Chapter Five

I can’t breathe.

The moment she said,“I’m pregnant”,my world tilted.

She was never supposed to be the one.

I was the replacement, the backup plan, the shadow wearing her face. And yet here I am… living a life that doesn’t belong to me, falling in love with a man who was never mine, only to lose everything again because of one test. One line.

“You’re sure?” I ask.

Her voice is ice. “Yes.”

I stare at my reflection in the car window. Same hair. Same eyes. Same lips. But none of this belongs to me.

She gives me a look like she’s already won.

“I’ll return before the end of the week.”

“No.”

Her brows shoot up. “Excuse me?”

I turned to her. “You said I had until there was an heir. Well, I’m still carrying that part out.”

“You mean I’m carrying that part out,” she snaps, placing a protective hand over her stomach.

I sigh. “Then let me handle this for just a bit longer. Let me talk to Adrian. Ease it in.”

“There’s no easing in, Eliana. You had your time. It’s my life. My husband. My child.”

“And what if he hates you for the switch? For the lies?”

She hesitates.

I press. “You know he’s fallen for me. He’s not in love with the woman he married.”

“I can fix that.”

“No, Eliora. You can’t.”

Her jaw tightens. “We’re not negotiating.”

But I see the flicker of doubt in her eyes.

She thinks the baby will be her ticket back. But even she knows,it’s not just biology. It's not just blood. It's love.

And that… might be the one thing I’ve accidentally stolen.

I return to the mansion in a daze.

Adrian’s in his office, pacing. There’s tension in the air.

His father’s voice booms through the phone.

“I don’t care how much time you need. The will stands. No child, no inheritance. Marcian already has lawyers watching the shares.”

Adrian pinches the bridge of his nose. “We’re working on it.”

“You said that months ago. This marriage….”

“I know what I said,” Adrian snaps.

The line goes dead.

He sighs and turns, noticing me.

“You heard that?”

I nod.

He gestures for me to come in.

“I need to ask you something,” he says, tone unreadable.

I wait.

He studies me. Like he’s searching for something beneath the skin.

“If we don’t have a child by the end of the year, everything will be transferred to my uncle. My father’s hands are tied.”

I blink. “But… that’s barely six months away.”

“I know.”

He sits, looking tired in a way I’ve never seen.

“I’ve started legal proceedings to push back the clause. But Marcian’s fighting it. If he wins,he’ll take everything. And not just the business.”

“What else?”

“The estates. The assets. The house. Everything.”

I feel the walls tighten.

“What are you saying, Adrian?”

He meets my eyes. “I’m saying we need this to work. Now. We need a child.”

My stomach knots.

Because I know the cruel truth.

He already has one. He just doesn’t know it’s not mine.

He places a hand over mine.

“I know this hasn’t been easy. I know how we started… wasn’t love. But I want to fight for this. For you. For us.”

His voice is gentle. Sincere.

And I feel my heart split open.

Because the man I’ve come to love is building dreams on a lie I helped create.

That night, I lay awake beside him.

His arm draped over my waist.

His breathing is soft and steady.

And I wonder,if I told him the truth now, would he forgive me?

Would he still choose me?

Or would he walk away?

I don’t get a chance to find out.

The next morning, Vanessa shows up at the mansion.

Uninvited.

Unannounced.

Unsmiling.

I greet her at the foyer, pulse rising.

“Vanessa? What ... .what a surprise.”I stuttered.

She doesn’t hug me.

Doesn’t smile.

Just holds up her phone.

“Care to explain this?”

It’s a photo.

Of me and Eliora.

From two days ago.

Together. In public.

Same face. Same dress code. Same frame.

Just… duplicated.

I swallow. “Where did you get that?”

“Someone sent it. No name. Just a note: ‘Ask your friend who she really is.’”

She’s staring at me now. Hard. Cold.

“I thought I knew you. But something’s been off for weeks.”

I try to stay calm.

“What are you implying?”

She steps closer.

“I know about the switch.”

The words hang like smoke.

Heavy. Toxic.

I went still.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” she continues. “Thought it was a joke. But then the perfume changed. The way you hold your wine glass. The fact that you forgot my dog's name,you named him, Eliora.”

I blink. Once.

She breathes, furious. “Where’s the real Eliora?”

I try to lie.

Try to build a bridge.

But my silence is louder than any excuse.

She storms out.

I didn’t stop her.

But I know what this means.

The secret is out.

And it’s only a matter of time before it reaches Adrian.

I rush to the garden.

I Called Eliora.

“Vanessa knows.”

“She what?”

“She has proof. A photo. I don’t know who sent it.”

She curses under her breath. “We’re out of time.”

“I can fix this,” I say.

“How? Lie again? Sleep with him again?”

Her voice cuts.

I feel it in my chest.

“I was trying to protect both of us.”

“No, Eliana. You were trying to keep what was never yours.”

I breathe deep. “He doesn’t love you.”

Silence.

Then: “He’s my husband.”

“And I’m carrying your secret.”

She hangs up.

That night, Adrian doesn’t come home.

I pace the halls.

I Called his phone. No answer.

Hours passed.

Then the front gate buzzes.

It’s Vanessa.

With Adrian.

His eyes are dark.

Confused.

Betrayed.

I stepped out to meet him.

He doesn’t say a word.

Just pulls a folded photo from his jacket.

Same one.

Two of me.

One lie.

One truth.

I whisper, “Adrian”

“Who are you?”

I open my mouth.

Nothing comes out.

He turns to Vanessa. “Get my father.”

“Why?” I ask, voice cracking.

“Because I want a DNA test.”

I freeze.

He steps closer.

Looks at me like a stranger.

“If the child isn’t yours… then who the hell are you?”

The secret’s out. And this time, I might lose everything.