All Chapters of I Stole My Sister's Life for Ten Years, and She Never Woke Up: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I stood outside the gym, soaked to the bone, clutching a pair of limited-edition sneakers I'd waited three hours in line to buy.My boyfriend Brandon walked out with Vivian on his arm, the two of them sharing a black umbrella.Vivian was wearing the women's version of the same limited-edition sneakers. Together with the men's pair in my hands, they made a matching couples' set.I clenched my jaw and hid the shoebox behind my back.Brandon spotted me, his voice dripping with annoyance."Sophie, what are you doing here? Vivian's afraid of the dark. I'm walking her back to the dorm."Vivian nestled closer against him, her voice syrupy and delicate."Sophie, don't blame Brandon. I twisted my ankle and couldn't walk."I looked at her perfectly steady stance, and the hurt welled up inside me.Today was the third anniversary of the day Brandon and I first met. He'd promised to take me out to dinner.I took a deep breath, trying to force a smile."Brandon, you promised me today...""Enough. St

Hailey seized control.She wiped the ice water from her face, then casually picked up a water bottle from the bench.She unscrewed the cap and dumped the entire bottle over Vivian's head without a moment's hesitation.Vivian shrieked and jumped up, her makeup running down her face in streaks.Brandon lunged forward, reaching to grab Hailey by the hair.Hailey sidestepped and kicked him hard in the shin."Brandon, who the hell do you think you are, demanding an apology from me?"Everyone stood frozen in shock.The timid, obedient Sophie they all knew had turned into a force of nature right before their eyes."Are you done?"A cool, measured voice cut through the silence.Ethan walked out from the crowd, a dry towel in his hand.He stepped past Brandon on the ground without a glance and walked straight to Hailey, draping the towel over her damp hair."Come on. Let me take you somewhere good to eat."Hailey toweled off her hair, flipped Brandon the middle finger, and strolled out with Eth

Those words detonated inside my mind like a bomb.How could I be the alternate?I had memories. I had parents. I had a life of my own.It wasn't possible!Dr. Carter opened the file, his voice steady but merciless."Ten years ago, your family was targeted in a kidnapping. Hailey was held by the abductors for three full days.""To escape that kind of extreme trauma, her brain activated a defense mechanism and split off an entirely new personality.""That personality was innocent, timid, and carried none of the memories of abuse. That personality is you, Sophie."I shook my head wildly, screaming from within."That's not true! I remember Mom buying me ice cream! I remember Dad taking me to the amusement park!"Hailey's voice came through, raw with tears."Sophie, those memories... I made them for you.""I gave you every beautiful thing I had and kept all the pain for myself."I shattered.So I was the counterfeit.I'd believed Hailey was a guardian who took the hits for me. In truth, I w

I lay on the treatment bed, gasping for air, drenched in cold sweat.My mind slowly cleared, but there was nothing except exhaustion. No other voice.No sound from Hailey. No sign that she had awakened.I was still here.That timid, unloved Sophie was still stubbornly clinging to this body."Why..."I stared at the ceiling, tears sliding silently down my temples.Dr. Carter looked at me, his expression pained."It failed. Hailey's consciousness has completely sealed itself off. She's refusing to wake up. Even if you destroy yourself, it won't bring her back!"Failed.I couldn't even die. I couldn't even disappear.I didn't even have the right to give this body back.A crushing wave of grief slammed into me, so heavy I couldn't breathe.I tore the remaining sensor patches off my skin and stumbled out of the bed."Sophie! Where are you going? You're too weak for this!" Dr. Carter shouted behind me.I pressed my hands over my ears, shaking my head, and ran out of the clinic in blind despa

During Ethan's hospital stay, I never left his side.I dug out the clothes Hailey had kept in the back of the closet.Bold red dresses. Fitted leather jackets.I learned to put on the kind of striking makeup she wore, learned to lift my chin the way she did, learned to speak with her lazy, commanding tone.For two weeks, I stubbornly played her part beside him."Ethan, take your medicine." I pushed the cup toward him, imitating Hailey's no-nonsense voice.Ethan looked at me, his gaze distant for a moment, then he obeyed with a gentle nod."Okay. Whatever Hailey says."That's what we were: one of us performing, the other pretending to believe.Inside this dream called "Hailey," we let ourselves sink together. Neither of us wanted to wake up. Neither of us dared to touch the cruel truth.Until two weeks later, when Ethan was discharged and we returned to campus.Reality popped the illusion at last.That afternoon, we ran into Brandon and Vivian by the campus lake.Brandon had an unleashe