Five Years of Lies: My Secret Escape

Chapter 1

Out of the ten dates arranged by the Sullivans, I only ever saw Robert Sullivan and Maisie Corbus, but never Xavier Sullivan himself.He always had countless excuses over the phone—he was in a meeting at work, drinking at a bar, or in bed with a woman.I thought that our agreed marriage would automatically fall through due to his lack of cooperation.But Xavier's parents, Robert and Maisie, looked at me with determination and said, "Once he sees you, he will agree to marry you."When Xavier finally met me, he seemed completely entranced and agreed to the marriage right away.I thought he had fallen in love with me at first sight. But later, I discovered that I was merely a stand-in for his first love, Elsa Zermeno.The first time I saw Elsa was in a photo I found hidden inside one of Xavier's books. She looked very much like me, except for her eyes.I had round doe-eyes that looked innocent and unassuming, whereas Elsa had upturned eyes that were seductive and alluring.So, I c...