Chapter 3

“She…” Mrs. Esposito began to respond but was interrupted by breaking news. The news report mentioned that the Esposito twins had been in an accident, and tragically, Grace had died on the spot while Faith was rescued.

Terrified and confused—she was still alive, then who are they mentioning? She looked at her parents, who stood there with tears in their eyes, and the situation became even more bewildering.

“Mom… What’s going on here? Why are they saying I’m dead? What happened to Faith? Please, don’t hide anything from me,” Grace’s voice trembled, and tears streamed down her face. She whimpered softly.

“I’m so sorry, dear… we couldn’t save Faith. When we found you two, Faith was already gone,” Mrs. Esposito said with a heavy heart.

Grace couldn’t comprehend that her other half was gone. She collapsed onto the bed, struggling to breathe as a heavy weight pressed on her chest. She couldn’t fathom why they were mentioning her name if she was still alive.

Confusion and grief overwhelmed her as she managed to ask, “Why… Why are they mentioning my name? Did they misunderstand something?”

“Listen, sweetie… Faith is engaged to Adam. If they find out Faith is gone, they’ll break off the engagement, and it will be a huge loss for us. That’s why we had to make this change,” Mr. Esposito’s words left Grace speechless.

One of their daughters was dead, yet they were more concerned about their business.

“Are you kidding me? How could you do that?” Grace shouted, but the pain in her head made her wince.

“You must marry Adam, Grace. Don’t forget that you’re the Espositos’ sole heir now. You have to carry the burden for our business,” Mrs. Esposito declared, her words cutting Grace deeply. She didn’t want to hear any more, so she closed her eyes and turned away, trying to block them out.

The sound of the door opening made Grace turn her head, and there stood Adam, Faith’s fiancé. They were set to marry in just four months, and tears welled up in Grace’s eyes.

Adam and Grace had crossed paths a few times, but they didn’t see each other frequently. Despite being identical twins, their thoughts, interests, and lives were vastly different. They attended different schools and pursued different majors at separate universities. Yet, they shared a unique connection that allowed them to understand each other’s feelings.

She averted her gaze to avoid him, unable to face Adam, who had come to visit his fiancée.

“It looks like your fiancé is here. We’ll leave you two alone,” Mrs. Esposito said as she and Mr. Esposito exited the room, leaving Adam to approach Grace, who lay on the bed, appearing lifeless.

“Faith…” When Grace heard his gentle voice, her heart grew uneasy, and a soft whimper escaped her lips.

Grace couldn’t control her whimpers, and Adam moved closer, sitting beside her. He embraced her warmly, gently ruffling her hair.

“It’s okay… it’s okay… everything will be alright. I’m so sorry for your loss, Faith… I understand that it’s hard to accept, but she’s no longer with us,” Adam said, his hand comforting her.

She shivered, torn between revealing the truth and following her parents’ instructions to maintain the deception.

Adam handed her a glass of water, and she took it with her cold fingertips. He could feel her chill.

“Rest now. I’ll visit you when I have the time,” he said.

Grace nodded in response, unable to find her voice.

***

In the months that followed, Grace’s physical wounds began to heal, and Adam continued to support and care for her. Her parents kept her away from Faith’s grave and maintained the deception, causing Grace to feel a growing sense of foreboding. Adam appeared to be entirely unaware of Grace’s true identity.

Due to the accident, Adam’s parents became more insistent on arranging the marriage, wanting to avoid any further delays. Six months after the accident, with Grace fully recovered, they set a wedding date. Adam, despite his love for Faith, didn’t oppose his parents’ wishes.

His parents liked Faith very much, but they didn’t know much about Grace since they had barely met. Adam and Faith’s love story had been known to all since their college days. They were considered a perfect match, with everyone around them acknowledging their strong bond and suitability for each other.

Grace had always been the opposite of her twin sister Faith—introverted and friendless, even during her school years. She never felt jealous of Faith but was constantly inferior. Now, in the wake of a single accident, her future with Faith was gone, and she felt overwhelmed.

As the flashback ended, Adam sat on a couch near the bed, and Grace sobbed inconsolably. Her tears weren’t because the truth was revealed but because she believed she had ruined his life.

“Don’t cry,” he urged.

“Why did you agree to the marriage when you already knew I’m not Faith?” Grace whimpered, looking at him with teary eyes.

“Even if I refused, our parents wouldn’t accept it,” Adam sighed.

It was the truth; their parents were determined to proceed with the marriage. But Grace couldn’t understand how Adam could act so normally when his fiancée had died and been replaced by her twin sister. He didn’t show any reaction when he saw Grace instead of Faith. She watched as he got up from the couch.

“Don’t stay up too late. You must be tired. Go and get some sleep. I have some work to finish,” he said as he walked away.

However, Grace’s words stopped him in his tracks. “Brother…” Her voice was gentle, like a soft petal.

“Don’t call me brother in front of everyone. It could lead to misunderstandings.” Adam’s calm words made her flinch.

She nodded in acknowledgment, and he left the room. Grace changed into her night pajamas and sank into the bed, feeling a sense of relief after revealing her truth. She soon drifted into a deep sleep.

***

The next morning, she awoke to find herself covered with a blanket and no one in the room. She had completely forgotten about the previous night’s party, where she had retreated to the room with Adam and never returned. The party had been held in their honor, after all.

She decided to take a shower, turning on the cold water and standing beneath it. Grace remained under the icy stream like a statue, the water droplets gliding down her body, resembling pearls sliding on a smooth surface.