CHAPTER TWENTY

Jacob stared at the words. Katherine was his mother? That woman who lives in a mental hospital? The woman who had tried to murder his mother?

" It can't be true." He whispered.

" But it is, that is a legal document."

" If she's my mother, then you are really-"

" Your auntie." Laura smiled at him painfully.

" But…why?"

" You haven't guessed by now?" she asked him and he shook his head.

" Your mother was in a mental hospital when you were born. She was deemed an unfit mother, she would never take care of you. Samuel loved you more than anything in the world. He wasn't about to give you up, so we came up with the perfect solution-that I would adopt you. I never regretted it-not once."

" Even though I wasn't really your son?" Jacob asked.

Laura nodded, " I think of you as my son…no question about it."

" Why didn't you just tell me?"

" I didn't see any need to…until now. You must understand that your mother never wanted to hurt you. That was never her intention."

I'm just taking back what's mine. His mother's cold words came flooding back to him. Now it all made sense!

" She wanted to take your place…as my mother." Jacob realized, " She was taking back what's hers-me."

" She hated us when it all happened. She kept vowing she would get you back but at the time I never took her threats seriously. Now I wish I had though."

" Mum, you couldn't have prevented this. No one could have known her plans."

" At least one person did, that Dr. Ian Middleton."

" The one who was her accomplice?"

" He confessed everything. She blackmailed into helping him-at first. But when he read about her history, he decided she was the victim in all of this. That she deserved to have her son back and was determined to help her. He didn't care what happened to him, as long as she got you back."

" But even if she had succeeded…what would have happened if Morag discovered she was actually you? It would have been too late…you'd be dead."

" Let's not dwell on that. It didn't happen. We caught her just in time. When we were younger, she'd pretend to be me without my knowledge and I used to wonder how I used to get into trouble sometimes."

Jacob nodded, " But I'm your son," he pointed out, " I should have known. That's all there is to it." He stood up then, " I'm getting something to eat…do you want anything?"

" No, I'm right thanks." Laura smiled at him. He seemed to have taken the news about his real parentage reasonably well, but perhaps it hadn't quite sunk in yet.

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Jacob left and Morag returned before visiting hours ended. Laura studied her girlfriend, Morag has been pretty quiet ever since all this stuff happened.

" Nothing's wrong," Morag insisted when she asked her, " Really."

" Morag, you can't fool me. What's up?"

Morag sighed and rubbed her forehead, " I have a confession to make."

" Go on." Laura didn't like the sound of this.

Morag fidgeted, " A few days ago, you…or rather, Katherine stayed over one night."

Laura didn't even blink.

" I thought I was with you Laura."

Laura stared at her. Morag slept with Katherine? Jealously swept thought her as she tried to not to think of the two of them together.

" I really am sorry, but I thought I had the right twin." Morag insisted.

" Get out." Laura whispered coldly.

" Laura-"

" Didn't you hear what I said? Get out."

Morag did as Laura requested. She leaned against the wall. She had really ruined things this time. And she knew Laura won't ever trust her again.