Chapter Four

Morning arrived far too quickly.

For a few peaceful seconds, Natalie forgot where she was.

She lay beneath impossibly soft blankets, staring sleepily at the unfamiliar ceiling above her.

Then reality returned.

The wedding.

The mansion.

The stranger she had somehow married.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh."

She sat upright.

"Right."

A groan escaped her.

"That happened."

Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating every corner of the enormous bedroom.

Natalie looked around slowly.

The room was bigger than the entire dormitory she had shared with six girls at St. Mary's Orphanage.

Gold detailing decorated the ceiling.

Elegant furniture filled every corner.

Fresh flowers sat arranged on nearby tables.

Even the carpet looked expensive.

None of it felt real.

Natalie climbed out of bed.

Her bare feet touched the cool marble floor.

"What exactly am I supposed to do here?"

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

She froze.

"Madam?"

Natalie blinked.

Madam?

The word sounded ridiculous.

Before she could answer, the door opened.

A middle-aged woman entered with two younger maids following behind her.

Each carried silver trays.

"Good morning, Madam."

Natalie looked behind herself.

The maid smiled politely.

"Breakfast is ready."

"Oh."

Natalie pointed at herself.

"You mean me?"

The maids exchanged confused glances.

"Yes, Madam."

Natalie felt strangely embarrassed.

Nobody had ever called her that before.

"Sir Adrian is already waiting downstairs."

The mention of Adrian immediately ruined her mood.

Her husband.

The word still felt wrong.

"I'll be down shortly."

The women nodded and quietly left.

The moment the door closed, Natalie buried her face in her hands.

"This is insane."

A few moments later, her attention drifted toward the massive wardrobe.

Curiosity won.

She opened it.

And immediately regretted it.

Rows of luxurious dresses stared back at her.

Designer labels.

Expensive fabrics.

Enough clothing to supply an entire boutique.

Natalie nearly choked.

"These people own too many things."

She shut the wardrobe.

Opened it again.

Stared.

Then eventually selected the simplest dress she could find.

---

The mansion looked even larger in daylight.

Crystal chandeliers hung overhead.

Paintings lined the walls.

Long hallways stretched endlessly in every direction.

Natalie felt like an intruder wandering through a museum.

As she reached the staircase, a servant immediately appeared.

"This way, Madam."

She still wasn't used to hearing that.

The servant guided her toward the dining room.

When the doors opened, Natalie stopped walking.

Her eyes widened.

The dining table alone could seat more people than the orphanage dining hall.

Fresh fruit.

Pastries.

Eggs.

Tea.

Toast.

More food than she had seen in weeks.

And seated calmly at the head of the table was Adrian Lewis.

His gaze lifted the moment she entered.

Sharp.

Observant.

Unsettling.

"Sit."

Natalie obeyed.

Mostly because standing there felt awkward.

Silence followed.

She found herself staring at the food.

Adrian noticed immediately.

"You're late."

Natalie blinked.

"I didn't realize breakfast came with attendance records."

One eyebrow rose slightly.

"I value punctuality."

Natalie resisted rolling her eyes.

Of course he did.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then she sighed.

"You know..."

Adrian looked up.

"You still married the wrong person."

The silence that followed felt heavier than before.

Adrian leaned back.

"You're still saying that."

"I'm still telling the truth."

His gaze narrowed slightly.

"Then explain something."

Natalie blinked.

"What?"

"If you're not Maria, who are you?"

The question caught her off guard.

For the first time, he wasn't immediately dismissing her.

"My name is Natalie Shipman."

His expression remained unreadable.

"I grew up in St. Mary's Orphanage."

Something flickered briefly in his eyes.

Too fast for her to understand.

Natalie continued.

"I came to the wedding because I was hired as part of the catering team."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"It's true."

Adrian folded his hands.

"Then explain why you look exactly like Maria."

Natalie opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

Because she couldn't.

"I don't know."

For the first time, uncertainty entered her voice.

"I honestly don't know."

The answer sounded genuine.

Painfully genuine.

Adrian studied her carefully.

No hesitation.

No obvious deception.

Nothing.

Just confusion.

Before he could speak again—

A knock sounded.

One of the servants entered looking nervous.

"Sir..."

Adrian glanced up.

"What is it?"

"Your mother is here."

Surprise flickered across his face.

"At this hour?"

The servant nodded.

Seconds later, a woman entered the room.

Elegant.

Impeccably dressed.

And intimidating.

Every servant straightened instantly.

Natalie understood why.

The woman's presence filled the room.

Cold eyes settled immediately on her.

"So."

Her voice was smooth.

"You've finally decided to leave your room."

Natalie frowned.

"I'm sorry?"

The woman scoffed.

"You caused enough embarrassment during the wedding."

Adrian calmly took a sip of coffee.

"She claims she isn't Maria."

The room fell silent.

His mother stared.

Then laughed.

A soft, disbelieving laugh.

"What nonsense."

"I'm serious."

She ignored Natalie completely.

"Stop embarrassing yourself."

"That's exactly the problem!"

Every eye turned toward Natalie.

Her heart pounded.

But she was tired.

Tired of nobody listening.

"You people kidnapped me."

Several servants nearly dropped what they were holding.

The older woman's expression turned icy.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me."

Natalie stood.

Her hands trembled.

But her voice didn't.

"You married the wrong woman."

The room fell silent again.

Even the servants looked horrified.

His mother turned toward Adrian.

"She's throwing a tantrum."

"I'm not!"

Natalie's voice echoed through the room.

The woman looked offended.

Natalie looked furious.

And Adrian...

Simply watched.

Something about the situation felt wrong.

Not because of what Natalie was saying.

But because of how she was saying it.

There was no calculation.

No manipulation.

No performance.

Only frustration.

And fear.

Real fear.

His mother shook her head.

"This is ridiculous."

Maybe.

But Adrian wasn't so sure anymore.

Slowly, he stood.

The room immediately became tense.

He walked around the table.

One step at a time.

Until he stopped directly in front of Natalie.

She looked up at him.

Defiant.

Nervous.

Yet strangely determined.

"You expect me to believe..."

His voice was quiet.

"...that a complete stranger accidentally walked into my wedding venue looking exactly like my bride?"

"Yes."

No hesitation.

No pause.

Just certainty.

"And that I married the wrong woman?"

"Yes."

Again.

Instantly.

Adrian held her gaze.

Then asked:

"Have you ever been inside this house before?"

Natalie looked around.

The marble floors.

The expensive artwork.

The towering windows.

Then back at him.

"No."

The answer came immediately.

Without hesitation.

Without thought.

Without fear.

A lie would have taken longer.

A lie would have required consideration.

This answer didn't.

And for the first time since the wedding—

Adrian hesitated.

Only slightly.

But Natalie saw it.

The doubt.

Small.

Fleeting.

Yet unmistakable.

His mother noticed it too.

Which made her expression darken.

Because Adrian Lewis almost never doubted himself.

But now...

He was.

And if Natalie was telling the truth...

Then somewhere out there, the real Maria Daves had vanished.

Which meant Adrian hadn't married his fiancée.

He had married a complete stranger.

---

Miles away, in another city, Maria Daves sat alone in a luxury hotel suite.

A television played quietly in front of her.

News coverage of the wedding flashed across the screen.

Images of Adrian.

Images of the ceremony.

Images of the woman who had taken her place.

Maria's fingers tightened around the remote.

Her eyes darkened.

At first, she had planned to stay away forever.

But now...

Something had changed.

Because Adrian Lewis was looking at her replacement differently than he had ever looked at her.

And for the first time in years—

Maria felt jealous.