When Emily and Damon discover their boys are identical, their blind date takes an unexpected turn.
In a desperate attempt to solve this enigma, Damon chooses to speak with his unstable ex-wife. Emily, in the meantime, comes into a letter that holds a secret that has the potential to ruin her life.
Emily hurried into an Italian restaurant for her blind date with Damon, wearing a clown wig that was colored like rainbows.
After meeting online, Emily and Damon agreed to go on an archaic blind date: Emily would wear a wig, and he would wear a paper hat.
She saw Damon in the restaurant, standing in a corner, their eyes meeting as she got closer. “Emily!” Rising from his chair, Damon greeted her.
After a pleasant and consoling first exchange, Emily was overjoyed to finally meet him. They felt a natural connection as they joked about Emily’s hairdo and got into a casual discussion.
After a while, the topic of their boys came up, and Damon showed Emily a picture of his son next to an abstract painting. The boy looked much like Emily’s son Bradley, which startled her.
Confused, she questioned, “Is this some kind of joke?”
Damon withdrew his phone. “What are you trying to say? In addition to being an excellent painter, my son enjoys painting.”
But… I’m not sure I get it. Did you also adopt your child? You never stated that.” Asking Emily.
“I didn’t.” Damon scowled. “Emma, you’re saying some very strange stuff. Is everything in order?
Taking out her phone, Emily showed Damon a picture of Bradley sporting his soccer kit. Now both grownups were confused.
“Our boys resemble each other like long-lost twins—mirror faces! How is that even possible?” Emily uttered a surprised word. “Wait, my son’s 14, and yours?”
“14. When’s your son’s birthday?” Asking Damon.
“April 16,” answered Emily.
“Identical to Jordan,” Damon muttered, lost in concentration. “It can’t be… she never mentioned twins.”
“Do you know something about this, Damon?” Emily persisted, feeling his pain.
No, but my former spouse might. If we had twins, only she would be aware of it. Damon apologized, but he had to go quickly to look for information.
Emily, by herself, thought about how her late husband Jack had managed Bradley’s adoption. She questioned Jack’s knowledge of a twin.
Just before Emily was discharged from the center where she had been recovering from knee surgery, Jack had received a call saying there was a baby up for adoption.
When Emily did get home, Jack and a baby boy wrapped in a dinosaur blanket were waiting for her at the entrance. The infant in her husband’s arms was the most beautiful human being she had ever seen, and her husband had been beaming from ear to ear.
Emily met Bradley as she got home, and he saw her discomfort.
“Mum, what’s wrong? Was there anything that Damon did to cause you harm? Should he do so—”
She forced a grin and said, “Everything’s fine, honey,” before running to her bedroom.
Emily looked everywhere for Bradley’s adoption documents, but she couldn’t find them. Her concern increased when she realized she’d never seen them as she’d thought Jack had handled things brilliantly.
Determined to find out, she changed into her house clothes and headed up to the attic. She moved toward a trunk containing Jack’s possessions in the dusty attic, hoping that the flickering light of her flashlight would reveal more information.
With Jack’s unexpected death, Emily was in shock. They were discussing plans for a family vacation one day when she got a call from the police the next day.
Jack’s car veered off the highway due to a deadly brain aneurysm he had experienced while driving home, resulting in an accident and his death.
Jack’s motherhood and grief were causing Emily to struggle, so she asked her brother for assistance in packing his things into the attic. Now, looking for information regarding her son’s adoption, she found an envelope in Jack’s box of belongings that had his handwriting.
Jack had written, “Dear Emily, I’ve been lying to you for almost a year,” in the letter that was inside.
In the interim, Damon paid a visit to the facility where his former spouse, Naomi, was housed—a location he hadn’t been to in three years. Silent orderlies and patients engrossed in their own worlds created an uneasy environment.
“I told you not to come back here, Damon,” Naomi said icily.
“I realize, but pay attention to this. Could you describe the events of Jordan’s birth night for me?”
Naomi bowed her head and scowled. Her eyes flitted in all directions. “Damon, I already told you. I obeyed the big man’s request to depart. I can’t recall anything further.”
When they first started dating in college, Damon and Naomi were content. Their happiness increased when Naomi became pregnant soon after Damon started working for a prominent company. But when Naomi began to experience the symptoms of preeclampsia, a medical condition marked by excruciating headaches and fuzzy eyesight, their joy was replaced with concern.
Naomi reacted angrily at her diagnosis. She decided to stay at home and recover, so she fired her doctor and her job. However, as her illness deepened, she became more and more paranoid, frequently mentioning a threat to their unborn child. As her paranoia grew, she once claimed that a tall guy had warned her of danger while they were shopping, even though no such man had actually approached them.
Sadly, Naomi’s mental state worsened even more, so Damon had to persuade her to visit a psychologist. The psychologist determined that Naomi had stress-induced schizophrenia and that she had concealed a family history of the illness from Damon. This information helped to explain her erratic behavior, but it also made treating her schizophrenia more difficult because of her preeclampsia.
