“Right, I guess I don’t have to come too,” I mumbled.“Don’t sound so sad. I’ll choose to stay in bed any day than go out to meet all the random people that mum and dad want me to meet,” she said before she giggled.Her giggling ended up in rough coughs that made me believe that she may not need to pretend to be sick in order to stay in bed.“You should get in bed. You’ll sleep in my room tonight, right?” I asked while still feeing uneasy.“Yup, and you’ll sleep in mine. When morning comes, you’ll be Diana and I’ll be Dahlia,” she said before winking at me.…“You look exactly like a princess in this dress. I knew that it would look perfect on you, but this just exceeded my expectations!” my mother exclaimed.Life as Diana meant waking up extra early and getting dolled up. The day of her engagement was undoubtedly a big day for her and also the two families. Our parents did not spare any expense in making sure that she was dressed up for the occasion.“Thank you, mother,” I replied wi
My eyes narrowed slightly as my mind raced to come up with the right answer to his question. Was he trying to test me with his seemingly random question?If I told him that the dress was comfortable, would he think that I like to overdress or that I was lying to him given that there was no way the dress that I was wearing could look comfortable to anyone. However, if I told him that it was uncomfortable, would he think that I didn’t have any endurance and perseverance to bear with something so insignificant?What would Diana say in such a situation?“My suit is so tight. It feels hard to move in and some parts here are making me itch. I don’t know why we have to overdress like this…” Anthony openly complained as he moved his arms up and down as if to show me how difficult it was to move in his outfit.I wasn’t sure what was more surprising, his words or the fact t
The teapot that came with its matching teacups had intricate flowery patterns on them in various pastel colors and curvy lines of gold that sparkled as the lighting in the room shone against it. The design felt romantic and extremely artistic at the same time. It was probably the most beautiful tea set that I had ever seen, and I knew instantly that it must be quite expensive as well.“This tea set is extremely beautiful…” I complimented the tea set as I reached my hand to grab the handle of a teacup.“Don’t touch it!” Anthony yelled loudly.His sudden outburst and warning did not make any sense to me. My eyes widened as I turned to face him in absolute surprise. The handle of the teacup against the tips of my fingers felt smooth.“Diana!” Anthony cried out in clear panic as he reached for my hand.I was too shocked and confused at
My eyes widened at his words and my mouth hung open as I turned to face him. Anthony paid me no attention at all and didn’t look at me. Instead, his eyes were glued on our parents who were now staring intensely at him.“What did you say?” his mother asked in a low whisper as she pressed her hand against her chest.“I said, I broke the teacup,” Anthony repeated clearer this time.Why is he…lying?“Anthony, are you sure? Are you sure that you were the one who broke the teacup?” his mother asked again.“Yes. I broke it. My fingertips grazed its handle, and for some strange reason, the teacup just cracked and broke,” Anthony explained quite emotionlessly.“That’s not…” his mother said before her gaze shifted to land on me.At that moment, I wondered if she had somehow caught on to the fact that it was actually me who had broken the teapot and not her son. The way she was staring so accusingly at me made me want to hide away. I still had no idea why Anthony was going to such lengths to pro
“Oh, you’re back…” Diana greeted me with a bright smile. “You look better already,” I replied before returning her smile.“Staying in bed is the best,” she said, and then her smile widened.“I feel so tired…” I complained softly.“Thanks for taking this on for me. I’m sure it must have been a boring day for you,” she said as she patted my back comfortingly.“Let’s sit. I need to tell you all about it,” I said.I took her hand and led her to the bed. Diana seemed much more energetic than before as she jumped up on the bed and patted the empty spot close to her for me to join her.“So, tell me all about it,” she demanded with widened eyes.I told Diana about what happened since the start of the day when I started acting in her place. In as much detail as possible, I described the dress that I had on and what happened before focusing on the conversation that I had with Anthony. I tried my best based on my memories to tell her what he had said word for word as we spoke. Then I told her a
I scrolled through his social media account again. The account was an official one run by his team posting everything notable about his day which was jammed pack with public events. Scrolling through the various posts, I could tell that he was living his productive life like normal. He attended public events related to his work and opening ceremonies of a couple of luxury brands as well.Since deciding to leave the past behind me, I never checked or followed his social media accounts again. In addition, I also stopped using my personal social media accounts because I planned to start a fresh new life. Just because I could find Anthony on social media didn’t mean that I could directly contact him. If only I could meet Anthony, then he might help solve all of my problems.“Oh…why is this so hard?” I muttered as I felt a frown forming in between my brows.I got up from the bed and approached the large window in my bedroom. After pulling the curtain to the side, I could tell from the oran
“But I thought the reporters at the wedding took a bunch of photos and the wedding was broadcasted live on some channels…” I replied while thinking that the whole thing was such a troublesome mess.“That was for the wedding ceremony and the reception on the big day itself. After that, there was nothing. You’ve been married for weeks now and there’s not a single post about your married life. There isn’t a photo of you two together. It’s not surprising that strange rumors and conspiracy theories are going around that the whole thing was staged to help with the upcoming election!” he yelled so loudly into the phone that I had to hold my phone away from my ear to keep my eardrums intact.“Oh, right…that…” I mumbled without caring much about my father’s political career or how much the Vulkans stood to profit from it.“You better do something about this soon before we need to make a public announcement to address the rumors,” he said.“What do you want me to do? I’m stuck here inside the M
“Brad…” Jenna called my name before letting out an exasperated sigh.I could hear and feel her frustration toward me but there wasn’t much that I could do. Jenna only called me by my nickname in that tone of voice when she thought that I deserved to be punished. I was already too old for her to punish me in any way, though. I heaved a sigh while thinking that if Dahlia wanted to lock herself up in her room, then that was her choice. Things might be better for her this way for the time being. Regardless of what Jenna thought, it was much better than having her trying to escape from the mansion.“I’m busy. Is there something else that I can help you with?” I asked dismissively.“My father always told me that a man becomes a real man after he gets married but apparently that wasn’t the case for you…” she said with a disgusted scoff.I watched Jenna turn on her heels and march out of the room. Jenna was beyond angry and once again it seemed to be my fault. Lately, everything seemed to be
"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