**Roughly a week ago**
It all started when I received an unexpected phone call. To be honest, it was also a phone call that I dreaded. After being sent abroad by my family and breaking things off with them, I had not heard from my parents for more than four years. The only person from my ‘old life’ that I kept in touch with was my elder twin sister and that felt like more than enough for me. It was hard but I had moved on with my life and I was working hard toward building what I hoped would be a bright and free future for myself.
“You’re working so hard again today. Don’t stay too late, ok?” Louise turned to tell me with a sweet smile on her lips.
After graduating with a degree in business, I was lucky to have found a job in sales and planning in a decent-sized company in the city. On top of that, I had a very supportive team leader who always looked out for me.
“Thank you but don’t worry about me or the work. I’ll definitely get it done by tonight,” I replied with confidence.
“Honestly, I’m more worried about your health than the work. Make sure you get enough sleep and please keep your diet healthy. Don’t go out partying so often…” she warned before winking at me.
“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow!” I called out to her as she headed for the door.
Louise turned and waved at me before disappearing through the door. Now that my team leader was gone, I was the only one left in the office. Despite my confident words from earlier, the truth was it would be a very long night for me at the office if I didn’t focus properly on the work in front of me.
**Ring Ring Ring**
The sound of my mobile phone ringing sounded too loud in the almost silent office. I quickly grabbed it only to find out that it was an international call from a number that I did not recognize at all. My first reaction was to ignore it but when I thought that it could be my sister calling me from an unknown destination, I hesitated a little before moving my finger to answer the call. Little did I know at the time that this phone call would be one that would change my life forever.
“Hello?”
“I need to talk to you…” a woman’s solemn voice spoke through the phone after a brief moment of silence.
My blood ran cold at the sound of her voice, and I truly felt that I would have rather seen a ghost than hear her voice. Facing an unknown ghost would have felt much better than facing a cruel ghost from my past. A lump formed in my throat and suddenly my face felt numb. My hands balled into fists as I struggled to get my words out.
Why is my mother calling me? Why is she getting in touch with me now after all this time?
“Mum…” I said in a breathless whisper while still shocked and in disbelief.
“Listen to me. Your sister has gone missing,” she stated coldly.
“What?! Dina is missing? What do you even mean?” I asked while almost shouting into the phone in shock.
“Don’t call your sister with that disgusting nickname. It’s just as I have told you. Diana is missing. We don’t know where she is, and we can’t get in contact with her. She’s been missing for almost three days now. Do you know where she could be?” my mother asked me coldly.
Although her tone was solemn and dry, I could tell that she was hiding a lot of distress under her calm act. Not that I cared at all about how she was feeling. At that moment, all I cared about was the fact that my sister had gone missing. I prayed that nothing bad had happened to her and that she would be found soon.
“How am I supposed to know? I live in a completely different country,” I reminded her without bothering to hide my hostility.
“It’s always you who talk your sister into doing crazy things so I’m just checking if you have a hand in her disappearance this time as well,” she said accusingly.
The truth was, I had never played a part in my sister’s sudden disappearance before but that was something that my parents didn’t need to know about. They could keep blaming me forever and I was willing to take the fall for it as long as my sister would remain unscathed. If someone had to take the blame for everything, I would rather it be me than her.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you but I have no idea where she is this time,” I replied while thinking that I should just hang up.
The worry that I had for my sister stopped me from committing such a careless action. My brows furrowed tightly together as I tried to sift through my memories while searching for clues as to where my sister could be or the reason behind her disappearance. This wasn’t the first time that something like this had happened, and it was highly possible that she would randomly return home after a few days of staying away.
At least, that was normally what would happen…
“Try calling her. She might pick up your call. Make sure that you report to me immediately. We need to find her and we’re running out of time!” my mother yelled through the phone.
Whatever calm front that she managed to put together had cracked completely. For once, I was thankful that I was the only one left working behind late at night at the office because that meant that no one was here to overhear such a melodramatic phone call.
“Call the police. Have you contacted the police and filed a missing person case?” I asked.
“No. You know well enough that we can’t do that...” she replied softly.
For a moment, I completely forgot that I was dealing with a woman who worried more about the family’s social standing and reputation than the life and well-being of her daughters.
