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No Longer Your Shadow

No Longer Your Shadow

Short Story · Romance
By:  Green PickCompleted
Language: English
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Synopsis

Winning Back the Wife

Substitute

Familial Bond

Tragic Love

Plot Twists

CEO

Scumbag

Regret

Family Emotions

I've accidentally worn a dress belonging to my deceased older sister, Gwendolyn Stokes, to a family banquet. Because of that, my husband, Thomas Torres, goes quiet with fury. He then sentences me to a punishment of kneeling in the snow for three long hours. The blizzard chills me to the bone. My son, Robin Torres, makes fun of me while hurling snowballs at me. "No matter how much you dress up, you'll always be a phony! Don't think you can go around replacing my mommy just because you've changed into her dress!" As I stare at Robin's face, which bears some resemblance with mine, I feel my heart breaking. He has no idea that I'm his actual mother. On the year Gwendolyn passed away, Thomas, who drank himself into a stupor, mistook me for her. That night, he kept moaning Gwendolyn's name and whispering sweet nothings to me. That was how I got pregnant with Robin. Thomas has forbidden me from telling anyone the truth. On the other hand, I can't bear to leave my own child alone. So, I beg Thomas repeatedly to let me stay in the Torres residence. During my stay here, Thomas gives me the cold shoulder all the time. Only when he needs to vent his desire does he seek me out. What I didn't expect is that Robin hates my guts as well. Not only does he keep pulling pranks on me from time to time, but he also curses at me. "Shameless women like you have no right to stay in my home! Once I grow up, I'll definitely kick you out!" Now, I can finally respond to him. "Oh, I don't have to wait for you to grow up at all." Tomorrow, I'll pack my things and leave. I no longer want to remain as someone else's replacement and continue living a life of humiliation. This time, I'm going to pursue a life of my own.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Winnie's Point-of-View

During a family banquet, my dress was slashed by my husband's mistress, Erica Glover.

She acted surprised, and though she apologized, the mockery in her eyes was unmistakable. "I'm so sorry, Winnie. It was an accident. Maybe you should change into something else."

Biting my lip, I rushed back to my room and threw on the first dress on the top shelf of the wardrobe.

It never crossed my mind that the dress belonged to my deceased sister, Gwendolyn Stokes, since I had never seen it.

My husband, the usually composed, stone-faced CEO of Torres Group, Thomas Torres, completely lost it the moment he saw that dress.

I was forced to change out of Gwendolyn's dress before being made to kneel in the snow for three hours straight, in nothing but my torn, ruined dress.

The heavy snow was bone-chilling, making it hard to even breathe.

After what felt like an eternity, a child's soft voice reached my ears. "Who said you could wear my mom's dress? You deserve to freeze to death!"

I opened my eyes with effort and saw my son, Robin Torres, right in front of me.

Suddenly, a huge snowball slammed into my body. The sharp pain knocked me off balance, and I collapsed straight into the snow.

"No matter what you wear, a fake will always be a fake! Don't think you can replace my mom just because of what you're wearing!" Robin shouted while pelting me with more snowballs.

Looking at the face that was so similar to mine made my heart ache as if it were being stabbed.

Robin didn't know that I was his real, biological mother. He had always believed that his birth mother was Gwendolyn.

In his eyes, I was just a vicious woman trying to take his real mother's place.

"A shameless woman like you doesn't deserve to stay in our family!" he yelled. "When I grow up, I'll kick you out!"

A burning pain rose in my throat. I struggled to pull myself up, brushing the snow off my body.

Five years ago, I had been on my knees outside this villa for three whole days, begging Thomas to let me in just so I could stay by Robin's side and see him a little more.

But as I stared at the look of disgust on Robin's face right then, everything I had endured felt utterly meaningless.

"You don't need to wait until you grow up."

I gave a faint smile, deciding to pack up my things and leave on my own tomorrow. I was done being a substitute, done living a lowly, humiliating life.

