CHAPTER 330: THE SHOCKING TRUTH WAS REVEALED.

"I have been carrying the weight of the truth for so long," the old man added wearily. "But not anymore. I can’t watch you and Denis end up destroying each other. I know you will hate me for hiding this for all those years. You will never forgive me. That’s okay. This is my karma. I deserve it."

He paused before adding, "But I’ll still apologize to you. I am sorry, Augustine. Forgive me if you can. You are sensible. That’s why I am sending this to you. Denis is impulsive hot headed. I’m afraid he will go kill Gabriel out of fury and put himself into danger. Don’t let your brother ruin himself over someone like Gabriel."

He leaned forward to the camera as if trying to reach out to Augustine. "I don’t know how long I can survive. I am not sure if I’ll be alive or not by the time you get this video. But I have no regrets. I already confessed. I believe you will bring the sinner to justice. Promise me one thing: you will always protect Denis. No matter what he did in the past, you will forgive him and accept him wholeheartedly. All I want to see is you two leave peacefully."

He put his trembling fingers on the camera as if touching Augustine’s face. "I don’t know if I could see you. If you can, forgive this old man."

With that, the video ended.

Augustine sank back into his chair, his body limp, eyes fixating on the screen. Tears slowly slipped down his cheeks.

When Anne stepped into the study to call him for dinner, she was startled to see Augustine sitting motionless, tears glistening in his eyes. Her heart leapt in panic.

"What happened to you?" she rushed to his side, terrified he was in pain. Maybe his head was hurting. "Are you alright? Where does it hurt?"

She gently lifted his chin to make him face her, scanning him with anxious eyes. But Augustine didn’t respond—he couldn’t. He just stared at her, his chest heavy with unspoken emotions.

Anne’s worry only deepened. "What’s going on?" she pressed. Then her gaze flicked to the laptop screen where Dimitri’s image lingered.

A thought struck her mind. ’Does this have something to do with the parcel Grandpa sent?’

"Say something," she urged, alarm tightening her voice. "Don’t stay silent. You are scaring me."

Wordlessly, Augustine picked up the stack of documents from the table and handed them to her.

Anne quickly scanned the pages. When she read the report, a shocked look crossed her face. "Two boys," she muttered in astonishment. She remembered Augustine once telling her his twin sister was stillborn. But here, it spoke of a boy.

Her brows furrowed as she looked at him. "What does this mean? Didn’t you say your twin sister died at birth? But this report says otherwise."

Augustine met her eyes. "That’s what I always believed," he rasped, his voice thick with emotion. "But it was a lie. I never had a sister."

His gaze shifted toward the glowing laptop screen. "My mother gave birth to two sons. But my parents didn’t know about it. They were told only one boy survived, while the girl was declared stillborn."

A shiver raced down Anne’s spine. How could the hospital make such a mistake?

This was more than a mistake—it was a scam.

Had the babies been swapped deliberately?

Another chill prickled her skin. "Your brother...Where is he? Is he still alive?"

Augustine gave a slow nod, locking eyes with her. "Yes. He is alive—and living quite well."

Anne’s shock only deepened. "You already know who he is? Did he contact you? Is this what Grandpa wanted you to know?"

Augustine dragged a hand over his face, then turned the laptop toward her. "See for yourself," he muttered heavily.

The revelation had left him rattled. He was still in shock and couldn’t bring himself to explain further. He needed time to process the staggering reality that the man he had considered his greatest rival all his life was, in fact, his own twin brother.

Anne drew in a breath and focused on the screen. She hit replay, pulled out a chair, and sat down as the video rolled again.

With every passing second, her astonishment grew. And when the revelation came that Gabriel had murdered Augustine’s parents, her hands flew to her mouth in horror. She paused the video, leaning back against the chair, her mind spinning.

’Gabriel killed Augustine’s parents,’ she thought, dazed and shaken.

