Chapter 3 The Shocking Truth

Giuliano, Sophie's brother seeking revenge against the Montagues for Sophie to hate Lucas for what his dad did to their mum discovers a long-forgotten document that reveals a shocking truth: Lucas and Sophie are long-lost siblings, separated at birth due to a family feud.

Determined to expose the truth and cause chaos, Giuliano devises a plan to gather both families at a neutral location, under false pretenses. He claims there's going to be a peace treaty signing between the Montagues and Capulets, and that it's a historic opportunity for both families to put their differences aside.

Both families arrive at the designated location, unaware of the bombshell that's about to be dropped. Giuliano, with a smug expression, reveals the document and the shocking truth about Lucien and Liora relationship.

That one secret that everyone feared to say has actually been revealed.

Lady Isabella, a kind-hearted noblewoman, attends a masquerade ball in the city. Lord Leonardo, a Powerful and cunning lord, notices her from across the room. They lock eyes, Lady Isabella resists him, he then sent one of his servant to call her for a conversation but the lady ignored because she's from a humble home and won't be happy finding herself talking to a cunning and deceitful man this made him angry because his pride has been disrespected.

To take revenge Lord Leonard kidnapped her to a forest on her way home and assaulted and left without feeling guilty.

The capulet got informed by an eye witness and decided to search for her .

The Capulets found Lady Isabella near the edge of the forest, her once-elegant gown torn, her mask missing, her eyes void of the sparkle she had worn at the masquerade. Her voice, once full of grace, was now silent.

The days that followed were filled with hushed conversations behind closed doors, whispers in the hallways, and judgmental glances from the nobility. But none of that compared to the shame and pain Isabella carried inside her chest. She would sit for hours staring out the window, unable to sleep, eat, or speak.

The Capulets after knowing that Lord Leonard Montague raped their daughter was left with rage, anger, betrayal and vengeance for the Montague and they decided to hate them forever . This decision created fight between these two family.

Months later ,when the physician confirmed Isabella pregnancy, silence filled the room like a scream. Isabella clutched her stomach, numb. "How can something so dark grow inside me?" she whispered.

She thought of ending her life. She walked barefoot to the chapel one cold morning before sunrise, ready to pray for a way out. But there, an old priest-Father Renzo-approached her gently and said, "Child, sometimes the broken bring forth the strongest. Let not his darkness consume the light you still carry."

His words planted the first seed of hope.

The day Lady Isabella went into labor, the Capulet estate fell silent. No laughter from the gardens, no music from the harps. Only the hurried footsteps of midwives and the whispered prayers of servants.

Hours passed. Cries echoed-first from the newborn girl, then a few minutes later, from her twin brother.

But Isabella... never opened her eyes again.

Her final breath was a whisper:

"Protect them... even from each other."

Grief shook the Capulets. Lord Ricard Capulet wept for the first time in decades, holding the lifeless hand of the daughter he once tried to protect with pride, not love. Lady Isadora Capulet, holding the newborn girl, swore silently she would never allow Isabella's suffering to be forgotten.

But when Lord Ricard laid eyes on the baby boy-black-haired, sharp-featured, a reflection of Lord Leonard Montague-his sorrow turned to rage.

"This boy is his. His heir. His blood. His curse."

Despite Lady Isadora's protests, the decision was made.

That night, under a heavy storm, a Capulet servant wrapped the baby boy in Isabella's old shawl, pinned a note to his chest, and left him at the gates of House Montague.

"He is yours by blood.

Raise him, if you have a soul.

His mother died bringing him into this world-may that shame never be forgotten."

– The House of Capulet

The Montagues opened their gates the next morning to find the crying infant. Lord Leonard was not there-he had fled in disgrace before the child was born, exiled by royal decree. His elder brother, Lord Antonio Montague, now head of the house, lifted the child into his arms with a conflicted heart.

"He is not Leonard. He is innocent," Antonio said.

"He is a Montague by blood... and a curse we must bear with honor." I will raise him as my own and no one in this family should ever break the news of how he was born to him. It is a secret we have to bury and never bring it out.

The boy was named Lucas, meaning bringer of light -in a bitter echo of his twin sister, Sophie , wisdom of the Capulet home.

The twins, though born of the same womb, were raised as enemies.

Sophie , soft-eyed and graceful, was taught poise, tradition, and quiet sorrow.

Lucas, bold and curious, grew up surrounded by duty and questions no one would answer.

Neither knew of the other.

Luca and Sophia sat in stunned silence, the ancient document lying between them. The words "long-lost siblings" echoed in their minds like a cruel joke.

Luca's eyes widened in denial. "This can't be true. We're...we're in love."

Sophia's face crumpled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What does this mean? Are we...are we even supposed to feel this way?"

Luca's expression twisted in anguish. "I don't know. I don't know what to feel."

They sat in silence, the weight of their newfound reality crushing them. Luca's mind reeled with questions. How could they have felt this way if they were siblings? Was it all a lie?

Sophia broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Luca tried to comfort her, but he felt numb, like he was watching himself from outside his body.

As the truth sank in, they both felt a deep sense of guilt and shame. They had betrayed their families, their morals, and themselves.

Luca pulled away, his eyes filled with tears. "I need some time to process this. I don't know who I am anymore."

