My sister’s face drained of color as she looked between us, her mouth opening and closing like she was trying to swallow the moment whole.

Marcus—no, Evan—took a shaky step back. “I… I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know she was your sister.”

My sister looked at me, eyes glossy. “Why didn’t you ever show me a picture of him?”

I barked out a laugh. “Because you said you never wanted to see his face again after the breakup. Remember? ‘Delete him from your phone, delete him from your life’—your exact words.”

Evan rubbed his temples. “Your last names are different. And you never talked about—”

“My family?” I snapped. “You dumped me by disappearing, Evan. Forgive me if we didn’t exchange family trees.”

My sister sat down slowly at the dining table. The lasagna still smoked in the oven behind me, dying a slow, cheesy death.

Then she did something I didn’t expect.

She started laughing.

Not a polite laugh—a borderline unhinged one. She wiped her eyes. “Oh my God. I cannot believe this,” she wheezed.

Neither of us moved.

Finally she looked at me. “Okay… I didn’t tell you everything about Marcus.”

My stomach tightened. “What do you mean?”

She exhaled and pulled out her phone. “Marcus isn’t his real name. I found him on a background check forum a month ago. Something felt… off. I didn’t want to say anything until I had proof.”

Evan froze. “What?”

She held up her phone. On the screen was Evan’s picture—under three different aliases.

“Evan, Marcus… and Richard?” she said flatly. “Care to explain?”

He went paler than before. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Oh?” my sister said, voice razor-sharp. “Because it looks like we both dated a man who’s been lying for years.”

He opened his mouth, closed it, and then—

The doorbell rang.

All three of us stared at it.

My sister whispered, “I’m… not expecting anyone.”

I slowly walked to the door and opened it a crack.

A woman stood there, holding a sleeping toddler on her hip. She looked exhausted.

“Hi,” she said softly. “Is… Marcus here? Or Evan? Or… Richard? I’m not sure which name he’s using now.”

Behind me, my sister whispered: “Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me.”

The woman continued, voice trembling, “He’s my husband. And he disappeared three months ago.”