Chapter 4: Twins

Cora's POV

I stare at the girl lying in bed, my heart frozen in my chest.

Everyone in the room notices me. Liam stops feeding her mid-spoonful, his head snapping toward me. The tender affection he wore just a moment ago vanishes, replaced by his usual cold, distant gaze.

Why?

Why is my husband caring for her so gently? Why are my parents standing by her side, looking after her with so much concern?

It’s as if the girl in the hospital bed is the real me—the daughter my parents love, the wife Liam cherishes. And I’m just... an intruder. An outsider crashing into a life that was never meant for me.

She’s living the life I want.

And I am nothing.

My parents and Liam stand there, frozen, like they’ve been caught hiding something they never meant for me to see. Their eyes flicker between me and the girl, panic etched into every line of their faces.

Before any of them can speak, the girl moves first.

With a delighted gasp, she leaps out of bed, bare feet slapping against the floor as she rushes toward me.

“You must be Cora!” she exclaims, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the bed. “Cora, I’m so glad you’re here!”

I blink at her, stunned. “Sorry… how do you know my—?”

I trail off, watching as Liam sets the food tray aside and kneels before her to gently slip her shoes back on.

“Careful,” he murmurs, his voice soft and full of concern. “You don’t want to catch a cold.”

I don’t recognize the man in front of me.

This Liam—so gentle, so attentive, so warm—is someone I’ve never known before. Not once.

“What’s… what’s happening?” I stammer, my voice barely more than a whisper.

The girl beams at me. “Oh, right! This must be really confusing. I’m your twin sister, Iris!”

Twin sister?

Iris?

The name hits me like a slap.

The girl from the photo.

The one Liam has never been able to forget.

The one he’s loved all along.

My stomach twists painfully.

“It’s true, Cora,” my mom says, her voice trembling. Her eyes are shining with sorrow as she steps forward. “You and Iris are twins. You were inseparable when you were little, closer than anyone could imagine. But during a battle over a decade ago… you were kidnapped. We searched everywhere for you, but you were gone without a trace.”

A quiet sob escapes her.

My father places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his voice steady but heavy. “Six months ago, Iris was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. It was devastating. After losing you all those years ago, it felt like we were losing her too. But then… we found you.”

My mother’s hands wring together tightly. “The doctors said Iris’s best chance of survival was a transplant using umbilical cord blood from a relative’s baby. Since no one else here is a match... our only hope was for you to have a child with Liam.”

Silence falls over the room, suffocating and heavy.

And suddenly, it all clicks.

Why my parents were so relieved when I came home.

Why Liam married me even though he could barely look at me.

Why he’s been so desperate for me to get pregnant.

It was never about me.

It was always about Iris.

I look at the faces before me—my parents, Liam—and I don’t recognize them anymore. They aren’t my family. They’re strangers.

The truth settles in my chest, cold and crushing:

I’m not their daughter. I’m not his wife.

I’m just Iris’s shadow.

Her cure.

Tears burn in my eyes, but I force them back, my heart pounding with a wild mix of betrayal and grief.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” I choke out. “Why lie to me?”

No one answers. My parents lower their gazes in shame.

Iris’s face tightens with guilt. She steps forward hesitantly. “If you don’t want to help, I won’t force you,” she says quickly. “Please don’t feel pressured.”

She glances uncertainly at Liam before adding, “Now that you and Liam are married, I promise I won’t come between you. I’ll treat you like my sister… and him like my brother.”

The color drains from Liam’s face. His eyes darken at her words, jaw clenching. He doesn’t say anything, but the message is clear.

He doesn’t want Iris to see him as just a brother.

Ignoring Iris’s attempt to soothe the situation, Liam turns to me. His voice is flat, bitter.

“We didn’t tell you because we were afraid you wouldn’t agree to help.”

The words slice through me like a blade.

They never saw me as a person.

Only as a tool.

A vessel.

I stumble back, the air vanishing from my lungs, the room tilting around me.

Pain. Betrayal. Humiliation. It crashes into me all at once, drowning me.

My knees buckle. I clutch the edge of the bed, struggling to stay upright as black spots dance before my eyes.

Someone calls my name—once, twice—but it’s too late.

The world fades to black.