Sophia's voice trembled. "Me neither."

Lucas turned to Lord Antonio and asked him if everything is true that he is not his real father with his eyes filled with tears and disappointment why his family kept this from him.

Lucas's voice trembled " So you are not my biological father"

Antonio broke down with his eyes filled with tears "Yes son , I'm not your biological father but I'm your father son"

Lucas hugged Antonio and cried bitterly, whilst Sophie was broken and was held by her grandmother Lady Isadora .

The weight of it all was unbearable. How were they supposed to live with the knowledge that their love was born from tragedy? That their families' hatred wasn't just rivalry-it was vengeance, pain, and betrayal etched in blood? Lucas and Sophie struggled to come to terms with their newfound bond, not just as lovers, but as siblings. Every shared memory was tainted, every kiss now haunted. The emotions were too much-grief, confusion, anger, and heartbreak-twisting inside them like a storm with no end.

Sophie sat on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, as if she could hold herself together while everything inside her was falling apart. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. Twin. She and Lucas were twins. Born of violence. Born of pain. How could love ever survive something so twisted?

Lucas stood by the doorway, staring at her, helpless. His whole life felt like a lie. The man he had looked up to-his father-was no hero. He was a monster. And now, the woman Lucas had loved with his whole heart was... his sister.

"I keep thinking it's a dream," Sophie said, her voice hollow. "A cruel one. Like I'll wake up and none of this will be true."

Lucas stepped forward slowly, his voice cracking. "I wish I could undo it all. I wish we were just... you and me. Sophie and Lucas. The way we used to be. Before the truth."

She looked up at him, her eyes red but defiant. "But we can't go back, can we? Every memory we had-it's all stained now. We were in love, Lucas. We crossed lines we never even knew were there."

He nodded, his throat tight. "We didn't know. We didn't choose how we were born. Or what they did. We were innocent."

"Innocent?" she echoed, almost bitterly. "Then why do I feel so... wrong? I loved you. I still do. But now, when I look at you, I don't know who you are to me anymore. My brother? My soulmate? Or just the other half of a story that should never have been written?"

Lucas knelt in front of her, his voice barely a whisper. "You're still Sophie. I'm still Lucas. We are what we are... but we didn't ask for this. We didn't deserve this pain."

Tears spilled freely down her cheeks now. "Our love was the only thing that made me feel alive in a world full of hate. And now... it feels like even that's been taken from us."

He reached for her hand, and for a moment, she let him hold it-two souls clinging to the only piece of truth that hadn't changed: their bond. Twisted. Tragic. But real.

"What do we do now?" she asked, broken.

Lucas stared at the floor for a long moment before answering. "We survive. We tell the truth. And maybe... one day, we learn to live again. Not as lovers. Not even as siblings. But as people who refuse to be destroyed by the sins of those who came before us."

She nodded slowly, though her heart still felt like it was in pieces. There was no easy way forward. Only pain. Only healing. Only time.

And perhaps, somewhere far beneath the wreckage of everything they lost, a quiet, flickering hope.

The Capulet estate was silent, heavy with unspoken memories. Every wall held echoes of a past Sophie could no longer trust. She stood at the gate, her fingers brushing against the cold iron, eyes locked on the house she had once called home.

Beside her, Lucas stood rigid. The Montague name weighed on him like a curse. He wasn't here as a Montague, or even as her brother. He was here because he needed the truth. So did she.

"You don't have to come in," Sophie said softly, her voice nearly lost to the wind. "This might tear everything apart."

"It already has," Lucas replied. "Now it's time to face it."

Inside, Lady Isadora Capulet sat in the drawing room, her back straight, her hands clasped tightly around a glass of wine she hadn't touched. Her eyes found Sophie's first-wide, alert, afraid.

Sophie didn't wait. Her voice was firm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Lady Isadora Capulet's lips parted, but no sound came. Her gaze shifted to Lucas, and her expression turned cold.

"You brought him here?" she whispered. "Him?"

"I brought my brother," Sophie snapped. "Your grandson. The one you left on the Montague doorstep to rot."

Lucas took a slow breath, stepping forward. "I didn't come to fight you. I came for the truth. We both deserve it."

Lady Isadora Capulet stood, her face pale. "What truth would you have me say? That I lived with the face of my daughter's rapist in my granddaughter's eyes for years? That every time you were mentioned in the news, I wanted to scream?"

"You could have told us," Sophie said. "We grew up strangers, Lucas and I. We fell in love, and you watched it happen, and still you said nothing."

Lady Isadora Capulet's voice broke. "What was I supposed to do? Destroy you both with a truth I could barely speak aloud myself?"

Lucas's voice was low but steady. "You abandoned me."

A tear finally fell down her cheek. "Because I couldn't bear to raise him. Not when you looked so much like your father. But I see now... you're nothing like him."

The silence that followed was long and aching. The air felt heavy with things too painful to say.

Sophie turned to Lucas, her voice barely audible. "Let's go."

But Lucas held his ground for one more moment. "The truth didn't kill us. The lies nearly did. Don't let them destroy anyone else."

Lady Capulet nodded, silently. Whether it was guilt, or grief, or something else entirely, neither of them could say.