The days passed in a blur, but something had shifted between Sara and Kara. They had started talking, really talking, and the more they did, the more Sara realized how much she didn't know. About Kara. About her past. About the life she thought was hers.
But there was something else she didn't know-something that gnawed at her.
Her father had been distant lately. She hadn't seen him at all this week, not even in passing. He'd been working late, coming home only to retreat to his study, locking himself away as if avoiding the world. Sara couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't just the tension between them, the awkward silences at dinner, or the coldness that lingered in the air.
It was something else.
She hadn't seen her mother either, not since their last confrontation. Victoria had become a shadow in the house, always busy with something, always too preoccupied to face the issues at hand. But Sara knew. She knew her mother was just as scared as she was. Maybe more.
Tonight, Sara couldn't take it anymore. She needed answers. She needed to know why her father had been so distant, and what had really happened all those years ago. She had to confront him.
She stood outside his study, her hand trembling as she reached for the door. She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before knocking softly.
"Dad?" she called out, her voice barely above a whisper.
There was no answer. She knocked again, this time a little louder. Still, nothing.
"Sara?" her father's voice came from inside, hoarse and strained. "What is it?"
"I need to talk to you," she said, stepping forward and opening the door without waiting for him to invite her in.
Her father was seated at his desk, papers scattered everywhere. His face looked older, more tired than she had ever seen it before. The lines around his eyes were deeper, and his shoulders were slumped in a way that made him appear smaller.
He didn't look at her when she entered. "I'm busy, Sara. We'll talk later."
"No. We talk now," Sara said, her voice more forceful than she intended. "I need to know what happened. I need to know what you're hiding."
Her father's hands froze on the papers, and for the first time, he looked up at her, his expression unreadable. "What do you mean?"
Sara's heart raced. "I don't know what's going on, but I know something isn't right. You've been distant. Mom's been avoiding me. And I... I don't understand why everything feels wrong."
There was a long silence, and for a moment, Sara thought he wasn't going to respond. But then, her father leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply.
"You want the truth, don't you?" he asked quietly.
Sara nodded. "Yes."
He stood up, walking slowly to the window and staring out at the garden. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant for you to find out. But the truth... it's something you need to understand, even if it breaks everything."
Her stomach twisted in knots. She couldn't prepare herself for what was coming, but she was already too deep in it to back out.
"Your mother and I," he began, "we weren't always truthful with you. We kept secrets-secrets that I thought were for your own good. But now, I see... I see how much damage we've done."
Sara's mind raced. "What secrets? What happened?"
He turned back to face her, his eyes filled with a deep sorrow. "The day you were born, something went wrong. Your mother and I... we were part of a plan. A plan that we thought was the only way to protect you."
Sara's heart hammered in her chest. "What do you mean, 'protect me'?"
Her father looked away again, as if the weight of his words was too much to bear. "The truth is, Sara... you were never meant to be ours. You were switched. The child you grew up thinking was your sister... she wasn't. Kara was. And you..." His voice faltered. "You were the one who was taken from your real family."
Sara's world tilted. "No... that's not... that can't be..."
Her father's eyes filled with regret. "It's true. The hospital made an error. A terrible error. And by the time we found out, it was too late. You were already a part of our family. Your mother couldn't let you go. I couldn't either. So, we made a choice. We kept you, and we told ourselves that it was for the best. But it wasn't. It was a lie."
The words hung in the air like a heavy fog, suffocating Sara. She staggered backward, her legs weak. "So everything... everything was a lie? My whole life?"
Her father nodded slowly, his voice barely audible. "I'm sorry, Sara. I should have told you sooner, but I didn't know how. I didn't want to lose you. I didn't want to lose everything."
Sara couldn't speak. She couldn't think. The weight of his confession pressed down on her, crushing her chest. She had always known something was wrong, but this... this was unimaginable. She was someone else's daughter. She had been someone else's daughter all along.
Her father stepped closer, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry. I never wanted this to hurt you."
Sara's mind reeled. She wanted to scream, to yell at him, to demand answers. But all she could do was stare at him, at the man who had raised her, who had loved her, and yet, had kept the truth hidden.
"I need time," she whispered, turning and rushing out of the room before he could say another word.
