❝ darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ❞

martin luther king jr

I was dreaming, wasn't I? My vision blackened out of a sudden and I shut my eyes for a second, but when I opened them, he was still there, right in front of me. It wasn't a dream. It was very, very real.

"You'll have to excuse my other son. He's running late, as usual. Punctuality was never his forte." William Belfort apologised affably.

My other son. My other son. My other son.

His words reverberated in my mind like a broken radio. I goggled at Joseph, unable to say anything. Even though he was Damian's twin, they were far from identical. He wasn't intimidating and didn't have that mysterious, dark aura that his brother did. He returned my gaze bashfully, visibly uncomfortable because of my insistent, critical scrutiny. He was just as handsome, but if Damian's beauty was almost destructive, fatal, his beauty was soothing, familiar, like a childhood song that brought you solace whenever you heard it.

"Excuse me." I muttered with a strangulated tone, rushing to the bathroom. I needed to calm down my nerves. I considered splashing my face with cold water, but I didn't want to ruin my make-up. 

I hid my face in my palms, taking deep breaths. 

Okay, Damian had a twin brother. No big deal. He just never mentioned him to me for whatever reason. Did Ellie know? Did Devon know? A scarier question popped in my head.

Did everyone know, except me?

Composure. Composure. I inhaled sharply, swallowing the hard lump in my throat. I glanced at myself in the mirror. I could do this. I got this.

I exited the ladies room and faced my parents again. Thankfully, Joseph and his father were already mingling with other people.

"Are you okay, Rosie? You look a little bit pale." my dad noticed worryingly.

"Why wasn't Joseph on the guest list?" I questioned them slightly revolted.

"Because we didn't know he'd be coming until yesterday. We forgot to tell you, dear. We had so much on our hands, with the party and all. Why, is there a problem? You kept staring at him as if he were a ghost." my mom noted, tucking a dark blonde strand behind her ear. With her subtle diamond earrings and necklace, elegant updo and sophisticated gown, she resembled a young queen.

"I wasn't aware of his existence, that's all." I said in a calmer tone. "I should probably apologise to him. He must think I'm some lunatic."

"Great idea, Rosabel. But don't disappear anywhere. The food will come in a minute."

"You know I wouldn't disappear anywhere without food first." I responded with a playful grin.

 I looked in the crowd for Joseph and caught him chatting enthusiastically with Devon. He was gesticulating a lot when talking and seemed a very open-minded, nice person, perhaps a little awkward. Devon was watching him with his typical conqueror smile on, nodding every once in a while. They couldn't have been more different. Joseph was captivating through his simplicity and frankness of manners, the blonde through his luxurious looks.

 I straightened my dress and approached them. Devon noticed me almost immediately and beckoned me over. His arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me closer to him. As usual, he smelt of strong perfume and cigarettes.

"Bel, you've met Joe here, haven't you?"

Joe. Short for Joseph. Monica's boyfriend. It all made sense now, the photo in Monica's album. It wasn't Damian that was kissing her cheek, it was him. He's nothing like his ill-tempered brother, Devon had told me, but I didn't pay any attention to that bit. Maybe if I did, I wouldn't have been in this position. I looked at Joseph with different eyes out of a sudden. He wasn't only Damian's brother, he used to be Monica's boyfriend, Devon's friend. It was so puzzling: two twin brothers, one considered to be Monica's killer, the other one her boyfriend. One was Devon's mortal enemy, the other one his friend. That made me presume that Joseph and Damian didn't get along.

"Yes, I have, but not properly." I smiled, and this time, I was the one to extend my hand towards him. "I'm sorry about earlier. That was really rude of me and uncalled for. To be honest, I had no idea Damian had a brother."

He shook my hand and gave a little smile.

"So I realised. Don't worry about it. My brother and I aren't close. He rarely acknowledges my existence."

"Your brother's deranged." Devon chimed in. "Hayden told me he spotted him at my party. Can you believe that, Bel?" he asked, turning his head towards me. "He's obsessed with you or something."

Joseph and I exchanged a tacit look. He looked uncomfortable and abashed and frankly, so was I.

"He's misunderstood." Joseph corrected him. "Difficult, perhaps. But saner than most of us."

"Told you, Bel. You and Joe are cut from the same cloth."  Devon chuckled.

***

"You look like Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer." ...were Hayden's first words to Avery when she arrived. Hayden was a boy from Devon's class, known in the whole school for his pranks on teachers and other students. He was seated at the same table with us, right next to her. 

She was wearing a stunning black dress that moulded on her body and golden high heels and jewellery. But her nose was indeed slightly red.

"I caught a cold, you ass." she responded brazenly, taking a sip from her champagne-filled glass.

Since she arrived, she hadn't even glanced at me, but she had welcomed Joseph very warmly. I was seated between him and Devon, feeling slightly awkward. Next to Joseph was a pretty brunette our age, from the academy, that was always on her phone, and between her and Hayden, an empty chair. An empty chair that belonged to Damian.

"That's a very clever analogy, actually. You read that Norwegian scientists have hypothesized that Rudolph's red nose is probably the result of a parasitic infection of his respiratory system, didn't you?" Joseph asked the boy next to him with an academic mien.

Hayden stared at him with a baffled expression.

"Definitely." he nodded, adopting a faux solemn face.

"By the way, champagne is approximately twelve per cent alcohol, and alcohol is the last thing you should drink when you have a cold. It compromises your immune system and dehydrates your body." Joseph continued with a soothing tone.

An awkward silence descended upon us, and all eyes riveted to him. Devon barely contained a straight face.

"I'm sorry, where did you find this guy?" Hayden quipped.

