“But my father…” Elijah began, barely able to make himself heard.Celeste shook her head. “Your father might have been the only person in that entire arrangement who wasn’t hired to play a role. Perhaps he was genuinely the man Cassandra chose to marry.”She hesitated before adding, “But I cannot even trust Cassandra enough to say that with certainty. When it comes to her, I learned long ago never to assume anything.”Her voice softened a little as she looked at him. “The only people I can confidently call the true Langstons are you and the other children she gave birth to.”Elijah bowed his head again. The room felt unbearably warm, and a headache was beginning to develop as he searched his childhood memories for something that would contradict her.There had to be a detail she couldn’t account for, something that would prove the people he had known were genuinely related to him. He remembered them living as a family. He remembered the names, the relationships, and the stories expla

Elijah Langston lowered his eyes to the photograph again. He searched the faces in it, hoping he had overlooked something that might help him understand what Celeste had just told him.How could he have met this elder sister of his without knowing who she was?He looked up at Celeste. Her eyes were still wet, and she was no longer trying to hide how deeply this affected her.“No… No.” Elijah shook his head as he pushed himself off the floor, unsteady on his feet. “It’s not… It’s not true.”He looked at the door, then back at Celeste. A possibility had started to take shape in his mind, and he wanted her to say something, anything, that would prove him wrong. But she seemed to understand what he was thinking without him having to say the name aloud.“You’ve always suspected something wasn’t quite right with her, haven’t you?” she asked calmly. “You could never explain it, but you knew there was something about her that you didn’t understand.”Elijah stood motionless as she went on.“Yo

Elijah was left speechless. He had so many questions for Celeste that he no longer knew which to ask first.Celeste gave him a little time before continuing. “But Iris didn’t remain that way forever. Her body eventually began developing again, and she continued growing at will without even realizing what she was doing.”She adjusted herself against the pillows. “Unfortunately, she never recovered those six years she lost. Even as she grew older, she looked much younger than her actual age. That’s why so many people younger than Iris believe they’re older than she is.” She looked at him. “Even you, Elijah.”He could hardly believe it, though he understood now how easily he had been mistaken. Iris looked so young that it had never occurred to him to wonder which of them was older. Her manner of speaking and the way the senior disciples treated her had only strengthened that impression.Under ordinary circumstances, he would have dismissed such a claim as impossible. But if Iris could i