Two Of A Kind

Chapter 1

Vivienne's eyes locked onto the grainy black and white scan, twin babies nestled in her womb. Vivienne was so happy, she already had names for her twins. Little did she know that one would be taken away from her.

In a sterile London office, Sarah Sinclair gazed at the doctor's report, it was the same. She still didn't have an uterus, she can't have a child. She suffered from MRKH syndrome, a rare disorder where the uterus and vagina are absent. Sarah Anderson was born without a womb and she desperately needed a child.

The Sinclair's are old money rich, famously known for their luxury fabrics and textiles. Their forefathers made their fortune in textile manufacturing during the industrial revolution and they also supplied luxury fabrics to European royalty back in the day. An heir was desperately needed. Sarah didn't know what to do and she couldn't adopt a child because of the family's reputation. If the world finds out that she adopted a child, it would bring a scandal upon the Anderson name.

Her husband, Aaron Sinclair was aware of his wife's infertility and he had a plan. A child was needed and she'd get one. Sarah and Aaron wanted the child to come from somewhere far from London just to avoid unnecessary drama. Their doctor friend in Switzerland had come true, a discreet arrangement, a hefty sum and they'd have the child they'd always needed. No adoption scandal, no whispers of
Infertility. Just a perfect fake pregnancy and a child to inherit the Sinclair's fortune.

And no one will ever know.

Aaron Sinclair raised a glass. "To our new addition", he said, his voice low and triumphant.

Sarah Sinclair faked her pregnancy for nine months. Everyone thought she was really pregnant.

Meanwhile in Grindelwald, Switzerland, Vivienne Allington and her husband Jacob Allington were expecting twins. They had planned on the names to give them.

"Alice and Alana" Jacob said, his face filled with joy.

Vivienne shook her head in disagreement. "I actually thought of Lauren and Laura"

"Lauren and Laura it is! I love it". Jacob agreed.

Months later, Lauren and Laura were about to be born. The nurse's smile was a blur as they wheeled Vivienne into the delivery room. She'd prepared for this moment but nothing could've readied her for the screams ahead, the one that shattered her world.

After minutes of intense screaming and pushing, the babies were born. Vivienne was happy but for a short while.

"I'll just take them for a moment ma'am. We'll just clean them up", the nurse said.

Shortly after, the nurse came back but she came back with just one baby instead of two.

"Where's the other baby?", Vivienne asked, her voice low and weak.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs Allington...the other baby didn't make it".

Vivienne held her breath as the nurse's words sliced through her like a knife. She let out a loud scream, she cried bitterly.

Vivienne begged to see her child, to hold her, to say goodbye. But they couldn't produce a baby, a death certificate. Just empty condolences and a prescription for pain killers.

Vivienne cried and cried, drowning in a sea of grief. Her husband, Jacob, held her, his own tears falling as he whispered empty promises.

"We'll try again, Vivienne. We'll have another baby".

But it wasn't the same. Vivienne knew deep down in her bones that they had taken her baby and she'd never see her child again.

The Sinclair's, meanwhile, were already en route to London, their new daughter in tow. They'd changed her birthdate, given her a new name.... Diana Sinclair. She'd grow up in a mansion, with nannies and tutors, never knowing her real mother.