All of us burst into laughter simultaneously. Avery leant forward in her chair and placed her elbow on the table, propping her head on her palm and giving Joe an affectionate look.

"He's like a human version of Google. You'll get used to it."

Joseph snickered, licking his lower lip. His awkwardness and shyness were somewhat adorable. It was almost unbelievable how different he was from Damian. But his presence, his similar features were still a constant reminder of his brother. I glanced at the time.

  9:52 PM and Damian hadn't come yet. What was he doing? Was he going to come at all? Did he change his mind?

"The human brain can only hold up to roughly one million gigabytes. I'm afraid that's impossible."

Hayden narrowed his eyes and threw his hands in the air in a defeating manner.

"Dude, you're a genius, we get it. Now shut up please. Don't make me feel dumber than I already do."

We laughed wholeheartedly again, and I realised I was starting to enjoy the evening.

 Avery completely ignored me; it was as if I wasn't present at all at the table, but I didn't mind. Ignorance was better than quarrel. After we ate and joked around, people started to dance. I got invited by Devon, my dad, and another boy whom I didn't know, also from the academy. In the meantime, Joseph didn't leave his seat at all. He was chattering with Amanda sometimes, the girl at our table, but not for long. I noticed him getting up and heading out.

I excused myself to my dance partner and followed him. He was in the broad hallway, looking through the window at the pouring rain. I couldn't see his face, but he looked in deep thought. I strode to him and cleared my throat.

"I hope I'm not intruding." I voiced, grabbing a chocolate macaron from the side table, that was full of sweet delicacies. 

He pivoted on his heels and watched me with a mirthless smile. He looked sad, I realised. I felt a painful pang in my stomach.

"No, of course not. I just needed a moment. That song reminded me..." he trailed off, licking his lower lip. It was a habit of his when he was nervous, apparently. "Reminded me of someone."

Grief. What I had seen in his eyes wasn't sadness -- it was grief. And it tore him apart. My eyes averted to the floor. My heart filled with compassion and sympathy for him. How hard it must have been, to lose the person you love. To live every day without her.

"What was she like?" I asked him, stepping closer. "I didn't know her that well. If you don't mind, of course."

His face lit up instantly at the mention of Monica. The corner of his lips curved into a melancholic smile and remained there as he talked:

"She wasn't the easiest person to be around. But that was exactly what I loved about her. She had her own opinion, her own beliefs, her own view of the world and though she was the most stubborn person ever, she always listened and respected the opinions of others. She was assertive, she knew exactly what she wanted and went for it. She didn't live to please other people. She was strong, independent, but at the same time, delicate and loving. She had the most beautiful voice I've ever heard, and the most beautiful smile. I was utterly in love with her." his voice was trembling with emotion. "I still am."

I couldn't help myself. I didn't know Joseph at all, but his words had reached my heart. I raised my heels off the ground and hugged him, making him flinch slightly. He didn't react at first, but then his palms settled gently on my back. His perfume was sweet and fresh; it reminded me of a sunny summer day by the ocean.

"I'm sorry for your loss." I murmured. We stayed silent for a while in the embrace, then I pulled back. "I have to ask you something. Please answer me truthfully. This question has been eating at me for months now."

"Okay." he nodded, a frown creasing his forehead.

I felt my heart race. I took a deep breath and inquired:

"Do you think your brother killed Monica?"

His jaw tightened and he sighed, watching the floor. He was only making me more anxious by the second. I started to fidget, shuffling my weight from one foot to another.

"Damian and Monica hated each other. I think it was because they were so alike. They were both opinionated and headstrong. My brother is...complicated. He's self-destructive. He has anger issues. My dad's always been rough on him because of his petulant behaviour as a kid. When mom left, he got depressed, and at such a fragile age. I thought he was unable to feel basic human emotions for some time -- that's how cold and detached he was from the outer world. I do think he's capable of murder. He's calculated and intelligent enough to get away with it."

My heart skipped a beat and I felt glacial chills spreading through my body.

"But I'm certain he didn't kill Monica. He knew how much I loved her. He'd never do that to me. And if there's one good thing about Damian, is that he'd sacrifice everything for the ones he loves. He's not a killer. Deep down, he has a very good heart. And he's excellent with kids. Dad's sister has a little girl, and she absolutely adores him."

I stifled a sigh of relief. Hope blossomed inside me, fueled by his confident words. I never truly believed that Damian was the killer; I had always given him the benefit of doubt, but now, I felt like Joseph had given me the ultimate verdict, had made me see the light at the end of the tunnel. Damian didn't kill Monica. But someone else did. And I had a feeling that the killer was right in front of us, under our nose, this whole time.

"Who do you think killed her, then?"

He gripped the windowsill behind him, scanning my features thoroughly. He was probably considering if he could trust me or not. I was a stranger to him, after all. He already confided in me regarding his brother, but I could see he wasn't that willing to open up completely.

"I know who didn't kill her. And you know, once you rule out the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable..."

"...must be the truth." I finished his sentence with a smile. "Arthur Conan Doyle."

"We have a lot in common, don't we?" he remarked with an ambiguous gleam in his coffee-coloured eyes, and a deja-vu feeling washed over me. The light casted on his face faded the subtle differences between his and Damian's physique, and they looked very alike, except the lighter colour of his hair and eyes.

"Indeed." I agreed whimsically.

We headed back to the party and just as we stepped in the main room, Incomplete by The Backstreet Boys  started. Joseph extended his hand towards me and I took it with a grateful smile. There were only three other couples on the dance floor. I saw Avery, Hayden and Devon watching us from the corner of my eye. We swayed slowly to the music, and when the chorus came on, he spun me around. And I ended up right in someone's arms.

In Damian's.