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The Stranger in the Reflection

Auteur: misterpena
last update Dernière mise à jour: 2025-11-19 11:52:22

"It hurts," Alena answered honestly. "But... it doesn't compare to the pain I've already felt."

Kaevan nodded slowly. "One more week, and the bandages come off. And you'll... see it."

"See Serena's face," Alena whispered.

"Yes."

Silence hung between them—thick, uncomfortable.

"Kaevan," Alena said quietly, "are you... are you ready? To see her face again?"

Kaevan didn't answer immediately. He stared out the window with an empty gaze.

"I don't know," Kaevan admitted. "I thought I was ready. But now... I'm not sure."

That honesty surprised Alena. Kaevan rarely showed uncertainty.

"If you're not ready," Alena said carefully, "we could—"

"There's no turning back," Kaevan cut in firmly. He looked at Alena again, his eyes sharp. "What's done can't be undone. Now we can only move forward."

Alena nodded weakly.

Kaevan reached into his jacket pocket—pulling out a small dark blue box.

"This is for you," he said, placing the box on the bedside table.

"What is it?" Alena asked curiously.

"Open it
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  • The Substitute Wife's Revenge   Tristan & Sienna's New Life

    Three days after Diana received the grant from the Aldrich Foundation, Ethan came with a different kind of surveillance report.Not about Diana this time.But about Tristan Kensington and Sienna Reid."Kaevan asked me to give a routine update on the targets," Ethan said as he opened his laptop on the library table. "I think you should see this—so you know what their life looks like now."Serena sat beside Ethan with mixed feelings—part of her wanted to know, but another part was afraid of what she would see.Ethan opened the first folder—photos taken by a private investigator over the last few weeks.The first photo showed a massive mansion in the Hamptons—modern style with floor-to-ceiling glass, an infinity pool facing the beach, and a wide, perfectly manicured lawn."This is their new house," Ethan explained. "Bought six months ago for eight million dollars. Cash. No mortgage."Serena stared at the photo, her jaw tightening. Eight million dollars. From insurance money that was supp

  • The Substitute Wife's Revenge   A Mother's Tears

    "So," Serena said while taking a glass of orange juice to hide her nervousness, "when will the letter be sent?""Today," Kaevan answered while typing on his phone again. "Ethan will arrange everything—an official letter with Aldrich Foundation letterhead, the first transfer of two million dollars, even a small press release about our new Resilience Grant program.""Press release?" Serena flinched. "Why do we need a press release?""To make it legitimate," Kaevan explained. "If only your mother receives a mysterious grant, people will be suspicious. But if there's a press release announcing a new program with its first recipient—plus several other recipients we select—then it looks like a regular charity program."Kaevan looked at Serena with a small smile."I've been doing this long enough to know how to make something look legitimate."Serena couldn't help but smile—impressed by how carefully Kaevan planned everything."Will Mom be interviewed by media?" she asked worriedly."Not if

  • The Substitute Wife's Revenge   The Resilience Grant

    Two days after seeing her mother working as a cleaning service, Serena couldn't stop thinking about it.Every night, she opened the tablet and watched the surveillance feed—seeing Diana Vale walk with tired steps to the office building, work from floor to floor, then return by bus in the middle of the night to her small apartment in the Bronx.Every night, Serena's heart shattered more.The hundred thousand dollars Diana kept from the first anonymous donation was enough for a few months—but wouldn't last long. And Diana was too stubborn to use it for "unimportant" things like fixing the heater or buying better food.Serena knew her mother. Diana Vale would continue working hard until her body gave out—because that was her way of dealing with guilt. Through work. Through suffering. Through believing she had to pay for her daughter's "mistakes."But Mom isn't guilty, Serena thought in frustration. And she shouldn't have to live like this.***That morning, Serena came down for breakfast

  • The Substitute Wife's Revenge   Melodies of the Past

    At afternoon, Serena sat in her room with the tablet on her lap—staring at the camera feed showing Diana's apartment building in the Bronx.The clock showed six in the evening. Diana should have already woken from her afternoon nap and be preparing for her night shift.And sure enough, a few minutes later, Serena saw her mother exit the building door—wearing a faded thin jacket, carrying a large tote bag containing her work uniform.Diana walked with tired steps toward the bus stop—no more car, no taxi. Only cheap public transportation.Serena followed her movements from camera to camera—the surveillance that Ethan and Kaevan's team installed was indeed very comprehensive.Diana boarded bus number 12 to Midtown. Sat alone in the back seat, staring out the window with an empty gaze.What is Mom thinking? Serena wondered. Does Mom still think about me? Does Mom hate me for what the world thinks I did?But Serena knew her mother. Diana Vale wasn't the type to hate—even when she had reaso

  • The Substitute Wife's Revenge   A Window to Her Mother

    Three days after the conversation in the library, Ethan came with something different.Not files about high society. Not a training schedule. But a tablet with an app already open."Kaevan asked me to set this up," he said, handing the tablet to Serena, who was sitting in the living room. "This is... a live feed from the surveillance cameras we installed around the place where your mother works and lives."Serena’s heart stopped."What?" she whispered, taking the tablet with trembling hands."You can see your mother," Ethan explained gently. "Not all the time—only when she’s in public spaces. We didn’t put cameras inside her apartment because that would be an invasion of privacy. But outside the building, at her workplace, on the streets—you can see her from a distance."Serena stared at the tablet screen showing several different camera feeds—all in black and white, all from strategic angles."Where is she right now?" Serena asked, her voice shaking.Ethan pointed to the third feed.

  • The Substitute Wife's Revenge   A Promise in the Dark

    Kaevan looked at Serena with an intense gaze."But you? You've already faced hell. You were betrayed, burned alive, lost your identity, and you're still here. Still standing. Still fighting. You have a strength Serena never had.""But what if I lose that strength?" Serena whispered. "What if one day I wake up and don't know who I am anymore? What if—""Then I'll remind you," Kaevan cut in, his hand moving from her shoulder to Serena's cheek—wiping tears with his thumb in a surprisingly gentle gesture. "I'll remind you that you are Alena Kensington who survived the fire. You're a woman strong enough to live as someone else to survive. You're a fighter—not a quitter."Serena looked at him with teary eyes—surprised by this sudden intimacy. By the warmth behind Kaevan's words."But I'm still scared," she admitted in a very small voice. "Scared I'll lose myself completely. Scared one day I'll forget what it feels like to be Alena. Scared Serena will... take over."Kaevan looked at her for

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