--To be continued…
Even when it came to her absolute favorite daughter the family’s reputation still came first. Something about what she said bugged me and I gasped out loud when I finally realized what it was. She mentioned that they were running out of time, and she was right.“Wait! Isn’t her wedding in less than a week?!” I exclaimed before my hand flew to cover my agape mouth.I can still recall the call that my sister gave me to tell me that she was finally getting married to Anthony, her long-time fiancé. Ever since my sister and I were around ten years old, our family and the Vulkan family made an agreement for their only son to marry the eldest daughter of our family and that was my twin sister.“You’re not completely stupid after all…” my mother replied sarcastically.We have to find her, and we have to find her as fast as possible.“I’ll do what I can,” I replied begrudgingly while trying to seal away my pride.My mother did not say anything, and the line went silent for a few seconds. Just
That night, I returned to my apartment after rushing to complete my work. I sent my boss an email apologizing for my sudden request to take leave for ‘urgent personal matters’. After packing some clothes along with a few things that I thought I would need into a small suitcase, I was ready to take the next flight back to where I was born and raised.…Standing in front of the tall gates in front of the estate where I grew up made me feel uneasy inside. I bet that not so many people felt the way that I felt when they returned to the place that was supposed to be their home. No one was there to greet me, but the gate was left unlocked showing that they were expecting me. Nothing much had changed at all about the estate and the large mansion was still in great condition and the large gardens well-tended to. The money from Anthony’s family along with his generosity was truly being put to good use here, I thought sarcastically as I pushed the gate and entered.Soon I was standing in front
“You can’t sell my things! I won’t ever allow that…” my mother countered as her face transformed into a mask of shock.“We don’t have any other choice. Stop acting so selfish!” my father screamed back.“Me? Selfish? How can you blame this on me when you’re the one at fault!” she shouted back while pointing her index finger at her husband accusingly.“Contact your brother or someone from your family. I’m sure they have some money to lend us,” my father suggested.“Stop! I won’t let you embarrass me any further. This is already bad enough for me…” my mother said through gritted teeth.I had never seen her so openly angry before and she never spoke this way to my father. Normally, she was obedient toward him, and it seemed like the only person in our family whom she would direct harsh words toward was me. I felt my sister’s arms around my waist as she hugged me close. That was when I realized that I was scared of what was happening and also about what was going to happen to us in the fut
“There’s no need to threaten me. I’ll do my best to find her even if it’s not for your sake,” I replied in a flat voice.Back then, I had no idea what he had in mind when he told me that I would have to take responsibility if I couldn’t find my sister.…**The next day**Despite telling my parents that I would try my best to find my sister, I still didn’t have any solid idea where I would find Diana or why she had suddenly decided to disappear. The timing was just too perfect because it was so close to her upcoming wedding. The only source of comfort for me was my gut feeling that told me that she was doing fine wherever she was. If she was truly distressed or if she needed help, I was sure that she would have tried to get in contact with me by now.After making my escape from my parents and out into the long hallway of the mansion, I ran into one of our oldest housekeepers. The way her eyes lit up told me that she was pleasantly surprised to see that I had returned. Lauren must have
After thanking Lauren again and giving her a brief hug, I quickly made my way out of the mansion. The sun would be setting soon, and I wanted to take a stroll in the city for a while to take some photos for what I needed to do next. Although I wasn’t absolutely sure what Dina was up to, I had a very good guess.The city center felt even busier that early evening when I arrived than I remembered the last time that I was there. It seemed like a few more shopping malls had popped up and some new skyscrapers that were under construction the last time that I was there had opened up as well. As usual, the crowd was a good mix of people ranging from couples, university and high school students and regular working adults. I used to come here with my sister all the time to hang out after high school or whenever we were allowed or had the time.After finding a good spot in front of one of the shopping malls that my sister and I liked to frequent, I took out my mobile phone and snapped a few sel
“Come back home. This is just another fling of yours and it will be over in less than a month or two based on your historical track record,” I snapped as I clutched my mobile phone tightly in my hand.“You’re wrong, Leya. This time it’s definitely different. I don’t blame you since you’re no longer living with us. You see, I’ve been secretly dating him for almost a year now and we are truly in love with each other,” my sister announced while sounding very proud.A year...“You’ve been engaged to Anthony for over ten years! Also, please don’t make your success in staying in a relationship for longer than a few months sound like a lifetime achievement because it is not!” I barked through the phone.After shouting for so long, my throat had started to hurt. I was panting as my anger started to boil over. It wasn’t that Dina never matured from the days that we were kids but she had matured in a way that was uniquely and completely her own. Her view of the world wasn’t normal but I couldn’
