Chapter 22

~ LENA ~

I stood in front of the mirror, studying my reflection for what felt like the tenth time.

Late afternoon sunlight spilled into the bedroom. Outside the tall windows, the sky had begun its slow shift toward evening. The room was quiet, and for a moment I stared at myself.

The dress Nathan had helped me choose earlier lay smoothly against my skin, the white silk flowing down my body in soft, elegant lines. It was simple in a way that somehow made it look even more beautiful. The fabric skimmed over my hips and fell all the way to my ankles, catching the light every time I moved.

The straps were what had first caught my attention when I saw it. They weren’t made of fabric. They were tiny pearls. Two delicate strands of pearls resting lightly on my shoulders, glimmering faintly each time the light touched them. Against the warm tone of my skin, the pale silk and pearls stood out sharply. The contrast was very flattering.

I turned slightly to the side, studying the way the dress fit.

It looked… right. Effortlessly elegant.

My hair was swept up loosely at the back of my head, a few tendrils left loose around my temples and neck. I had considered leaving it down since Nathan preferred it that way, but the dress felt as though it deserved something more sophisticated. Something that showed the neckline.

My eyes drifted to the diamonds resting against my collarbone. Even now, hours later, the sight of them made my breath catch slightly.

The Harry Winston necklace glimmered softly in the mirror, each diamond catching the light with quiet brilliance. It was delicate, breathtaking, and so expensive that the thought of having it around my neck now was frightening.

Left to me, it would still be safely nestled inside its case. But Nathan had insisted on seeing me wear it.

I lifted my fingers slowly, brushing them lightly against the stones. They felt cool on my skin. Heavy—not physically but emotionally.

Harry Winston.

Women like me didn’t dream about owning something like this. We didn’t even stand close to a display case to look at jewelry like this properly. And yet, now it rested around my neck as though it belonged there.

But it didn’t.

A familiar tightness crept into my chest. It belonged to Kimberly. Everything about this life belonged to her. I had simply stepped into it and taken it over.

I exhaled slowly as I lowered my hand then continued to study my reflection in the mirror. I looked so beautiful, truly like a billionaire’s wife.

Small pearl earrings completed the look, matching the delicate straps of the dress, and a pair of slender heels wrapped lightly around my ankles.

Nathan had told me earlier that we were going out. He wanted me to meet someone. He hadn’t said who. He hadn’t said why. The only detail he’d given me was the where, which was The Hamptons.

Just hearing that had been enough to make my nerves begin to tighten again.

The Hamptons meant wealth. Old wealth. Powerful people.

And powerful people meant danger.

What if whoever we were going to see knew Kimberly? What if they had somehow met her before? What if they could instantly tell from seeing me that I wasn’t the real Kimberly?

I grabbed my phone from the table and quickly dialed Julian’s number. If anyone would know who Nathan might be taking me to see in the Hamptons, it would be him. If he told me who, then I would be better prepared.

The phone rang. Once. Twice. Then it went straight to voicemail.

“Shit, Julian,” I muttered under my breath, my nervousness growing.

He’d told me to call him if I was ever in need of anything or had any problems. But now, he wasn’t even available for me to talk to.

I frowned, dropping the phone down slowly. Now I had no idea what I was walking into.

The bedroom door suddenly opened, making me jump slightly. Nathan stepped inside, then froze. His lips curved faintly as his eyes travelled over me slowly. Very slowly. The silence between us stretched just long enough to make my heart begin to beat faster.

“Angel, you look…” Crossing the room, he shook his head slightly, as if searching for the right words. “Beautiful.”

Something warm fluttered inside my chest at his compliment and the warmth in his eyes as he kissed me briefly.

“Thank you.” I smiled.

He took my hand. “Ready?”

I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure that I was.

*      *      *

The car ride through Manhattan was quiet at first.

Nathan sat beside me in the back seat, his fingers intertwined warmly with mine as the driver navigated the evening traffic. The city outside the window moved in a blur of buildings, traffic, and people.

But my mind wasn’t on the city. It was on the question that had been bothering me ever since Nathan told me we were going out.

Who were we going to meet?