Damon’s excitement for the arrival of his kid was eclipsed by his worry and anxiety for his wife as Naomi’s due date drew near. Tragically, Naomi vanished without a trace, having only over a month left in her pregnancy. Despite Damon’s allegation that she was missing, she appeared to have disappeared.
Desperate to find Naomi, Damon’s nights were occupied with searching. He looked in all the usual places, but she was nowhere to be seen. When the police called to report that Naomi had been found in labor in an alley and taken to the hospital, his quest came to an end.
Overwhelmed by a wave of emotions, Damon hurried to the hospital, where he was met with a bombshell from Naomi, who was recuperating and holding their newborn baby, Jordan. She said, “I’m giving up my parental rights and divorcing you.”
Years later, Damon sat across from Naomi and asked questions regarding their past. He inquired, “Naomi, did you give birth to twins?”
“No, there weren’t twins,” Naomi answered, her illness impairing her judgment. “Jordan and a parasite were present. I was aided by the tall man, and he carried it away.”
Emily, in the midst of her own difficulty, read Jack’s letter. He acknowledged that he had concealed his irreversible brain aneurysm from her, not wanting to cause her any concern. In addition, he acknowledged that he had fabricated adoption documents for their son Bradley and saved a baby from an alley.
“…After grabbing the child, I called the police. I had planned to give the child to the police, but as soon as I saw his adorable tiny face, I knew you would be the right home for him. After bringing him home, I persuaded Michael to feign the information on the adoption documents enclosed in this packet. A quick investigation should find nothing wrong with them, but you should be aware that they won’t hold up in court.
My dear Emily, I apologize for not being able to do more for you.”
Emily wept, holding the letter close to her chest. She wondered if she should tell Damon that Bradley might be his biological son. She hesitated to pick up, but Damon’s call went through.
“Hello?” Emily stammered out.
“I just got off the phone with my ex-wife, Naomi,” groaned Damon as he got into his car. “She mentioned something weird about the night Jordan was born, and she has schizophrenia.” Emily, it’s very essential.”
“Damon, come on over. “I have also discovered something,” she answered.
Damon told Emily’s story when he was at her house. “She assumed one was a parasite and that she was having twins. The infant may have been placed in a dumpster by her.”
Emily handed Jack the letter and stated, “Actually, I don’t think the baby was in a dumpster.”
“So, Jack saved my son?” As he read the paper, Damon became aware.
“Please, please don’t take Bradley away,” Emily begged. You have the right, I know that. But refrain from. Please.
“Nobody’s taking me!” Flashing into the room, Jack’s hunting rifle flew into Bradley’s grasp. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”
“Bradley, I’m not here to take you,” Damon said, raising his hands. You’re the son of Emily. I refuse to alter that.
Up until this point, Emily had been keeping everything inside. She sobbed into Damon’s shoulder, throwing her arms around his neck. She whispered ‘thank you’s’ at him, but Damon stroked her back. A few minutes later, she broke away and turned to face her son, grinning gratefully.
Emily begged, “Please, Bradley, put the rifle down.” “I hate that you overheard so much of this conversation, but there’s nothing we can do to change that, so I need you to sit down so Damon and I can explain.”
“Damon?” Bradley put the rifle down on the wall, his eyebrows rising in surprise. “The same Damon you went on a date with earlier?”
“Yes, but there’s more that needs to be explained,” Emily replied. When Bradley did sit down, Emily and Damon told the small kid the truth.
“So, he’s my father, and I have a twin brother?” Bradley enquired.
Emily said, “We think so,” and nodded. “A DNA test can confirm it.”
“Why me? Why did she abandon my brother but not me?” With a hint of pain in his voice, Bradley questioned Damon.
Damon softly clarified, “Naomi was very sick, suffering from schizophrenia.” “She believed there was only one child alive and was perplexed. She requested that Jack take you.”
Bradley nodded, accepting the explanation while attempting to contain his tears.
“What happens now?” Bradley enquired.
“We take a DNA sample to decide our next course of action. We’re a family, if this proves everything,” Damon replied, holding Emily’s hand.
“This has turned out to be one heck of a first date, right?” Damon gave Emily a half smile as he looked at her.
Emily chuckled, but her laugh was anxious and high-pitched. “You can say that again!”
Damon turned to face the young man and stated, “I know this is a lot to take in, Bradley.” “As a family, we’ll manage this together. Emily and I are here to help you through this, and we both want what’s best for you.”
Bradley nodded gradually as he continued to take in the details. “I just… I need some time to think, you know?”
Emily answered, “Of course,” her eyes worried. “My dear, take as much time as you require. Nothing is being rushed. This will be a journey that we must all go together.
Emily glanced to Damon as Bradley excused himself and went upstairs, her expression a mixture of bewilderment and gratitude.
“Damon, what should we do next? How are we going to handle this all?”
With a groan, Damon ran a hand over his hair. “I should notify Jordan first, but that can wait until the next morning. Then, we ought to finish that DNA test. It will provide us the necessary clarity. We may determine collectively how to handle the future once we know the results.” His eyes had a comforting gleam as he caught Emily’s gaze. “No matter what, we face it as a family.”