Chapter 1

Forcing back tears, I smiled. "Now that the real heir's been found, I guess it's time for the stand-in to leave the stage."

I pulled a black credit card from my pocket and waved it lightly. "I'll just consider this my pay for my performance."

Leaving my sister, Luna Rivers, and the stunned crowd, I turned and walked out of the ballroom.

My reflection flashed across the mirrored walls. There was a tear in my expensive suit, and dust clung to the fabric. My hair was a mess. I looked pathetic.

"No way! He's leaving just like that?"

"Right? I was waiting for him to fight with the real Jeremy and get slapped by Luna."

"Hmm… This isn't how the male side character would normally react at all."

If I hadn't seen those comments, I probably would've already charged forward. I would've stood in front of that huge three-tier birthday cake and shouted for the entire room to hear, "Luna, I'm your real brother, Jeremy Rivers! He's the impostor!"

Then, Luna would've broken my legs with her own hands and had me locked away in a mental hospital.

I quickened my pace. As I walked out of the revolving doors, the chilly wind after the rain swept in. I hailed a cab. "To the nearest shopping mall, please."

As the car drove off, the city blurred past the window. It felt as if the last 18 years of my life were being stripped away frame by frame.

I opened my email. At the very top of my inbox was an acceptance letter from the Parvue School of Design. It had been sitting there for seven days.

A week ago, when I received it, I excitedly rushed to Luna's study. She was reviewing documents behind her desk and didn't even look up.

"Luna! I got accepted to Parvue School of Design!"

Her pen stilled in the air. She finally lifted her eyes to me, her gaze bleak. "Parvue?"

"Yeah! They only admit 30 students worldwide—"

"That's too far." She lowered her head and continued writing, her tone leaving no room for discussion. "I don't like the idea of you going overseas alone. I'll arrange a good local school for you instead."

I froze in place. "But…"

"Jeremy." Her voice was gentle, but her decision was not. "Be good. Listen to me."

And so, I listened. I pushed my dream into the very bottom drawer of my heart, telling myself she had her reasons, that she was doing it for my own good.

Now, I finally understood. It wasn't because Parvue was too far away. It was because she was afraid I'd leave.

How could the "perfect replacement" she'd spent 18 years creating disappear before the original finally returned?

I clicked on the "accept" button at the bottom of the email. Just like that, I erased 18 years of living in a gilded cage.

"Holy crap. Fake Jeremy is really leaving?"

"No way! Isn't he worried about his ID becoming invalid? His identity belongs to Real Jeremy."