall apart."

Slowly, my mother stood up, her face a mask of pain. "I want to see my son," she said, her voice resolute.

"Of course," Dr. Martinez replied.

The three of us followed the doctor down the hall, each step feeling like a mile. We finally arrived at the door to the E.R., and the doctor gestured for us to go inside.

The room was filled with medical equipment, and in the center of it all was a gurney with a sheet draped over it.

"That's him," my mother said, her voice trembling. "That's my baby."

Dr. Martinez nodded solemnly. "I'll give you a moment alone," he said, exiting the room.

The Hayes family stood together in their grief, united in their love for the son and brother they had lost. But little did they know, a secret was brewing beneath the surface that would turn their world upside down all over again."