Two Fates
Emily walked the streets of a foreign city. The young woman was desperate, clutching a small slip of paper like a last shred of hope for her future. For two days now, she had been searching for a job, but it was proving far harder than she expected.
“Thank you, we’ll call you!” employers repeated like a rehearsed script.
“But I don’t have a phone. I’m not from here, and a mobile is too expensive for me,” Emily tried to explain.
“Miss, did you fill out the form? Good! We’ll consider your application!” The empty stare from the HR assistant made her feel foolish.
*What’s wrong with me? A first-class degree, higher education, fluent in French and Spanish… What more do they want?* Emily wondered.
The situation was critical. If she didn’t find work today, she’d have to return home by evening. How could she face her sick mother, whom she had promised everything would be fine—that she’d easily find a job and support her? And what would she even do in a small village with her education?
“Good afternoon! I’m here about the job listing,” she murmured, her voice barely audible. She knew she needed to relax and appear confident, but fear of yet another rejection tightened her throat.
“Fill this out!” A bleached blonde tossed a form across the desk without looking up. “Thanks! We’ll call you!” she added ten minutes later.
“But… I don’t have a phone,” Emily nearly sobbed.
The blonde stared at her as if she’d stepped out of the Stone Age.
“That’s your problem. Please don’t waste my time.”
Emily stood and headed for the exit. Her mind was blank—another wasted chance. Then the door burst open, and a striking young woman hurried in.
“Laura, have the suppliers arrived?” she asked the blonde.
“No, Ms. Charlotte. Any minute now.”
“Are you here for something?” The woman turned to Emily—then froze.
The two stared at each other, realising they were identical. Emily was too stunned to speak.
“She’s applying for the admin role. I explained we’d review her application and call, but she doesn’t seem to understand,” the blonde sneered.
“Come in,” Charlotte said abruptly, gesturing to her lavish office.
“But the suppliers—”
“Good. Let them wait. Laura, do your job!” she snapped.
“Sit,” Charlotte said softly. “Show me your documents, references…”
“I—I don’t have references. I’ve just graduated.” Emily laid out her papers, studying her doppelgänger.
“Yes… Alright, you’re hired. When can you start training?”
“Now!” Emily’s heart leapt.
“Perfect. Laura will brief you, then take you to the restaurant. The manager, Oliver, will meet you there.”
Charlotte left, gave instructions, then headed out.
“What about the suppliers?” Laura called after her.
“Reschedule. I’m busy.”
In her car, Charlotte covered her face with her hands. She knew—Emily was her sister. The girl from her dreams. All those years, she hadn’t understood why this stranger haunted her nights. Now she was certain: twins, separated at birth. Even their birthmarks matched.
She drove to her mother’s house. It was time to confront the ice queen. Charlotte had always felt her mother was a stranger. Eleanor had had her late in life. Her father was a forbidden topic.
A professor of medicine, Eleanor raised her with cold discipline. Charlotte never knew maternal warmth. Eleanor rarely smiled. *No matter. Today, she’ll tell me everything. I’m not a child anymore—I deserve the truth.*
“You’re early,” Eleanor said flatly.
“I missed you. How are you? Your health?”
“Fine. Thank you for asking.”
“Mum, tell me about my sister.”
Eleanor paled. “How did you—? Who told you?”
*I was right. My heart knew.*
“I dedicated my life to work,” Eleanor said finally. “By the time I wanted children, it was too late. Your mother was a village girl, brought in by ambulance…” Her voice trailed into painful memories.
“So you just took me?”
“It wasn’t simple! Do you know what I risked?” Eleanor snapped. “Who told you?”
“No one. Yesterday, I saw my sister. We’re identical. She’s been in my dreams for years—some invisible bond.”
“You should be grateful! I gave you opportunities your real mother never could! Would you be running a restaurant chain otherwise?”
“You never gave me love. You raised me like a soldier. Why did you tear me from my family?”
“Get out! Ungrateful wretch!”
Charlotte fled in tears, lost and small. She spent hours on a park bench, wondering what to do.
At the restaurant, she found Oliver.
“Did Emily come for training?”
“Yes, Ms. Charlotte. Bright girl. Is she family? The resemblance is uncanny.”
“Give me her details.”
“Of course!” Oliver rushed off, returning with a slip. “Here’s her address. Need copies of her ID?”
“Yes. Everything.”
Charlotte couldn’t wait. She knocked on the shabby door of a shared flat.
“Who d’you want?” slurred a dishevelled woman.
“Emily. Your tenant.”
Five minutes later, a drowsy Emily appeared. Seeing Charlotte, she panicked.
“What’s wrong? Oliver said to come at nine—”
“Come outside. We need to talk.”
The conversation was heavy. Charlotte struggled for words.
“Emily… doesn’t it seem strange how alike we are?”
“I’ve been thinking about it all night. Never seen such a resemblance in strangers.”
“We’re not strangers. We’re sisters—twins.”
Silence. Tears filled Emily’s eyes.
“How? How is this possible?”
“It is. Our mother doesn’t know. She never knew she had twins… What’s she like?”
“Kind… but she’s been ill since Dad died. This feels like a dream. I’ve seen you in my dreams too.”
“And I you. Can we go to her tomorrow? I don’t want to wait.”
“Of course! I can’t imagine her reaction…”
“Pack your things. You’re coming with me. My sister doesn’t belong in this dump. I’ll move you and Mum to my place. We’ll run the business together—and get her proper care.”
They hugged, both lighter, at peace. Two halves reunited.
At first, their mother wanted to sue Eleanor—to punish the doctor for her cruelty. But with time, she let it go. The past was past; her daughter was home.
For a while, Emily resented Eleanor. Then oneOne evening, as the sisters sat together by the fire, their mother’s laughter—warm and bright—filled the room, and for the first time in their lives, all three felt truly whole.