She didn't know where she was going. She didn't know what to do with the truth, with the unbearable weight of everything she had just learned. Her father's words echoed in her head.
Sara's legs carried her without direction, her mind spinning, her heart a knot of confusion and pain. She didn't know where she was going-she only knew she couldn't stay in that house, not with the truth clawing at her from every corner.
The world outside felt cold, distant, as though the sun had dimmed its light just for her. She stumbled down the street, her thoughts spiraling out of control. Everything she thought she knew about herself had just been shattered, and in its place, a gaping void threatened to swallow her whole.
Kara's face flashed in her mind, her expression a mixture of sorrow and anger when she had revealed the truth. It was all true, wasn't it? The way she had always felt like an outsider in her own life, the confusion about who she really was-it all made sense now.
But why had her father kept this from her? Why had they done this? The questions piled up like an avalanche, too many to process, and yet none of them could be ignored.
She found herself at the park-the same park where Kara and she had met earlier. The cool evening air brushed against her face as she sank onto the nearest bench, her hands clutching her head, trying to make sense of the storm inside her.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out with shaking hands. It was a message from Kara.
> "I know you're hurting, but I want to help. Please, meet me."
Sara stared at the screen for a long moment before typing back.
> "I don't know what to say. I don't even know who I am anymore."
The reply came almost immediately.
> "You're still you, Sara. You're still the same person, just with more of the truth now. Come meet me. Please."
Sara stared at the message, feeling the weight of Kara's words pressing into her. She didn't want to meet her-not because she didn't need Kara, but because she wasn't sure how to face her now. After everything. After knowing they weren't just rivals in a twisted game of fate, but sisters-tragically bound by a mistake no one could have foreseen.
But deep down, Sara knew that if there was anyone who could understand what she was going through, it was Kara. Despite everything that had happened, despite the hurt, despite the lies-they had always been connected. And now, they were bound by something even deeper than blood.
With a heavy sigh, she stood up from the bench, her resolve hardening. She couldn't keep running from the truth. She had to face it. Face her past, her future, and the girl who shared her fate.
Kara was waiting at the park's entrance, her posture rigid as she stared down at the ground. When she saw Sara approach, her eyes lifted, and for the first time, Sara saw something raw in her-something not just hurt or angry, but vulnerable.
"You came," Kara said softly, her voice cracking a little.
Sara nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak. She didn't know where to begin.
Kara stepped closer, her hands hovering uncertainly at her sides before she finally reached out and placed one on Sara's shoulder. "I know this is hard. But we're in this together. We can't keep running from the truth. We need to face it, no matter how much it hurts."
Sara swallowed hard, tears threatening to spill. She had no idea how Kara could be so strong. How could she stand there, so sure of herself, when their entire world had just crumbled?
"I don't know how to handle this," Sara whispered. "I thought I knew who I was, who my family was... but now everything's gone. It's like I've been living someone else's life."
Kara squeezed her shoulder gently, her voice filled with empathy. "It feels like that, I know. But you're not alone in this, Sara. I'm here. We're both here. And no matter what happens, we're going to get through this. You're not just a Villanueva. You're also a real part of my family. And that's something no one can take away."
The words hit Sara like a wave, and for the first time in days, a faint glimmer of peace settled over her. Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe, with Kara by her side, they could both start over. They could find out who they really were-together.
"I just don't know how to fix all of this," Sara said, her voice barely above a whisper. "There's so much... so much anger. And hurt. And I don't know how to make it stop."
Kara took a step back, giving Sara space to breathe. "You don't have to fix everything at once. All we need to do right now is take the next step. One at a time."
Sara nodded slowly, her gaze drifting toward the horizon. She could see the first stars of the evening beginning to shine through the fading light, and in that moment, it felt like the world wasn't quite as dark as it had seemed before.
"Do you think we'll ever be okay again?" Sara asked, her voice small.
Kara took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, then back at Sara. "I don't know. But I do know that we're stronger than we think. And we're not giving up on each other."
The silence that followed wasn't heavy or awkward. It was just two people, standing together, trying to make sense of everything that had come before. And in that silence, there was understanding. There was hope.
Sara took a step closer to Kara, her heart steadying in her chest. "Okay. We'll take it one step at a time."
Kara smiled faintly, her eyes bright with an emotion Sara couldn't quite name. "Together," she agreed.