She had always believed that Augustine’s feud with the Beaumonts stemmed solely from the fact that his father was illegitimate, a result of Dimitri’s affair. But now she realized it went far deeper.

Gabriel’s hatred for his half-brother had been so vicious that he hadn’t stopped at denying Gervis his rightful share of the family fortune—he had gone as far as murdering him.

Such cruelty...

And yet, Dimitri had remained silent, despite knowing the truth. Why? Gervis was his son, too. Did he feel no love for him? How could he stand by and allow such injustice?

At last, Anne understood the true root of Augustine’s hatred for the Beaumonts. Slowly, she turned toward him. "You knew..."

Augustine gave a short nod. "I had my suspicions," he admitted. "I investigated, found hints pointing to Gabriel, but nothing strong enough to send him to jail. I was furious, and I blamed everyone tied to him. That’s why I came back—to ruin the Beaumonts, tear down their empire, and cast them out of their homes the same way they cast out me and my parents."

His hands gripped the armrests hard. "I was this close to crushing the entire family, seizing everything, stripping them of their name. And then this..."

His voice cracked, trailing into silence. "It feels like a cruel joke."

Anne’s brows furrowed. She sensed the video held more—something even more shocking. She pressed play again, bracing herself.

What came next left her utterly stunned.

"What?" she gasped as the earth-shattering shock was revealed. "That can’t be true... impossible..." She shook her head, struggling to process it. "Denis is actually your twin brother!"

Her eyes darted to Augustine, who sat frozen, unmoving. As she watched him, something struck her. His features, the shape of his face, the sharpness of his nose—so much like Denis’s.

She had noticed the resemblance before but dismissed it, convincing herself it was because they were cousins. Never had she imagined they might be twins. But now, with this revelation, she could no longer deny it.

All these years, Augustine had lived in ignorance, blind to the fact that his fiercest rival, the man he despised most, was his own brother. And just as he was about to avenge the injustices of the past, this truth shattered everything.

Anne felt his turmoil, the storm raging inside him. She reached out, resting her hand over his fist, which was clenched so tightly against the armrest.

"Augustine," she said softly. "I know this is unbearable—shocking, even. But the truth is out now. And Denis has a right to know. You need to tell him."

Augustine exhaled heavily. "I know," he murmured. "But I need some time." Rising to his feet, he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Anne asked, catching hold of his wrist.

Fear tugged at her. He had just come out of a coma, his head injury still not fully healed.

She dreaded the thought of him sinking deeper into despair.

"I just want to be alone," he replied, gently prying her hand off.

"But..." Anne began, trying to stop him.

"Please, Anne...just give me some space. Don’t wait up for me. Go rest early." With that, he walked out.

Anne sat frozen in her chair, anxiety tightening her chest as she watched him disappear from the study.

~~~~~~~~~~

Gabriel had brought Tania back to the house, and when Denis heard the news, fury consumed him. He rushed to confront his father, but instead, he came face-to-face with Tania. The moment he saw her, his stomach turned with revulsion.

Tania, however, remained unfazed. A sly smile curled her lips as she sauntered closer. "Well, well... long time no see," she drawled. "How have you been?"

Denis’s expression contorted with rage. He couldn’t fathom how blind he had been all those years. This was the woman he had once loved, the one he had dreamed of marrying, the one he thought he would share his life with. Yet behind that lovely face, she had concealed a vile, scheming nature.

Self-disgust clawed at him. He cursed himself for not unmasking her sooner, for betraying and wounding the only woman who had truly loved him. If fate ever granted him another chance, he would right that wrong—he would never have let Anne slip away.

"Where is Dad?" he demanded icily, ignoring her false pleasantries.

"Your father hasn’t come back from work yet," she replied flippantly, her gaze lingering over his tense frame. "Probably still at the office. Shouldn’t you know better? Or didn’t you see him there today?"

She inched even closer, her eyes gleaming as she studied him. "Tell me... why are you here when Gabriel isn’t around? Did you want to catch me alone? Relive the old spark?"