Chapter 221: Truths Unveiled
Alaric glanced at Harry, his voice steady. “You can drop the act now.”
Harry’s heart raced, panic flooding him. “Does Mom know about the switch between Caspian and me?” he asked, his voice shaky.
Alaric nodded. “She should by now. Caspian must’ve told her.”
Harry’s anxiety deepened. “We’ve been lying to her for so long… She must be furious. I don’t want to go home. Can you take me to Grandma’s instead? I’d rather deal with her,” he muttered, hoping to avoid the confrontation waiting at home.
Alaric raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Weren’t you so confident when I exposed you? Why the fear now?”
“Mom’s different,” Harry replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “You didn’t raise me. I’m not afraid of hurting your feelings, but I can’t stand seeing Mom upset.”
Alaric’s expression softened. “It’s too late. Even if you want to run, you can’t. Just come home with me.”
Harry, his stomach churning, dreaded the inevitable storm. He even considered jumping out of the car, anything to delay the confrontation. But deep down, he knew there was no escaping it.
Meanwhile, Galatea was processing the incredible truth Caspian had just revealed. She sat frozen, trying to grasp the unbelievable story.
“Mom, are you okay?” Caspian asked, his voice filled with concern.
Galatea didn’t respond immediately. She was in shock, her mind racing. Caspian, seeing her frozen expression, quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Mom. This was my idea. It’s all my fault. You can hit me, yell at me, just please don’t be angry.”
Galatea shook her head, her thoughts scattered. “I’m not angry. It’s just… hard to believe. You switched with Harry so long ago?”
Caspian nodded solemnly. “Yes. Remember that time you went to the mansion to find Dad? You got kicked out, and I saw everything. I jumped out of the window and went home with you. Harry stayed with Dad that day, and when he came looking for me, he took Harry home instead.”
Galatea’s mind churned as the memory resurfaced. That had been so long ago. She hadn’t realized that the child beside her was never Harry.
She let out a low laugh, more out of disbelief than amusement. “I never thought… the son I’ve been looking for has been right here all along.”
She shook her head again, still unable to fully process it. “Who would believe such an absurd story?”
Caspian, trying to ease her shock, said, “Mom, it’s not your fault. Harry and I look so alike. The first time I saw Harry, I was shocked, too. It was like looking in a mirror.”
Galatea stared at him, still trying to piece everything together. She had missed it all. The child she had been desperately searching for had been right under her nose the whole time.
Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Caspian’s face lit up. “It must be Dad bringing Harry back.”
Alaric walked in with Harry in tow, though Harry was clearly reluctant. Caspian grinned. “Harry, I’ve already told Mom everything. We can finally stop pretending and be ourselves.”
Harry, looking a little sheepish, shuffled into the room. Galatea’s gaze shifted from one boy to the other, still stunned by the resemblance.
She blinked as she looked at the two of them standing side by side. “You two look too much alike,” she whispered, still processing the scene before her.
Harry, his grin widening, shrugged. “Mom, you know everything now. No need for further explanations.”
Galatea, her voice trembling, asked, “Are you Harry?”
“Yes, Mom, I’m Harry,” he replied.
“And you’re Caspian?” she asked, turning to the other boy.
“Yes, Mom,” Caspian confirmed.
Galatea stared at them, still struggling to tell them apart. “You two really do look identical. It’s… unbelievable.”
Harry smirked. “Actually, you adults are just too careless. If you look closely, you’ll notice the difference. My eyes are bigger than Caspian’s, and my eyebrows are better shaped.”
Caspian shot back immediately. “Nonsense! They’re the same size, okay? And I’m the older brother.”
“Just because you were born a few seconds earlier, why do you have to rub it in?” Harry retorted.
“Such disrespect!” Caspian huffed.
Harry raised an eyebrow. “We’re the same age! Why does it matter if you’re technically a few seconds older?”
Galatea and Alaric couldn’t help but chuckle at the back-and-forth between the boys. Alaric, grinning, said, “Call each other whatever you want for now.”
“I agree!” Harry chimed in, raising both hands in mock surrender.
Still, Galatea couldn’t stop studying their faces, like a puzzle she needed to solve. After a long pause, she sighed in frustration. “I can’t find any difference between you two. Have you found something I missed?”
Harry sighed dramatically. “You really need to get your eyes checked. Let me tell you one difference: I have a mole behind my left ear, and Caspian doesn’t.”
Galatea and Alaric immediately checked.
“It’s true,” Galatea said, her voice filled with surprise. “I never noticed the mole before.”
Harry stretched and yawned, clearly relieved. “Well, thanks to your carelessness, we managed to deceive you for so long,” he said with a grin. “Anyway, I didn’t sleep well last night. I need to catch up on some sleep.”
With that, Harry made his way to Caspian’s room, ready to take a much-needed nap.
Caspian, already back to his usual cheerful self, said, “Let him rest, Mom. Dad, you stay here. I’ll make breakfast.”
Galatea, still in disbelief, looked at Alaric. “How about that? I raised him well, didn’t I?”
Alaric chuckled. “I did a good job with Harry and Elisa, too.”
Galatea, now slightly overwhelmed by everything, said, “I need to wash my face. This feels like a dream. Having three kids all of a sudden… it’s just too much.” She shook her head in disbelief as she headed to the bathroom. Alaric, ever supportive, followed her in.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Elisa woke up with a start. The first thing she did was call for Harry. “Harry, get up!”
“Don’t bother me!” Harry groaned, pulling the blanket over his head.
“Slacker,” Elisa muttered as she left the room.
In the kitchen, Caspian greeted her. “Good morning, Elisa.”
“Good morning,” Elisa replied sleepily. But when she saw Caspian standing in the kitchen, her eyes widened in confusion. She rubbed her eyes, unsure if she was hallucinating.
She hurried back to the bedroom, rubbed her eyes again, and blinked a few times. Was she seeing things? Were there really two Harrys now?