All Chapters of The Twin's Secret: A Billionaire's Tempting Proposal: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

Daphne's POV The morning of the prima ballerina contest announcement hit me hard, my stomach in knots as I stood in the theater’s green room, surrounded by the buzz of nervous chatter and the faint smell of hairspray. I hadn’t slept much, my mind stuck on dance steps and Joan’s smug glances from rehearsals.The gala was six days away, and today the director would name the two dancers competing for the lead in Swan Lake. I wanted it so badly it hurt, but doubt crept in, telling me I couldn’t match Joan’s flawless technique or her years in the company.I adjusted my leotard, smoothing it over my hips, and checked my reflection in the smudged mirror. My dark hair was pulled into a tight bun, my face pale under the harsh lights, but my eyes showed determination. I tied my pointe shoes, the satin ribbons familiar under my fingers, and took a deep breath. This was my chance to prove myself.I thought of Oliver, his calm voice at dinner last night, saying I was meant for this. I thought of

Daphne's POV The celebration went late into the night, the living room at Willowbrook filled with laughter and the clink of wine glasses. Oliver’s arm was around me, his warmth keeping me grounded as we talked and joked with Brittany, the twins long asleep upstairs.The thrill of winning the prima ballerina role still hummed in my chest, but as the clock passed midnight, the house grew quiet. Brittany yawned, saying she’d check on the twins and head to bed, leaving Oliver and me alone. We shared one last glass of wine, his hand squeezing mine, his eyes soft with pride.“You’re going to be amazing at the gala,” he said, kissing me gently before we parted for the night.I went to my room, but sleep wouldn’t come. My mind kept circling back to Daisy. Her comatose body was in the east wing, locked behind those iron gates, a place I’d visited countless times when I first came to Willowbrook as the governess.I’d seen her there, wired to machines, her chest rising and falling with the rhyt

Xavier's POV The cottage by the river was quiet, the kind of quiet that made every creak of the floorboards loud in my ears. I carried Daisy inside, her body limp in my arms, her breathing shallow but steady. The accident had left her this way, unconscious, a shell of the woman she’d been. I laid her gently on the bed in the small bedroom, the mattress creaking under her weight. The room was plain, just a bed, a table, and a single window overlooking the river, but it was enough. It had to be. This was where I’d keep her safe, away from Oliver, away from the life that had hurt her.I’d found her in the east wing of Willowbrook Manor, hooked up to machines, forgotten by everyone except me. Oliver had moved on, his eyes on Daphne now, but I hadn’t. I couldn’t.Daisy was my reason, my everything, and seeing her like that, trapped in that sterile room, had broken something in me. So I took her, slipping past the guards, driving through the night to this hidden place. No one knew we were

Xavier's POV The cottage felt smaller each day, the walls closing in as I waited for Daisy to show any sign of waking. It had been two days since I brought her here, away from Willowbrook Manor, away from Oliver and his new life with Daphne.The river outside was steady, its soft rush the only sound breaking the quiet. I sat by Daisy’s bed, watching her chest rise and fall, the IV line dripping into her arm. She hadn’t moved, hadn’t opened her eyes, but I refused to give up. She was in there, somewhere, and I’d bring her back.I checked my phone for the time. Dr. Ellis was due any minute for her first full check-up since I’d moved her. I’d found him through a contact who knew how to keep things quiet, someone who wouldn’t ask why I had a comatose woman in a riverside cottage.My hands were steady as I adjusted the blanket over Daisy, but my stomach was tight. I needed her to be okay, needed to know I’d done the right thing taking her from that sterile room in the manor.A knock came

Xavier's POVI cursed under my breath. Clara. I’d forgotten about her, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to stay calm. “Okay, fine,” I said, my voice low. “I took Daisy. I moved her from Willowbrook.”Christine’s eyes widened, her face paling. “You what? You took her body? Xavier, why would you do that? Do you want to implicate u? And why didn’t you tell me? I’m your wife!"I stepped toward her, my hands out, trying to calm her down. “I’m sorry, Christine. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you involved this time around. It’s complicated, and I was trying to protect you.”“Protect me?” she snapped, stepping back. “You lied to me! You said you were on a business trip, but you were stealing my cousin’s body! How could you hide something like that from me? And your reason is ridiculous. You and I know that I don't need any form of protection from you."I took a deep breath, my chest tight. “I didn’t want to worry you. Daisy was just lying there, forgotten in that room. Oliver wa