Five

Chloe’s POV

At this point, the voice of Zoe was playing in my head. Zoe had told me to take on her identity, to take revenge.

I was definitely going to take revenge. Someone had tried to kill my sister, someone had ruined our past. I just needed to know more about it.

I looked at the phone in my hand as it rang again the second time, and I instantly made a decision. I rejected the call. I wasn't going to give any sign of weakness. I needed to know my enemy in order to win.

I closed the door of the car and then reached out to get the diary. When I checked, I saw that the diary was still there.

I thought for a while, and I knew I wasn't safe here. I needed to leave this place. So I closed the door back and then turned on the car. The first time it didn’t work, but the second time the engine came to life, and then I drove away from the scene.

I lived alone for now. My brother was in high school, but he was staying at his friend's place. That way, it was easier for him to go to school.

Whatever he needed, I made sure I was able to send him money. But I wasn't going to allow him to come back and see me suffering. I had to look for money for my mother's treatment, and I didn’t want him worrying about it.

I checked up on him most of the time and made sure he was okay, and then I was left without seeing him.

When I got back to the house, I parked the car by the side. I stared at the drawer, then moved, opened it, and took out the diary.

I still had a kind of feeling that what I was about to enter was dangerous. But I didn’t have any option now. I was far too angry not to take the risk.

I took the diary and my phone and then went inside. I had been stained by the injury from my sister, so I went in and changed.

Then I called Daniel.

“Daniel, what's going on? How is she now? Where are you? I'm coming right now. What hospital are you in? I'm coming right now.”

“Chloe? Chloe, hold on. Chloe, hold on… she didn’t make it.”

“What do you mean?”

There was silence.

I stopped to think and process it.

“Come on, stop it, Daniel. How is she doing now?”

“…I’m sorry, Chloe. She’s dead.”

And then… my phone fell right out of my hands as I shook on the spot. Tears poured down my face.

I don’t know what happened to my chest, but it hurt a lot. Something was wrong. Why was I feeling so much pain inside me? I couldn’t bear it.

I kept on crying. I stood there, then I fell to the ground, my legs weak. I cried until I had no tears left.

I could hear Daniel calling out to me from the phone. I tried reaching out to it, but my hands just kept shaking, and I couldn’t reach.

My head fell back as I lay on the floor, trying to remember and cherish each memory of Zoe that I had. Over the 25 years of my life, I had never been able to remember a single moment with Zoe. I finally got to meet my twin sister, my blood.

And I met her in the worst situation ever. Now she was gone.

Thinking, I stared in silence, pounding my fist on the floor.

“No, no, no, no, no, she can't be.”

“She can't be. She can't be gone. No!” I screamed.

Thirty minutes passed and I was still in that spot, too weak to move. My phone rang, but I could not pick it up. Zoe's phone too was ringing, but I couldn’t answer.

Then I remembered my sister’s words again. Everything was going to be revealed if I didn’t act fast.

I took my phone and called Daniel.

“Daniel, please take care of her body. I'll take on her identity. No one should know about this!”

“I understand… She told me to brief you about it as soon as I’m done. I’ll meet you at the location I’m about to text you. Head there so we can talk.”

“Alright, because tomorrow you’ll be marrying Vincent.”

“I know, I have to. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Then I ended the call and stared blankly at nothing in particular. I was just thinking too much. A lot was on my mind, unanswered questions. But there was no time to break down.

I picked up the diary, my bag, and both phones. Then I drove the same car my sister drove. I drove to the location Daniel had texted.

I took out my sister’s phone and called Vincent. The phone rang once, and he picked up.

“Where did you put your phone? I have been calling you about the wedding tomorrow.”

I heard him but kept quiet. I took a deep breath and then spoke.

“I had a slight accident, so I wasn’t with my phone. I’ll see you at the hotel tomorrow,” I said coldly.

And then I cut the call. That was all we needed to say.

The way he had spoken was the way I responded back on the phone. So I had the feeling it was either the wedding was not on good terms, or they were not close at all.

It was definitely a set-up marriage, and I had to endure all of it for the cause of revenge for my sister. I was going to do it. And I was going to crush every single one of them.

I went to the house location, and when I got there, there was a garage to park in, and I was able to get access since Daniel had informed me of everything.

I couldn’t bring myself to do this. My hands were still shaking on the wheel. The face of my sister still lingered in my mind, and it was painful. I could remember her smiles, and they were beautiful.

I didn’t know when I started smiling to myself at the sight of those memories as tears dropped silently from my eyes.

How could a memory be so good yet so sad?

I turned and picked up the diary I had been scared to open since the whole incident. I tried opening it, but I found I could only stare.

Then I gave up. I took the diary and my phones and went inside the house.

The inside was filled with darkness. I couldn’t see anything.

I moved my hand up and found the switch. I turned it on. Everywhere lit up.

But that wasn’t what caught me by surprise.

I saw a whole lot of computers. Not one, not two—about three, connected to a huge screen. Everywhere was filled with gadgets.

I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Zoe had been planning a lot,” I said in my mind, holding the diary close to me.

My mind went back to Zoe, my poor sister. I couldn’t possibly start to imagine what she had gone through over the years.

And to think that wasn’t enough—the whiteboard was at the other end of the wall.

Pictures of the family tree. Everyone connected to each other. I saw our mother. Vincent. Luta. Kaylee. Anne.

Then I heard footsteps, which alerted me immediately. I looked around, and there was nothing I could use to protect myself except a pen lying on the table.

I took it immediately and quietly moved to the back of the door. The figure entered the password several times, and I was sure something was definitely wrong.

After several tries with the password, I finally heard the sound that he had successfully entered. My heart was beating fast. I was breathing heavily. Then the door opened. He was moving quietly and silently as he entered the house, as if he already knew someone was inside waiting. But I didn’t care.

And then he closed the door. That was when I rushed at him. Without thinking twice. Without wasting time.

I kicked the back of his leg hard, bringing him straight to the ground. He fell immediately with a loud sound. I didn’t stop. I quickly went to his back, wrapped my arm tight around his neck, locking it, and then bent closer to his neck in a threatening position. My breath was hot. My hand was shaking, but I didn’t release him.

One more move, one more try to fight me, and it was going to be a critical mistake. I could feel my strength holding him down.

“Who are you?” I asked in a low but firm voice, even though inside my chest was shaking like crazy. I knew the person I was meant to meet was Daniel. That was the plan. That was the only person I was waiting for.

But this… this was another person I found kneeling here now.

Where was Daniel?