Nathan had been strangely mysterious about it all afternoon. Every time I asked, he simply smiled.

“You’ll see.” That was all he’d said.

After about twenty minutes, the car slowed and pulled into a secured area near the waterfront.

I frowned slightly. “This isn’t the highway.”

Nathan’s smile widened, as if I was being ridiculous.

 “No,” he said, and only then did I notice the helicopter.

My stomach lurched.

It sat waiting on the heliport, the sleek body gleaming under the late afternoon light while the pilot stood nearby.

I had never been inside a helicopter in my life. For a brief moment, panic flared inside me. But I quickly forced my face to remain calm. Kimberly had probably flown in helicopters with Nathan several times. I couldn’t afford to look nervous.

I climbed in with him, and the helicopter lifted smoothly into the sky minutes later, still with me trying my hardest to hang onto calm. I told myself that any nervous reaction from me could totally give me away at that moment.

Manhattan shrank beneath us as the aircraft rose higher, the buildings gradually giving way to water and distant shoreline.

I kept my expression calm all through, though my heart was pounding.

The city looked completely different from above. Smaller. Almost unreal.

Nathan sat beside me, occasionally pointing out things along the way, but my mind kept drifting.

I was still thinking about the necklace, still thinking about the life I had stepped into. About how fragile this entire illusion was.

Forty minutes later, the helicopter began descending. Through the window, I could see long stretches of coastline, rows of beautiful houses, and the endless blue of the ocean.

The Hamptons.

The helicopter landed at a small private heliport, where another car was already waiting. The driver greeted us respectfully before opening the door for us.

Ten minutes later, we turned onto a quiet coastal road. The ocean appeared suddenly beside us. Then the car slowed. I took my eyes from the window, stared ahead, and my breath stopped.

A house stood ahead of us.

No. It wasn’t just a house. It was a stunning beachfront property overlooking the ocean. It had wide glass windows that reflected the golden late-afternoon sunlight, and white wooden terraces wrapped around the structure. Tall dune grass swayed around the edges of the property; it felt as if the wind itself was welcoming us there.

The car rolled to a stop in front of it.

As I stepped out of the car, my heart began to beat faster, aware that we had arrived at the residence of whoever it was Nathan wanted us to see.

For a moment, I could only stare at the house. It was beautiful, perfect—the kind of oceanfront home I’d always dreamed of living in.

The ocean breeze brushed lightly against my skin as Nathan took my hand and we walked up the stone path leading toward it. The sound of waves grew louder with every step we took, and so also did the pounding of my heart in my chest.

When we were a few feet away from the entrance, I couldn’t endure the tension anymore. I paused, turning to Nathan. “Nate, who lives here? Whose house is this?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his pocket and placed something cool into my palm. A key.

“As of now,” he said, his eyes softening, “it’s yours.”

I stared down at it. Then at the house. Then back at him, my mouth falling wide open.

The world went completely still for me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t say anything. I just stared, with my mouth still open.

Nathan moved closer, his arms moving around my waist. “You once told me you dreamed of someday owning a house right here in the Hamptons. A beach house… because you love the ocean.”

It was as if he could sense the chill in me. His hands slid up, rubbing gently up and down my arms, chasing the goosebumps away.

“I just wanted that dream to come true. I wanted to give you that.”

Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them. My heart squeezed painfully. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. None of this was supposed to be happening.

“I hope you like it.”

His words broke me. They broke free the tears I was fighting so hard to contain. I nodded, my vision blurring as they slipped down my cheeks and a sob broke loose from my throat.

They were tears of confusion, of fear, of guilt. But he mistook them for tears of joy.

“Aw…baby, don’t cry.” He cupped my face, gently brushing the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “I don’t want to see you cry. I want you to be happy.”

I couldn’t stop. I threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, rubbing my back.

The wind moved softly around us, carrying the faint scent of the ocean. For a long time, we simply stood there in front of the house, his arms around me as he soothed me, the key still clutched tightly in my hand.

I held onto him tightly because at that moment, my heart was breaking. He was giving everything… to the wrong woman.

And at this rate, I didn’t know how much longer I could keep pretending.