What Horrors Happen Behind Closed Doors?
Where were you when you learned the truth about your family? What did you do when you uncovered their massive secret? That’s where Tommy, and his fraternal twin Dill find themselves. Through a chain reaction of events, they become involved in one of the most compelling and scandalous conflicts they’ve ever witnessed. It was too much to sit on the sidelines. The brothers had to take action. There was no running away from their family’s crimes. Throughout tumultuous alliances, breathtaking tension, and even the occasional triumph, the two brothers were able to confront a deeply personal injustice.
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“Dill’s jaw dropped. Tommy Burst Into Tears Again”
Tommy and Dill were born out of wedlock. When their mom (we’ll call her Diane) learned that she was pregnant with twins, their dad (we’ll call him Stu) left the day after his sons were born.
“Growing up, he was never in our lives and my mother didn’t have any ill intent towards him,” Tommy recalled. “We resented the mention of a father who we never saw in our lives or even met.”
These feelings continued until the boys were 18. It was their high school graduation, and Diane brought all of her relatives to support her sons. But that wasn’t everyone Diane brought with her.
A frail looking man emerged from the crowd. Tommy and Dill recognized some of his features, as they were the same features both boys possessed. Their hearts sank when they realized who was standing in front of them.
“As if in an instant, it was like our resentment towards this man fluttered away. I cried and Dill was helping him up. Without a second thought, we embraced our parents and my father wouldn’t stop apologizing.” Tommy mentioned.
Back when the twins were born, Stu and Diane quickly realized there was no way they could provide for both of them. Stu desperately searched, but the only jobs that would pay for everything they needed were located several states away. The only solution was for the parents to split up. While it seemed like Diane paid for all the boys’ birthday parties, Christmas presents, and Thanksgiving dinners, Stu really was the one who financed each event. Her checks always arrived in plain, unassuming envelopes.
And it was in those same envelopes that Stu and Diane handed the boys each the money for their college tuition.
Dill’s jaw dropped. Tommy burst into tears again. Their futures would be way more secure than they could have expected.
In the years since that fateful day, the four of them only became closer. Stu and Diane paid for the boys’ education, and Tommy and Dill found fulfilling jobs in their chosen fields after college. They weren’t well-paying ones, but the boys were always satisfied at the end of a long work week. It seemed almost too perfect, that nothing could tear this family apart.
Except for Heather.
Heather was the twins’ new step-mom. She had recently married Stu, and the two of them were head over heels for one another. She seemed so bubbly and joyous. Diane was so happy for the two of them. Heather even had three other boys from a previous marriage, who Tommy and Dill were ecstatic to meet. Their new step-brothers were the kind of guys who wouldn’t hesitate to step in if something was wrong.
Unfortunately, things went terribly wrong terribly quickly.
END OF PART 1
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