This time, I was going to live a life that was mine alone.
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10 Chapters
Chapter 1
Winnie's Point-of-ViewDuring a family banquet, my dress was slashed by my husband's mistress, Erica Glover.She acted surprised, and though she apologized, the mockery in her eyes was unmistakable. "I'm so sorry, Winnie. It was an accident. Maybe you should change into something else."Biting my lip, I rushed back to my room and threw on the first dress on the top shelf of the wardrobe.It never crossed my mind that the dress belonged to my deceased sister, Gwendolyn Stokes, since I had never seen it.My husband, the usually composed, stone-faced CEO of Torres Group, Thomas Torres, completely lost it the moment he saw that dress.I was forced to change out of Gwendolyn's dress before being made to kneel in the snow for three hours straight, in nothing but my torn, ruined dress.The heavy snow was bone-chilling, making it hard to even breathe.After what felt like an eternity, a child's soft voice reached my ears. "Who said you could wear my mom's dress? You deserve to freeze t
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Chapter 2
After kneeling in the snow for so long, I blacked out after only taking a few steps.When I came to, the white ceiling and Thomas' face came into view.He'd returned to his usual, stern composure. With a cold expression, he set a steaming bowl of tomato soup on the bedside table. "Have you learned your lesson?"I stayed silent and kept my head down, refusing to meet his eyes.My knees still ached, and after three whole hours of being out in the cold, my throat hurt so badly I could hardly speak.Thomas remained unbothered as he stirred the hot soup idly."In the Torres household, mistakes come with consequences. That's the rules, and there are no exceptions."Rules. That was the word he said most to me ever since I arrived at this place.Thomas had always been a stickler for rules. Whether at the company or at home, everything had to be perfect. And the thing he feared and hated most was accidents.Gwendolyn's death had been exactly that. After the car accident, Thomas fell in
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Chapter 3
When I stepped out of my room, I just happened to witness Erica stumbling into Thomas' arms, wearing nothing but a bathrobe.It only took one look for me to realize that the bathrobe she was wearing had belonged to Gwendolyn. My heart lurched almost instinctively.But for some reason, Thomas didn't get mad or fly into a rage. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.It was just yesterday that I was made to kneel in the snow for a full three hours, all because I'd accidentally worn Gwendolyn's dress.But now, not only did he not mind Erica wearing Gwendolyn's bathrobe, he even kissed her.I couldn't help but find all those rules he kept going on about completely absurd all of a sudden.After Gwendolyn died, Thomas had cycled through one substitute after another. All the women resembled her.The latest one was Erica, and she was the most similar to Gwendolyn so far. She even resembled Gwendolyn more than I did, especially in personality.Because of that, Thom
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Chapter 4
It was the dead of winter. Although the surface of the water had frozen over, the ice wasn't thick enough to support Erica's weight.It shattered instantly, and Erica screamed for help in the freezing water.Hearing the cries for help, Thomas rushed out of the house. The moment he saw what was happening, he froze. He jumped in without a second thought and pulled her out of the lake. Robin also ran out of the house, hurrying over to Erica in concern. "Ms. Glover, are you okay?"Shaking from the cold, Erica smiled weakly, looking pale and pitiful. "Robin, I'm fine… I just don't know why Winnie would push me. If this was because I accidentally tore her dress yesterday, I apologize. I'm sorry…"I flinched hard and spoke up immediately. "I didn't push her! She jumped in on her own! There are surveillance cameras here. You can check them if—""You horrible woman!" Robin cut me off furiously. "You already killed my mom and took her from me, and now you want to harm Ms. Glover as well!
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Chapter 5
I never expected that I would still be alive after that.When I regained consciousness, the smell of antiseptic stung my nose, and all I could see was the white ceiling of the hospital room.A gentle male voice sounded near my ear. "How are you feeling?"Absolutely awful. That was what I wanted to say, but my throat hurt so badly I couldn't get a single word out. It felt like knives were scraping against my throat. As I forced my eyes to stay open, I caught sight of a hazy figure in a white coat.For some reason, the first thing I noticed was his hand. He had long and flawless fingers, and his knuckles were well-defined.I was sure I had seen those hands somewhere before. Nevertheless, I was too drained to think and soon slipped back into unconsciousness.For a long time after that, I drifted in and out of sleep. Days had gone by before I finally woke up for good.There was no one by my side, but a note and some pills had been left on the bedside table.The note read, "Be sur
