Chapter 1 - The Accident

The night smelled of roses and rain.

The streets were slick from the evening downpour, glittering under the pale glow of the streetlamps. I clutched the bouquet tighter against my chest, pacing anxiously by the gates of our family estate. Tomorrow was supposed to be the happiest day of my twin sister’s life, but Alyssa hadn’t returned from her late-night drive.

“She’s probably just clearing her head,” I whispered, though my heart beat too fast to believe it.

Then it happened.

A sharp screech shattered the stillness, followed by the sickening crunch of metal against metal.

My blood froze. The bouquet slipped from my grasp, petals scattering across the wet pavement as I bolted toward the sound.

“Alyssa!” My scream tore from my throat, raw and broken.

Her car was crushed against a lamppost, smoke hissing from the hood. Shards of glass littered the asphalt like broken stars, and through the jagged window I saw her slumped forward, her veil tangled in her dark hair.

“No, no, no…” I yanked the door open, the twisted metal searing my palms.

Her eyes fluttered weakly. Blood trickled down her lips, and still, she tried to smile when she saw me.

“Jannah…”

“I’m here. Hold on. You’re going to be okay.” My voice shook. “The ambulance is coming.”

But her trembling fingers dug into mine with surprising strength. “Listen to me. Tomorrow… Adrian must not know.”

My chest tightened. “What are you saying? You need to stay awake, Alyssa. We’ll call off the wedding. He’ll understand—”

“No!” she gasped, coughing violently. “You have to… take my place. Don’t let him find out. Not until I wake up.”

The words slammed into me like ice.

“That’s impossible,” I whispered. “He’s your fiancé. He’ll know.”

A bitter laugh slipped from her bloodied lips. “He doesn’t know I have a twin. Nobody does. Not even him.” Her eyes burned with desperation. “Promise me, Jannah. Promise me!”

I stared at her, torn between fury and fear. The idea was madness. Me? Stand in her place? Pretend to be her in front of Adrian Cruz—the man who built an empire before the age of thirty, the man who could make or destroy lives with a single word?

My stomach knotted. Because I knew Adrian Cruz. Not personally. But I knew him enough.

Flashback.

I remembered the first time Alyssa introduced him. Not in person, but through glossy magazines, interviews, and her endless bragging. “He’s perfect, Jannah. Brilliant. Handsome. The youngest CEO in the industry. Every woman wants him, but he’s mine.”

I had seen his face splashed across headlines, his sharp jaw, his commanding eyes like midnight storms. Cold, powerful, untouchable.

But when Alyssa finally brought him home for dinner, I had been the one hiding behind the kitchen door, watching silently as he greeted my parents with smooth confidence. His voice had been deep, authoritative, the kind that demanded obedience without trying.

He hadn’t noticed me, of course. He never did. I was always the shadow, the twin no one talked about. Alyssa was the star, the dazzling twin with beauty and ambition. I was just Jannah—the one who blended into the background, the one no one ever compared to her.

But I remembered thinking… if Adrian had looked at me, just once, would he have seen me too?

Back to the present.

Now Alyssa’s bloodied hand was gripping mine, her desperate plea carving into my skin.

The sirens wailed closer, flashing red and blue across her pale face.

“Promise me,” she whispered again, her breath shuddering. “Don’t let him know. Be me… until I wake up.”

Her hand slipped from mine, falling lifeless to her side as she lost consciousness.

I screamed her name, but the paramedics pulled me back, rushing her onto a stretcher.

I stood in the rain, shaking, the bouquet crushed in my fists. My sister was being wheeled into an ambulance, fighting for her life. And her last request was for me to lie.

Tomorrow, Adrian Cruz would be waiting at the altar. Tomorrow, he would vow to spend his life with Alyssa Vasquez.

But if I kept my promise, it wouldn’t be Alyssa walking down that aisle.

It would be me.

And Adrian Cruz—the young, powerful, dangerously magnetic man I had admired from a distance—would never know.

------------------------------

on the day of the wedding......

The church bells tolled in the distance, each chime echoing through my bones like a cruel reminder.

I stood in front of the mirror, veiled in silk and ivory lace that wasn’t meant for me. The dress fit perfectly, as if fate itself had conspired to make this deception seamless. My trembling hands smoothed the fabric over my waist, but no amount of calm breathing could silence the storm inside my chest.

“You look beautiful, Alyssa,” my mother whispered, mistaking me for my twin—or maybe deliberately ignoring the truth. Her voice cracked anyway.

I forced a small smile. “Thank you.”

She adjusted my veil, her eyes shimmering. “Don’t let anything ruin this day. Adrian mustn’t suspect.”

Her words cut deeper than she realized.

The heavy wooden doors of the church creaked open, and the music swelled. Gasps rippled through the guests as I stepped forward, the weight of dozens of eyes pressing down on me. My legs felt like lead, every step dragging me closer to a lie I wasn’t sure I could survive.

And then… I saw him.

Adrian Cruz.

He stood tall at the altar, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that sharpened every line of his broad shoulders and lean frame. His dark hair was slicked back, his eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my breath falter.

Those eyes. Cold, commanding… but something flickered there. Something that made my stomach twist.

For a split second, I swore his gaze softened. As if he was seeing me—not Alyssa—for the very first time.

My hands tightened around the bouquet. He doesn’t know. He can’t know.

When I reached him, he extended his hand. The air between us crackled as his fingers closed firmly around mine. His touch was warm, grounding, and terrifying.

“You came,” he murmured low enough that only I could hear. His lips barely moved, but his words carried weight. “For a moment, I thought you’d change your mind.”

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice steady. “I wouldn’t miss this day.”

The priest began, but I could barely hear a word. All I could focus on was Adrian’s thumb brushing against my skin, his dark gaze locked on me as if testing, studying.

When it came time to exchange vows, my throat nearly closed. The words of forever, of love and loyalty, burned against my tongue like poison. But Adrian’s eyes pinned me in place, and I said them anyway.

“I do.”

And when he said the same, his voice was firm, absolute—like a man claiming his prize.

Then came the kiss.

His hand cupped the back of my neck, tilting my face upward. His lips pressed against mine—soft at first, but then deeper, hungrier. The world blurred. My knees threatened to buckle as heat surged through me, and for a dangerous second, I forgot I wasn’t Alyssa.

Gasps echoed through the church. He wasn’t kissing me like a groom sealing a vow. He was kissing me like a man staking his claim.

When he finally pulled away, his mouth lingered close to my ear. His breath was hot, his voice low and possessive.

“You’re mine now, Alyssa. Don’t forget it.”

A shiver shot down my spine. He had no idea how true—and how false—those words were.

Because I wasn’t Alyssa.

And yet… in that moment, part of me wished I really was.