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Chapter 2

Penulis: Against the Flow
Andrew glanced at me like I was dim. "Let me repeat myself. I have prosopagnosia. I thought you were a stranger, and…"

He trailed off, but I knew he had been desperate to rescue Ivy.

Perhaps my stare pricked his guilt, because he snapped, "Sophie! Do you expect an apology for my psychological condition?"

Andrew's expression darkened, and the fight went out of me.

What good would an apology do now? He had already hurt me.

After a moment, I said heavily, "Fine. I'll put out a statement to explain who I am."

Andrew only then looked satisfied and turned to the window. Catching the tenderness and longing in his eyes, I followed his line of sight.

Ivy was reading at the cafe in another black dress. He picked her out in an instant despite the distance and the window.

So the issue was never prosopagnosia. It was that Andrew only recognized those who mattered to him. He didn't love me.

My chest ached as though my heart had been riddled, the pain sawing through me. Even so, I smiled and rolled the window down so Andrew could look all he wanted.

I had finally come to my senses. Our four-year marriage was over for me, and my love for him was gone for good!

The day after, Brenda prodded me to issue the statement.

I drafted a lengthy post laying out my relationship with Andrew. He wanted it hidden, but I was done with that.

Soon, I was done with the post.

"Andrew Connolly was my husband, which was why I went to see him yesterday. But he addressed me as 'riffraff' in front of all his employees. Despite four years of marriage, he failed to recognize me as his wife and repeatedly dismissed me.

"At a recent concert, he saved someone else instead of me. Loving the wrong person shattered me. Therefore, I would be divorcing Mr. Connolly and setting him free."

I ended the post by attaching a photo of our marriage certificate. I felt lighter once it was posted.

Soon, Andrew began calling me nonstop, but I didn't pick up. Minutes later, he stormed home, yanked me from the couch, and dug his fingers into my arm.

"Sophie! Are you insane? Who told you to post that nonsense on Facebook?"

I regarded him coolly. "It's the truth."

He faltered for a second, then barked, "Delete it now!"

I shrugged and shot back, "Even if I do, the screenshots remain."

Andrew fell silent. After thinking it through, he ordered, "Post a new statement saying you were confused and posted it by mistake."

I shook my head, pulled my arm free, and took a few steps back. "I'm not posting anything else."

My refusal drew a brutal cold from him, and his tone turned cutting. "You're being reckless. What if Ivy gets dragged in? People will start digging into who I saved first that day, and once they learn the truth, she'll be doxxed."

Even with all my disappointment in Andrew, his words still hurt. He had never considered my feelings. All his concern was for Ivy.

I looked him straight in the eye and asked, heavy-voiced, "You care about her a lot, don't you?"

"Yes. Ivy means a lot to me," he answered at once.

I managed a wry smile. "I'm nothing to you. That's why you can't remember me."

Andrew frowned, attempting to swallow his temper as he tried to soothe me. "I'll be able to recognize you if you keep wearing the same outfit every day."

Displeasure crept into my tone. "Let's get a divorce, Andrew!"
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    I fell silent, genuinely stunned. Four years had passed, and only now did Andrew's condition finally lift. Still, it was far too late to mean anything.Years ago, I kept urging Andrew to see a doctor, but he would brush it off every time. He called it embarrassing and refused to go.I wondered how he had been cured, but it wasn't my business anymore. I stepped around him to leave. He slid into my path, blocking my way, his face a tangle of emotions.After a few seconds, Andrew steeled himself and finally said it outright. "I'm sorry, Sophie. I hurt you for four years. You were my wife, but I kept treating you like a stranger and even hurt you."I looked into everything before I came here and learned the truth. I'm ashamed to face you, but I can't let you go. I've realized that you're the one I love, not Ivy."When I married you, I foolishly tried to make you her stand-in, but it turns out she was the one standing in for you. Ridiculous of me, right? Does love that comes this late

  • The Stand-In Game   Chapter 8

    Ivy's confession snuffed out what was left of Andrew's hope. The girl hadn't been Ivy at all. It was me, the face he could never hold on to. It turned out he wasn't just face-blind. He had been an idiot.My features came into focus in his mind, fusing fast with the girl who had saved him. When the truth hit, he barked a laugh, pounded his chest, and roared in agony."Four years. It took me four years to learn the truth and to see why she never stopped chasing me."Andrew remembered how I kept showing up after we were adults. I confessed my feelings for him, and he brushed me off for being too bold.After that, I hovered in his orbit. Even when people laughed at me, I swallowed my pride and held out for a sliver of his affection.Our parents knew each other, and once they saw how much I loved him, they pushed for the match.Andrew refused to marry me, so I threw my pride away and caused a scene, sobbing and pleading. I even threatened to end it all.It became a public spectacle,

  • The Stand-In Game   Chapter 7

    After Andrew finished reading the letter, he was taken aback. The words "crash" and "15" dragged him back to that sketch, stirring his doubts all over again. Accepting my divorce became even harder.Maybe our marriage started under parental pressure, but he had gotten used to having me around over the years. I had kept his days neat and orderly, after all.He wouldn't have hurt me if not for Ivy. She had saved him, and the feelings tied to a first love were different.Andrew refused the divorce and sent the lawyer away. As the filing was already in, our split turned into a full-blown legal fight. Meanwhile, I was still nowhere to be found.Two months later, he finally panicked. Ivy waited at home for him every day, yet it all felt different, like something essential was missing.Over time, Andrew grew short-tempered and stopped being kind to Ivy. He woke from nightmares every night, reliving the car crash.Again and again, my face broke through his dreams, overlapping with Ivy's

  • The Stand-In Game   Chapter 6

    Andrew fixed Gary with a disbelieving stare, his voice rising as he pressed for confirmation. "Are you telling me she's Sophie?"Gary nodded hard, looking helpless. "Yes. You've lived under the same roof for four years. How can you still not recognize Mrs. Connolly?"Gary's reproachful look robbed Andrew of words. A moment later, the realization slammed into Andrew. He swayed and dropped onto the couch, shaken."How could it be her?"Not knowing what was going on, Gary could only calm him. "Mr. Connolly, Mrs. Connolly has been gone for days. If you have questions, bring her home and ask her yourself."Andrew couldn't take it in. He kept repeating "why" under his breath.Helpless, Gary said nothing.After a long moment, Andrew pushed to his feet, agitated, and muttered to himself, "No way. The one who saved me was Ivy, not Sophie."Then, in a burst of anger, Andrew ripped the sketch to shreds and let the pieces scatter across the floor. He turned and strode out to look for Ivy.

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    Seeing Andrew and Ivy in each other's arms, I felt pain shot through me, rib by rib, until it bit down on my heart. I swayed, on the verge of passing out. Little by little, the pain leveled into a quiet numbness.I gave up on Andrew for good. I turned away in disappointment, and even though I kept my shoulders squared, I knew I had already lost.…By evening, I had pulled myself together and gone home, only to find Ivy curled up in my bed. I stopped cold when I realized she was wearing my red dress.She tilted a knowing smile and said, "Oh, please. Know your place. Clinging to Andrew won't get you anywhere. Be sensible. Walk away and keep what dignity you have left."Then she wrinkled her nose at me. "You're insufferable. You even copied my style."My face slackened for a beat. After a moment of silence, I blinked, and my vision cleared. Whatever confusion I had had was gone.With Andrew bringing Ivy into our home, there was no point in keeping up the act.I tore the love-token

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