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Chapter 6
Thomas choked, clearly unable to speak for a moment. "And what do you mean by that?""You heard me. I'm not going back, Thomas. I'm done staying in your villa as your maid, a substitute, your lover, your toy, or anything else. From now on, I only want to live for myself."The other end of the line went completely silent.Seconds later, Thomas spoke again. His earlier anger was gone, replaced by a panic I had never heard before, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "We're done? What nonsense are you talking about, Winnie? Weren't you the one begging to stay in my house back then?"I gave you everything you wanted, so what exactly are you unhappy about? Besides, are you really going to leave Robin here all by himself?"At the mention of Robin, my heart twisted painfully again.It had been for his sake that I gave up my dignity and my everything to stay in the Torres residence. But in hindsight, it was all just a big mistake.No matter how much effort I put into raising Robin, he
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Chapter 7
I quickly ended the call, and before I knew it, tears were running down my face.Seeing me cry, Mark didn't say a word, simply offering me a tissue in silence."Sorry you had to see me like this," I said. I tried to calm myself down, but the tears kept coming, like pearls slipping off a broken string.He gave a gentle shake of his head, offering a warm, slightly sympathetic smile. "How's your body holding up? Any pain?"Wiping away my tears, I shook my head slightly."That's good. I brought you breakfast. I remember you like oatmeal. There's honey and whole‑wheat bread, too."A flicker of emotion stirred in me.Thomas never remembered my favorite foods, even after all these years of living with him. Yet Mark, who had only come by a few times to check on me, remembered them effortlessly.Just as I was about to thank him, my phone rang again.Thomas' name kept popping up on the screen. I frowned instinctively."Are you going to answer it?" Mark asked gently, his expression calm
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Chapter 8
Third-Person Point-of-ViewBack at the villa, Thomas ordered his men to pull up the surveillance footage of the backyard from that day.On the screen, he watched as a man pulled Winnie out of the lake. "Mark!"The second he recognized the doctor, he slammed his palm down on the keyboard in fury.When the footage was rewound, it became clear that Erica had jumped into the lake on her own. "What…"His breath hitched. He never expected that this was the truth, especially since Erica had been the perfect substitute he'd recently found."Damn it!" he roared just as Robin opened the door and came in.Ever since Winnie disappeared, life had become a lot harder for Robin. But since he was still a child, he didn't give it much thought and simply blamed her for everything."Dad, stop thinking about that woman already! Ms. Glover invited us to—""Don't mention her again!" Thomas snapped.Robin had never seen Thomas act like this. Startled, he burst into tears. "Why? Why do you keep th
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Chapter 9
Winnie's Point-of-ViewMy new life began. I decided to open a swimming school and brush up on my skills.Mark fully supported the idea. He not only provided the funds but also went with me to check out several locations that would be good for the school.Of course, I still needed to go through some systematic training to get my body back in shape.Mark, patient as ever, kept a close eye on my condition, and he'd stop the session the instant I showed signs of fatigue.At first, my body, out of shape from years of inactivity, struggled a lot. But it didn't take long for my muscle memory to kick in and for that familiar feeling of moving as one with the water to gradually return.Before long, our swimming school officially opened. I didn't go all out on advertising, simply posting about it on the community website. But to my surprise, a bunch of people signed up.Everything went smoothly. The kids were rather mischievous, but their love for swimming made them especially focused dur
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Chapter 10
Not long after that, the Torres family's retaliation started right on schedule.At first, it was subtle. A few students who used to attend classes regularly suddenly stopped showing up, and some who had already signed up for long‑term courses requested refunds.Before long, the swimming center was practically empty, and even Mark's clinic was affected the same way.I knew this level of pressure was only the beginning. But then, one day, a piece of breaking news caught my eye."Torres Group Shut Down for Commercial Fraud and Unfair Competition—CEO Detained, Awaiting Further Investigation.I stared at Thomas's face on the screen, unable to believe my eyes for a moment.He was gaunt, his cheeks were sunken, and he had deep dark circles under his eyes. He looked as if he had aged years overnight.According to the report, the whistleblower behind the case was someone from Field Industries, a business rival of Torres Group.For some reason, the name seemed familiar. A sudden thought
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