**Back to the present**‘I can’t wait for tonight to arrive…’I had no idea why Anthony decided to say something like that to me. The playful and extremely flirtatious smile that he showed me made my heart skip a dangerous beat and for a moment I didn’t quite know how to react. I wasn’t sure if the Anthony that I knew would say something like that. Then again, it wasn’t like he was in a position to say something so playful and suggestive to me while he was my sister’s fiancé. Just like me, he probably never thought that he would end up marrying me instead of my sister.“Diana dear! Congratulations on your wedding. You have no idea just how long we’ve been waiting for this day to come. You look stunning! This dress looks perfect on you. You couldn’t have chosen a better dress,” a middle-aged woman with light blonde hair said while smilingly widely at me.“Thank you very much for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the party at the reception later on,” I replied smoothly.It felt like a s
His kiss felt gentle and loving yet demanding at the same time. It felt sweet yet slightly aggressive and unlike any kiss that I had ever experienced before. It left me curious and also eager for more. His lips worked to seduce mine until I felt like my body would melt in his arms. My lips slowly parted to grant his seeking tongue entry into the wet depths of my mouth. Anthony let out a satisfied moan as he thrusted his tongue firmly between my parted lips and into my mouth.“Mhmm…” I heard myself moaning even louder this time as my eyes drifted closed.The way his tongue seduced mine in a fervent dance of passion told me just how experienced and skilled he was. I had thought so since the first time that we kissed that he was such a good kisser, and he was probably the best that I have ever had. Although I knew that countless pairs of eyes were watching us, I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him back hungrily. My mind felt intoxicated with the pleasure of his kiss and thoughts of him
"You should go to bed," Bradon told me the moment that we stepped into the mansion. I knew that his suggestion was spot on because sleep was exactly what I needed to deal with what was to come. The media and everyone had undoubtedly gone wild as they both communicated and speculated on what was the truth and what were twisted lies from all the events that happened in the past that I shared with my sister.I switched off my phone when it wouldn't stop vibrating, without bothering to read the caller ID on the screen. I could already guess who would be calling me and also exactly what they had to say."It feels like my head is ready to explode," I confessed before smiling weakly at Bradon."Which is precisely why you should stop thinking or caring about anyone else and just get some shut-eye," Bradon said as he peeled away the mobile phone that I held in my hand. I let him do so without putting up any resistance because all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide under the sheets wit
"My name is Diana, which can only mean that the Diana standing over there is, in fact, my twin sister, Dahlia. In fact, for the past months, I wasn't present, and the Diana that you knew had always been my sister acting out in my place," Diana explained as if it was something to be proud of.The crowd went wild, but I decided to focus my attention on the two figures that seemed so intent on ruining my life along with my sister’s. Our father had officially become our enemy, and at that moment, he looked like he might have started to regret pushing both of us over the edge. Mr. Malton, who, after all this time, clearly never regretted his actions and never realized that he should have been man enough to take responsibility. I was certain that even now, he was willing to destroy our reputation and our future—all for the sake of the money undoubtedly promised to him by our father. Desperate times truly call for desperate measures; that applied to our father but also to us as well.I could
I found myself praying silently that Desmond could bring everything under control, but my prayers probably fell on deafened ears. Instead of Desmond stepping up to the podium, it was my sister who approached it instead."What is she doing?" I asked in a shaky whisper as I felt myself breaking into a cold sweat. It felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as I continued staring in bewilderment and disbelief at my sister, who stood with a beautiful smile behind the podium, the microphone very close to her lips. I turned to stare at Desmond and managed to lock gazes with him. I could tell that he was staring right back at me, and the way he nodded his head reassuringly was supposed to bring me some relief and keep me at ease, but it only made me even more nervous.I could tell that everyone in the crowd was staring daggers at my sister, even from where I was standing. It wasn't surprising, considering that everyone thought Diana was me. It felt like tight knots had formed
