Chapter 1: The Woman Who Wore My Face
“Congratulations, big sister. Your husband isn't the only man in this family who has been keeping secrets from you.””
Those were the first words my identical twin sister said when she crashed my baby shower.
And the moment she placed one hand over her swollen stomach, my husband dropped his champagne glass.
It shattered against the marble floor.
Nobody moved.
Not my mother, who had spent three months helping me plan the perfect baby shower. Not my best friend, Rachel, who was standing beside the cake. Not even my husband, Daniel, who had been smiling proudly just seconds earlier.
Everyone was staring at my sister.
Victoria.
The woman who had disappeared from my life eleven months earlier.
The woman who looked exactly like me.
And the woman who was apparently carrying my husband's child.
But before I tell you what happened in that room, you need to understand something.
Victoria and I had shared everything growing up.
Our birthdays. Our clothes. Our bedroom. Even our punishments.
We were identical twins, but our personalities couldn't have been more different.
I was cautious. Victoria was reckless.
I believed in loyalty. Victoria believed rules were suggestions meant for other people.
And when I met Daniel at a charity fundraiser, Victoria was the first person I introduced him to.
She smiled, shook his hand, and said, "So you're the man who finally managed to make my sister nervous.""
Daniel laughed.
"Should I be worried?""
"Always," Victoria replied.
I should have paid attention.
Daniel and I married two years later. His identical twin brother, Ethan, was his best man.
Ethan was quieter than Daniel, but he had a habit of noticing things other people missed.
At our wedding reception, he pulled me aside.
"Claire, can I ask you something?""
"Of course.""
"Has Victoria always been this interested in your life?""
I laughed.
"She's my sister. She's always been interested.""
Ethan didn't laugh with me.
"Just be careful.""
I thought he was being dramatic.
Then came the night everything changed.
Victoria called me at 11:47 p.m.
Her voice was trembling.
"Claire, I need you.""
I was eight weeks pregnant at the time. Daniel was asleep beside me, one hand resting on my stomach.
"What's wrong?""
"I made a mistake. A really bad one.""
"Where are you?""
"Don't tell Mom. Please. I can't have her knowing.""
I sat up.
"Victoria, you're scaring me.""
She started crying.
"I need to leave town for a while. I can't explain everything right now.""
I offered to drive to her apartment.
She refused.
Then she said something that still haunted me.
"Promise me you won't let Daniel hate me.""
I assumed she'd gotten into trouble with another boyfriend.
I promised.
Two days later, she was gone.
Her apartment was empty. Her phone was disconnected. Her social media accounts disappeared.
I tried everything to find her.
Daniel told me to stop worrying.
"She'll come back when she's ready," he said, rubbing my shoulders.
"She's my sister, Daniel.""
"And you're pregnant. You don't need this stress.""
I wanted to believe him.
So I concentrated on our baby.
I painted the nursery pale yellow. I bought tiny white socks. I spent evenings sitting on the floor, folding clothes that seemed impossibly small.
Daniel became increasingly attentive.
He cooked breakfast. He accompanied me to appointments. He kissed my forehead before leaving for work.
Sometimes, though, I'd catch him staring at his phone.
And whenever I entered the room, he'd turn the screen facedown.
"Work?"" I'd ask.
"Always work.""
I didn't question him.
Not until three weeks before my baby shower.
I found a message on his phone.
It was from an unsaved number.
*I miss the way you used to look at me.*
I stared at the screen.
Before I could read anything else, Daniel walked in.
"Claire?""
I dropped the phone.
"Who sent that?""
He glanced at the screen.
For half a second, his face changed.
Then he picked it up.
"Spam.""
"Spam says it misses you?""
He laughed nervously.
"Probably some ridiculous marketing message.""
I didn't laugh.
He kissed my cheek and put the phone in his pocket.
That night, I barely slept.
But I still went ahead with the baby shower.
My mother had rented a beautiful garden venue. White roses covered the tables, gold balloons floated above the dessert station, and a huge cake stood in the center of the room.
The banner read:
*WELCOME, BABY PARKER!*
Daniel insisted on organizing everything.
He even invited his parents and Ethan.
When I asked whether Ethan was coming, Daniel said, "Of course. He's family.""
Something about the way he said it made me uneasy.
Still, I pushed the feeling away.
By noon, the garden was full.
Rachel hugged me.
"You look gorgeous.""
"I look enormous.""
"You're pregnant. You're supposed to look enormous.""
I laughed.
For the first time in weeks, I felt genuinely happy.
Then the entrance doors opened.
A woman walked in wearing a fitted emerald-green dress.
Her dark hair fell over her shoulders. Her eyes were the same shade of hazel as mine. Even the small scar above her left eyebrow was identical.
My mother dropped the gift bag she was holding.
"Victoria?""
My sister smiled.
"Hello, everyone.""
I couldn't move.
"Victoria?""
She walked straight toward me.
"Surprise, Claire.""
I stared at her stomach.
It was unmistakably rounded beneath the dress.
"What are you doing here?""
She looked at Daniel.
He was standing beside the champagne table.
His face had gone completely white.
Victoria noticed.
Then she turned back to me.
"I came to celebrate the baby.""
She placed a hand on her stomach.
"Because your husband and I are having one, too.""
The room erupted.
My mother grabbed the back of a chair.
Rachel whispered, "Oh my God.""
I looked at Daniel.
"Tell her she's lying.""
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
"Daniel!""
He finally stepped forward.
"Claire, please. Not here.""
Not here?
That was his answer?
Victoria laughed softly.
"That's exactly what he said to me the first time I told him I was pregnant.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"How long?""
She tilted her head.
"How long what?""
"How long have you been sleeping with my husband?""
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"Claire, I made a mistake.""
Victoria immediately turned on him.
"A mistake? You told me you loved me.""
"Victoria, stop.""
"No. You don't get to silence me anymore.""
She pulled a folded ultrasound photograph from her purse and placed it on the gift table.
"I didn't come here to ruin your party, Claire. I came because I'm tired of being your secret.""
I picked up the photograph.
There was a tiny shape on the screen.
And underneath it was a date.
The estimated conception date.
I counted backward.
My fingers started shaking.
It was the week Daniel had told me he was attending a three-day business conference in Chicago.
The same week Victoria had supposedly been missing.
I looked at him.
"You told me you were in Chicago.""
He swallowed.
"I was.""
Victoria laughed.
"Not every night.""
My mother began crying.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw the cake across the garden. I wanted to wake up and discover that this was some horrible dream.
Instead, I placed the ultrasound back on the table.
Then I asked the only question that mattered.
"Did you know I was pregnant when you did this?""
Victoria's smile faded.
For the first time, she looked uncomfortable.
Daniel stepped between us.
"Claire, let's go home. We can talk privately.""
I moved away from him.
"Don't touch me.""
He froze.
Then Victoria leaned closer.
"There's something else you should know.""
I stared at her.
"What?""
She glanced toward the entrance.
"Ethan knows everything.""
And just as she said his name, the doors opened again.
Daniel's twin brother walked into the garden.
He wasn't carrying a gift.
He was carrying a thick brown envelope.
May you like
And he looked directly at me.
"Claire," Ethan said quietly, "before you believe anything your sister tells you, you need to see what's inside this.""
