They compared childhood photographs, shared stories, and laughed about all the similarities everyone else had noticed years earlier.
For the first time, they were building a relationship based on the truth.
A few months later, their 18th birthday arrived. The celebration took place in my parents' backyard, the same place where relatives had spent years commenting on the girls' resemblance without understanding why.
As the evening settled over the party, someone suggested taking photographs.
The family gathered near the garden, and Emma and Lily stepped forward to stand side by side.
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The resemblance was impossible to miss.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
The same birthmark hidden behind each girl's hair.
And for the first time, I wasn't afraid to look at it.
The photographer asked them to move closer together. Emma slipped an arm around Lily's shoulders, and Lily leaned against her sister.
Suddenly, I couldn't stop the tears.
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