Back to the present"Homewrecker! Homewrecker! Homewrecker!"The violent chanting continued and began seeping into my consciousness, dragging me back to the present. Disaster seemed to be staring me right in the face."Leya..." Bradon whispered my name right beside my ear.His presence close to me reminded me that, unlike that day back then, I wasn't alone. I had Bradon by my side, and, on top of that, everyone was here with me: Desmond and my sister. I suddenly felt a surge of confidence that made me believe that there could be a way out, one that would save us all from this dire situation my father had plotted against us.I had to admit that after leaving the country, I hadn't spared much thought for what would unfold after my departure. I never took care to follow up on any news-not that they would be made public-related to Mr. Malton's wife and child. I had no idea what happened to him or his family after that incident. My parents completely cut me off, and there was frankly no on
"What have you done? Have you completely lost your mind?" my father yelled at me immediately when our family was gathered in private. His face was completely red with anger as his voice echoed in the room. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I could tell that she was more worried about our family rather than her own daughter. "News of your ridiculous and scandalous behavior is now all over the place!" my father continued yelling. As if to drive his message home, his mobile phone began ringing non-stop. One glance at the name displayed on the screen drove my father to the brink before he switched off the phone and threw it onto the floor. My mother let out a scream at my father's sudden violent outburst before sinking down onto the sofa as if she had lost all strength in her body.I took the opportunity to slowly take a seat, and Diana was by my side in an instant. I knew that the best way to brave out this storm was to keep quiet and not let his words get to me.
Not having the experience of being a criminal before, I wasn't quite sure how one was supposed to be treated, but the experiences that I went through might have indeed been close. I thought that I was used to disappointing my parents and the people around me. I thought that I was used to seeing the look of disappointment and disapproval in their eyes before it became a look of resentment and then complete apathy and lack of care. I thought that I could deal with everything without getting my emotions involved because, after all, I was supposed to be used to this kind of treatment, and that was why I was caught utterly off guard by how quickly things escalated.Thinking back on it, my memories were quite blurry. Either it was simply too much for me to take in at the time for my brain to form any clear memories, or it was simply too shocking and too harsh for me to take. Either way, everything seemed to fly by me and over my head.Although every single teacher and the principal tried to
Just thinking that the fool right in front of me dared to say he was in love with my sister, while he couldn't even tell the two of us apart, made my blood boil. It took a lot of effort to repress the urge to reach out and strangle his neck right then and there. I reminded myself that I had a part to play and quite an audience to impress."No... this can't be..." Mr. Malton whispered hoarsely from a distance, stepping even further away from me. I stood up from the table, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to my side as I glared up into his face."It's actually quite simple to fool you. All I had to do was dress up in my sister's clothes whenever I met you and talk a little more sweetly..." I said, letting out a hysterical laugh. I could still feel everyone's eyes on us as the attention in the room escalated even more than before.Mr. Malton was speechless as he tried to pull his arm away from my grip, but I wasn't about to let him get away so easily."Well, now I guess the secret is
I had no idea how Diana managed to keep the girls silent up until that point so that the news wouldn't spread; however, I knew that it wouldn't be too long before everyone in school knew about this illicit affair. We would be extremely lucky if this news did not spread beyond the school walls. Despite the gravity of the situation, Mr. Malton was already ready to make his retreat."What if they don't believe us? I feel so scared. I don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to leave me," I said pleadingly just to see his reaction."You know that I would never do that. It would just be temporary until everything blows over. I promise that I will never leave you. How could I possibly leave you? I love you so much," he declared his love for me boldly.The more dramatic things became, the more I felt that his act of adoration was completely fake. No matter how many times he claimed to be in love with my sister, it seemed like he couldn't even tell us apart. I wondered what kind of face h
"Leya, you need to help me find a way out of this. Diana simply cannot make this kind of mistake," my sister told me slowly and clearly as she stared directly into my eyes."You're right. You can't afford to make these kinds of mistakes," I agreed solemnly."No one else must find out about this. We have to do something before word gets out because word is definitely going to get out,," my sister stated calmly, and I could tell that she had returned to her calm and collected self."Can't we tell them that they simply misunderstood and that it's not true?" I asked, daring to harbor a little bit of hope."They probably won't believe what we tell them, but they might believe what we show them," Diana replied, and I could tell her mind was made up.Without using any more words, it seemed like an understanding had formed between us, and once again, it felt like it was us against the entire world....**The Next Day**As I pushed open the back door to the building that was supposed to be off