Chapter 5 : When truth wears her face

Rachel’s heart raced in her chest as Daisy’s icy tone echoed in her head. She had smiled, lied through her teeth, and barely held herself together. The second Daisy walked away, she rushed through the hallway, frantically searching for Austin.

She found him in the east garden, leaning against a column, scrolling through his phone.

“Austin,” she called, her voice tight.

He turned, immediately alert. “What’s wrong?”

“We have a problem,” she said, lowering her voice. “Your mom... her reaction was off. I told her my allergies disappeared when I turned twenty, but—something about the way she looked at me... I think she knows. Or suspects.”

Austin’s jaw tensed. “Damn it,” he muttered, standing straight. “She’s testing you.”

Rachel nodded. “Maybe we should tell her something. I don’t know—maybe I had an injury when I ran away. Something that affected my memory. Anything.”

Austin thought quickly. He could see the panic flickering behind Rachel’s eyes.

“I’ll handle it,” he said calmly, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll feel it out.”

“You better,” Rachel said, her voice sharp and cracking slightly from pressure. “Make it quick.”

She left him there, seated on the stone bench beneath the soft glow of twilight, her perfume lingering in the air like a fading truth.

Austin exhaled and pulled out his phone, calling the one man he trusted with his life—Sam.

“Why would you do this?” Sam’s voice came through after Austin explained everything.

“Please, I need your help,” Austin pleaded. “Just tell my family that Anna had an accident after she ran away. That she lost a part of her memory. I think my mom is about to find out.”

“You’re going to get me in trouble, young man,” Sam grumbled before hanging up.

---

That evening, the house was warm with food, laughter, and false truths. Rachel sat quietly at the table, picking at her food. Sam arrived just in time for dinner.

“Sam!” John greeted warmly. “Glad you could join us.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Sam said, his eyes flicking toward Rachel. “Anna—how are you, dear?”

“I’m fine, sir,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I just want to say how happy I am to see this family reunited. And also—something I should have told you earlier.” He turned to Daisy and John. “After Anna ran away... she was in an accident. Weeks later. From my investigation, it caused partial memory loss.”

“What accident?” Daisy asked sharply.

“She didn’t tell you?” Sam feigned surprise. “She probably doesn’t even remember it clearly. She was treated and discharged under a false name. It would explain... some inconsistencies.”

Daisy stared at Rachel, her fork frozen midair.

John reached across the table and gently squeezed Rachel’s hand. “My dear, we are so sorry. That must have been terrifying for you.”

Rachel lowered her head, silent, and let the lie settle like thick velvet over truth.

Daisy continued eating slowly, but her mind reeled. That could explain the allergy... or not. She still wasn’t convinced.

---

Meanwhile, Amanda returned home from visiting her emotionally vacant family. She wandered the halls aimlessly until she found herself in a dusty basement. Boredom led her to a stack of old photo albums. Flipping one open, she froze.

In one of the faded photos stood her uncle and aunt. And beside them—Rachel.

She looked... just like Anna.

Too much like her.

---

Back at the mansion, after dinner, Rachel was in her bedroom when there was a knock at the door.

She opened it to find Austin and Sam standing there.

“She looks like her,” Sam said simply. “Too much.”

“But whatever you’re doing—make it quick. I hope the money offered is worth the risk. When this is all over, you both need to vanish. Otherwise, you’ll have to live with the consequences.”

The door clicked softly as Sam left, his warning still hanging in the air like smoke. The room felt thick—too quiet, too full of the things no one dared to say. Austin stayed rooted in place, his jaw tight, eyes locked on the closed door.

Rachel lingered near the dresser, arms crossed, her posture guarded. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

“No,” Austin said, his voice raw. “None of this is okay. We’re in the middle of a lie, and the more I try to fix things, the deeper I drag you into it.”

She walked toward him, slow and hesitant. “You didn’t drag me into anything, Austin. I chose this. You’re not alone.”

He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands together as if trying to scrub off the weight of the night.

Rachel knelt in front of him, her hands reaching up to his shoulders, trying to ease the tension knotted beneath his shirt. “Breathe,” she whispered. “We’ll figure it out.”

He looked up at her then—and froze.

Her silk gown had shifted with the movement, slipping off one shoulder, the neckline dipping lower than it should. As she bent forward, trying to comfort him, the slit along her thigh parted fully, revealing smooth, bare skin all the way to her hip.

For a moment, he couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think.

His hands instinctively rose, brushing her waist, then holding it—firm, desperate, gentle all at once. “Rachel...” he breathed, eyes dark with conflict.

She looked down at his hands on her, at the way his fingers lingered, trembling slightly. Then her eyes met his.

He moved to pull her closer, craving the warmth she didn’t even realize she offered.

But before he could do anything more, she tensed.

Her hands slipped from his shoulders. Her expression shifted—closed, unreadable.

“You should leave,” she said, her voice clipped, almost too calm.

Austin blinked, stunned by the sudden change, still caught in the daze of what almost happened. “Rachel...”

“I said leave.” She rose to her feet, adjusting her gown, turning away so he wouldn’t see the flush on her cheeks—or the confusion in her eyes.

He stood slowly, silently, a storm in his chest. Then he left, closing the door behind him.

Rachel stayed by the window long after he was gone, her heart thudding in her chest. She wasn’t in love with him—not yet. But something in her had shifted.

And that scared her more than anything else.

The days blurred together after that. Austin was always working. Daisy underwent frequent medical checks. And John, now retired, spent almost every day with Rachel.

They bonded—played chess, watched old movies, even visited his childhood estate. He adored her. Trusted her. Loved her like the daughter he always dreamed of.

But the truth lingered like smoke. And Amanda—piecing together the puzzle—was getting closer.

Rachel stood in her grandfather’s room that morning when he asked again about the 25% her parents had owned.

This time, she smiled and nodded.

“Good,” Mr. Daniels said warmly. “It’s time you took what’s rightfully yours.”

That night, Rachel walked into Austin’s room. She wore a satin robe, barely tied. Underneath—lace. A declaration. A weapon.

He turned from the mirror, his eyes drinking her in.

"About that other night please ignore me,I was not myself.It was just some urges ,so please don't think much about it " he explained helplessly.

"Ok". Racheal replied turning to leave.

it hurt Austin to know that he couldn't be with Racheal but he knew the danger he would get her into.

Outside, shadows stirred with secrets waiting to surface, and Rachel knew this uneasy calm was only the beginning.