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I Won't Be Her Dupe Any Longer
I Won't Be Her Dupe Any Longer
Author: Vivian C

Chapter 1

Author: Vivian C
"Hello, can you hear me?"

Neely was so tired. All she wanted was to sleep.

"Ma'am, hang in there. I'm a doctor. We're almost at the hospital."

The car's autonomous-driving system had called 911 the second the crash happened. The medical team had now arrived on the scene and was treating her on the spot, putting an oxygen mask over her face, starting CPR, and injecting epinephrine.

She could feel them fighting for her life, but she couldn't even move a finger or blink to respond.

"Doctor, the patient is pregnant. Looks about five months along, roughly 23 weeks. The fetus is in critical condition—the heart rate is barely detectable. The patient's own heart rate and blood oxygen levels are both dangerously low, too."

"Get the epinephrine and cardiac stimulants ready to inject, and contact her family immediately."

The paramedic took her hand, used her fingerprint to unlock the phone, then frantically started searching through her contacts.

"No parents, no siblings, no boyfriend… Nothing," she exclaimed in shock.

Neely's parents were in prison. They had even tried to drag her into their fraud schemes, using her as bait. She had already blocked the heartless pair back when she was working part-time and attending vocational school, so they naturally weren't in her contacts.

Just then, a message popped up.

"Why did you block me?"

When Elliot Wagner had sent Neely a message earlier, a red exclamation mark had popped up. His calls wouldn't go through either. Only then did he realize she had blocked him everywhere.

So he quickly used his driver's phone to text her.

Clinging to that message like it was a lifeline, the paramedic immediately dialed the number back.

The moment the call connected, Elliot opened with an accusation. "Why did you block me, Neely? What right do you even have to block me? You're nothing but a stand-in!"

Ever since he was a child, Elliot had always gotten what he wanted. The only time that wasn't true was when it came to Angela Boatwright.

Fine. He could accept that, but what right did Neely have?

Neely's other senses were fading, but her hearing remained painfully sharp, so she heard every cruel word.

That was right. In his heart, she'd always been nothing more than a substitute.

Her heart rate spiked wildly on the monitor. The doctor rushed to stabilize her while the paramedic spoke hurriedly into the phone.

"Sir, what is your relationship with the owner of this phone? She was just involved in a catastrophic car accident and is in critical condition. We can't reach any of her friends or family. If you have the time, could you please head over to the hospital?"

The words "critical condition" made Elliot's mind go completely blank.

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  • I Won't Be Her Dupe Any Longer   Chapter 8

    Angela hesitated."I-I never left because I was w-worried about Susie. And I was right to worry. Something r-really happened to her!" she sobbed, barely able to speak coherently. "Give my daughter back to me! If something happens to her, I don't want to live either!"Just as the words left her mouth, the doors to the OR opened. The doctor walked out with a heavy expression."I'm sorry. We did everything we could."Angela stood frozen as if she'd been turned to stone. Then, like a woman possessed, she charged into the room."Susie! Susie! You useless quacks! My daughter is only four years old! How could she possibly be dead?"But the moment she laid eyes on Susie's lifeless body, she fell completely silent. She held the little girl in her arms, her entire body trembling.Elliot approached them in disbelief."Susie," he called out softly.But no one answered him. No one would call him "Daddy" again.Tears welled up in his eyes. He reached out, wanting to touch his daughter, but

  • I Won't Be Her Dupe Any Longer   Chapter 7

    Elliot jumped out of the car in a panic and grabbed Neely's door handle."Neely, get out! I can see you!" he yelled.His phone had been ringing this whole time with calls from home, from Michael, and even from Angela. But he had declined every single one of them. At that time, all he cared about was Neely.The phone rang again. This time, he answered.Angela's tearful voice came through."Eli, come to the hospital, quick. Susie tried to kill herself. She cut her wrists! We called you so many times! Why didn't you answer? Do you know she's in the OR? The doctors said she's lost so much blood that she might not make it! You have to get here! Quickly!"Elliot froze. "How is that possible? Susie was perfectly fine when I left!""It's all because you were going to marry Neely! Susie found out and used a fruit knife to cut her wrists!"Neely heard every word through the car window. She rolled the window down."Aren't you going to run along to save your precious daughter? She's your

