Chapter 2

[Alice’s POV]

The black Maybach parked smoothly at the door of the villa. Fine rain fell, creating a mist, as I stared numbly out the window.

The assistant got out of the car and opened the door for me.  Then he took a gift box tied with a velvet ribbon from the passenger seat and handed it to me with both hands.

“This was specially ordered for you from Paris,” he said, his tone tinged with envy.  “It’s the sapphire necklace you were looking at in that magazine last week. He took note that you wanted it.”

I took the gift box and ran my fingertips over the cool leather texture.

“Where is he?” I asked, feeling a little sad. My fingers fiddled with the ribbons anxiously with the ribbons. I wasn’t sure how to tell David about my diagnosis.

“The CEO said he’s on his way back. He’ll be there in about half an hour.”The assistant opened the front door to our villa for me. “He also said he has a surprise prepared for you tonight.”

I thanked the assistant and closed the door. Wandering into the living room, I saw that the fireplace was lit. It cast a warm glow about the room.

A surprise?

That wasn’t like David. He didn’t usually go out of his way for me. Sinking into the sofa, with the hospital diagonis clutched in my hands, I realized that this might be the last wedding anniversary we’d spent together.

How was he going to react?

I asked myself this, even though, deep down, I already knew the answer.

Our relationship was not a two-way street. I loved David but my love was not reciprocated.

David never wanted to marry me.

Our wedding five years ago had been a media sensation. The wedding of the century’, the headlines called it.

It wasn’t supposed to be my wedding though. The wedding originally belonged to my sister, Silvia..

Silvia was the most dazzling pearl of the Taylor family: beautiful, intelligent, and adored by thousands. I was no one next to her, just the plain Jane sister  sister who always hid in the shadows, ordinary and unremarkable. So naturally David was in love with her. Everyone was.

But then the fire had happened.

I could still see the thick, black smoke. It had obscured everything. David rushed into the fire to save Sylvia, but in that life-or-death moment, his vision had been blurred by the thick smoke. He grabbed my hand, thinking I was Sylvia. It wasn’t until we were outside the building that he realized his mistake. He had rescused the wrong sister.

It was too late though. Silvia, his true love, was burned to a charred husk inside the building. ..

For the benefit of both families, the Cannon family decided to use me in place of Sylvia.

David was extremely disappointed by this decision. He refused me at first. .

Until he got very drunk one night and forcefully pressed me down onto the bed, whispered Silvia’s name as he kissed me.  

The next day he woke up. I thought he’d be furious and demand that I leave. But instead, he silently put away the framed photo of my sister on his bedside stand. . From that day on, he played the role of ‘husband’. He bought me extravagant gifts, paraded me around on his arm at various prestigious events, and celebrated our anniversaries.

God was punishing me now though. I was a despeicable thief. I’d stolen my sister’s life and I was married to a lover who didn’t belong to me.

Standing up, I took off my damp trench coat, revealing a dark green dress that fit my snugly, showing off my curves. The skirt outlined my still slender figure, but the dress couldn’t hide the fatigue on my face.

As I made my way to hang up my coat, I saw David’s suit jacket tossed over the back of the sofa. David tended to leave his things lying around the house, so, with a sigh, I went to pick up the suit jacket so I could put it away for him.

Just as I picked up the expensive tailored suit, a pink card slipped out of the jacket pocket and fell lightly onto the carpet.

I frowned and bent down to pick it up. The card was exquisitely made, with intricate patterns printed on it. Turning it over in my hand, I saw that it was a business card for a flower shop.

My heart froze as I saw the name.

“Sylvia.”

I have a mild pollen allergy, so David never brought me home flowers. So why would he have a florist’s card in his pocket? And even more uncanny was the fact that the flower shop appeared to have the same name as my late sister.

“Ping—”

In the silent living room, my phone suddenly emitted a crisp notification sound.

Pulling my phone from my purse, I saw that my I*******m had received a DM from a stranger.

Glancing at the messenger’s profile picture, I saw that it was a retro tulip pattern.

The exact same pattern as the logo on the florist’s card.

I opened the message.

“Hello, Mrs. Alice. Mr. David has ordered a bouquet of white tulips for you. The courier is at the door.”

I froze in place. The card in my hand felt like it weighed a  thousand pounds.

White tulips.

That had been Silvia’s favorite flower.

She once told me  that white tulips represented pure, flawless love. David had promised to propose to her with a bouquet of white tulips.

Was this the surprise David had prepared for me? A bouquet of white tulips, hand-delivered to the front door?

I went to the surveillance camera at the front door. Through the drizzling rain, I could see a slender figure standing outside the door.

She was holding a transparent umbrella, and in her arms was a large bouquet of white tulips.

She seemed to know that I was watching her from behind the camera. She actually flashed a smile at the camera.

Stunned, I saw that her face was exactly like Sylvia’s, but with a hint of liveliness and boldness that I’d never seen before. . She rang the doorbell and said into the intercom:

“Would you kindly open the door for me, Mrs. Neighley? Or do you intend to leave me standing out here in the rain?”

My heart was beating so fast that it was about to burst out of my chest.

Who was this woman?