  • I Won't Be Her Dupe Any Longer   Chapter 6

    "Damn that old bastard!" Elliot cursed.He stormed over to his car, got in, and slammed his foot on the gas. Then, he called Alexander.The call went through because Neely had told Alexander that as long as Elliot called, he was to answer. She wanted him to see her marry someone else with his own two eyes."Tell Alexander that if he dares to touch a single hair on Neely's head, I'll make him pay with his life, even if I have to risk my own!" he shouted, practically losing his mind. "Let Neely go!"But the only response he got was six words."And now, let's welcome the bride.""Neely! Neely!" Elliot screamed into the phone. "Don't be scared. I'm coming to save you right now! Where did you people take her?"Earl Fedderton, Alexander's butler, was the one who had answered the call. He repeated the message Neely had left for him."Ms. Vaughn agreed to play the bride of her own accord. She said you have your first love and a child, so there's no reason for you to keep clinging to he

  • I Won't Be Her Dupe Any Longer   Chapter 5

    Alexander had asked Neely to turn herself into the lover he had lost when he was younger, hold a wedding ceremony with him, and fulfill the dream that had consumed him for half his life.In exchange, she would get 50 percent of his assets.The first time she met Alexander was at a charity auction. She had only just met Elliot back then. Everyone who knew her called her a cheap knockoff of Angela and mocked her for being unsophisticated and having no worldly experience.Whenever she drank her wine or took a bite of food, they would say she lacked class and was an embarrassment.Elliot would just shoot them a cold look. "You can insult her, but leave Angela out of it."That only made her even more of a target.Back then, it was Alexander who stepped in and helped her. "It's a charity auction. Show some basic decency."After that, no one dared insult her again.Alexander told Neely that the way she carried herself made her look remarkably like the woman in his memories—especially

  • I Won't Be Her Dupe Any Longer   Chapter 4

    Elliot frowned for a second. Instead of answering Neely's question, he made her a promise."I'll marry you. As soon as your body recovers, we'll get married."If she had heard the promise before the car accident, she probably would've been over the moon.But now… not anymore.The baby was gone, and Elliot didn't really love her either."I don't want to marry you."Shock flashed across his dark eyes. "Why? Are you just saying that out of spite?"His tone was almost lazy. "Stop throwing a tantrum. I know all your ugly baggage, yet I'm still willing to accept you. Think about it. Who else would want to marry you when they find out your parents are serving life sentences, knowing you've had a miscarriage, and seeing your face like this?""No one," she answered calmly.After all, those were some pretty serious strikes against her. But she didn't have to get married.Over the years, Elliot had been fairly generous to her. He'd transferred three riverfront houses and two cars into h

  • I Won't Be Her Dupe Any Longer   Chapter 3

    Elliot said nothing.At the mention of love, the first thing that flashed through his mind was a face that looked almost exactly like Angela's.Neely.If this child who had suddenly popped out of nowhere wanted a father, then the baby he'd watched grow inside Neely day by day needed a father even more.He called Neely again. Only this time, the call wouldn't go through at all. He left an irritated voicemail as anxiety gnawed at him. "Rule number three for being a stand-in—never ignore my calls. Have you forgotten? Do you think you can get away with anything now that you're pregnant?"Suddenly, he remembered that she had left him a message. He'd been packing up stuff with Angela at the time, so he couldn't listen to it.He played the message.A weak, breathless voice, filled with raw terror and desperation, immediately came through the speaker."I got into a car accident. I might… I might lose the baby."His phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor of the car with a shar

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