Chapter 5: The Night Someone Stole My Identity
"Who was she?""
My voice sounded distant.
Like it belonged to someone standing outside the garden.
Daniel rubbed both hands over his face.
"Claire, please. Let me explain.""
"Who was the woman at the lake house?""
He looked at Victoria.
She looked away.
And Ethan suddenly understood.
"Victoria?""
My sister said nothing.
Ethan stepped toward her.
"You were there?""
Victoria's lips parted.
"I can explain.""
Ethan stared at her.
"You told me you were out of town.""
"I was.""
"You were at the lake house?""
Victoria lowered her eyes.
I felt something inside me break.
"Why?""
She finally looked at me.
"Because I wanted to know what it felt like.""
"What?""
"Being you.""
I shook my head.
"You're my identical twin. You've always known what it felt like.""
"No, Claire. You don't understand.""
"Then make me understand!""
Victoria looked around at the guests.
Most had quietly moved away, but nobody had actually left.
My mother was sitting in a chair, crying into a tissue.
Rachel stood beside me, her hand gripping my elbow.
Victoria took a deep breath.
"I went to the lake house that night because Daniel told me you were upset with him. He said you were thinking about leaving.""
I looked at Daniel.
"Why would you tell her that?""
He swallowed.
"Because I knew she'd come.""
Victoria continued.
"I arrived around nine. Daniel was outside. He told me Ethan was inside and that he wanted to speak to him.""
Ethan frowned.
"Why would Daniel send you to me?""
"Because he wanted to know whether you'd been talking about him.""
Daniel shook his head.
"That's not how it happened.""
Victoria ignored him.
"I went inside wearing your coat. Ethan saw me from behind and assumed I was you.""
Ethan's face hardened.
"You let me believe that?""
"I didn't correct you immediately.""
"Why?""
Victoria looked at me.
"Because he was being kind to you.""
Ethan stared.
"What?""
"He told me you deserved better. He said Daniel was making you miserable. He said he would protect you.""
Ethan shook his head.
"That doesn't mean I thought you were Claire.""
Victoria looked down.
"I know.""
For the first time, her voice sounded genuinely ashamed.
Then she added something that made my stomach turn.
"I kissed him.""
Ethan stepped backward.
"What?""
Victoria's eyes filled with tears.
"I kissed you.""
He looked horrified.
"Why?""
"Because I wanted to know whether you would stop me.""
Ethan's voice rose.
"You were pretending to be your pregnant sister!""
"I know!""
"You manipulated me!""
Victoria started crying.
"I was jealous!""
The words exploded through the garden.
My mother stood.
"Victoria, enough!""
But my sister continued.
"Everyone loved Claire. Even when she made mistakes, everyone forgave her. She had Daniel, a beautiful home, a baby on the way. I had nothing.""
I stared at her.
"You had a family.""
She laughed bitterly.
"Not the kind I wanted.""
Ethan looked at Daniel.
"Did you know she was going to kiss me?""
Daniel hesitated.
That hesitation answered everything.
Ethan grabbed his brother's jacket.
"You knew?""
Daniel pushed him away.
"I didn't tell her to kiss you!""
"But you sent her there!""
"I wanted to catch you talking about me!""
Ethan stared at him.
Daniel continued.
"You were always telling me I wasn't good enough for Claire. I wanted proof that you were interested in her.""
Ethan looked disgusted.
"So you used your own wife as bait?""
Daniel didn't answer.
I couldn't believe it.
My marriage had become a game between two brothers.
And my sister had been the prize neither of them wanted to admit they were fighting over.
I turned toward Victoria.
"Did anything else happen that night?""
She looked at me.
"Nothing.""
"Look me in the eyes and tell me.""
She hesitated.
Then she whispered, "I went into the bedroom.""
My stomach dropped.
"Why?""
"Because I was upset. I had been drinking.""
Ethan closed his eyes.
Victoria continued.
"Daniel came in later. He thought I was you.""
I looked at Daniel.
He shook his head.
"Claire, I didn't know.""
"You didn't recognize your own wife?""
He looked desperate.
"It was dark. She was wearing your coat. You have the same face.""
I stepped closer.
"Daniel, I was your wife. You knew how I walked. How I spoke.
How I smelled. You knew everything about me.""
He lowered his head.
"I know.""
"And you couldn't tell the difference?""
He said nothing.
Victoria began crying harder.
"He thought I was you.""
I turned toward her.
"And you let him.""
She nodded.
"Yes.""
My knees nearly gave way.
Rachel caught me.
I stared at my sister.
"Did you sleep with my husband that night?""
Victoria wiped her face.
"Yes.""
A sound escaped my mother.
Daniel covered his mouth.
Ethan looked as though he wanted to disappear.
And I finally understood why Daniel had been so afraid of the original laboratory report.
That night at the lake house had been the beginning.
Not of an affair.
Of a deception so complete that nobody knew whose life they were living anymore.
I turned toward Ethan.
"Did you know?""
He shook his head immediately.
"No. Claire, I swear. I thought I was speaking to you outside.
I didn't enter the bedroom. I left before midnight.""
I believed him.
But I also knew there was something he wasn't saying.
I could see it in his face.
"Ethan, what is it?""
He looked at Daniel.
"There's another reason I brought those reports.""
Daniel's expression changed.
Ethan reached into his jacket and pulled out a small flash drive.
"Two months ago, I discovered that someone had been accessing my personal accounts.""
Victoria froze.
Ethan continued.
"Someone had been sending messages from my number. Someone had also been using my identity to arrange hotel bookings.""
He turned toward Daniel.
"And I found the person responsible.""
Daniel looked away.
I felt my stomach twist.
"Who?""
Ethan placed the flash drive on the table.
"Daniel.""
My husband immediately shook his head.
"That's ridiculous.""
"I recovered the login records.""
"You hacked my accounts?""
"I recovered my own accounts!""
Ethan opened his laptop and connected the drive.
A video appeared.
It showed a hotel corridor.
The timestamp was September 14.
The same weekend Daniel had booked a room under my name.
A woman stepped out of the elevator.
She wore a cream-colored coat.
My coat.
But she wasn't alone.
A man followed her.
He looked exactly like Ethan.
Except this time, I could clearly see his face.
It was Daniel.
He had changed his watch and borrowed his brother's jacket.
The video continued.
Daniel opened the hotel room door.
Then he kissed the woman.
I looked at the screen.
It wasn't Victoria.
It was me.
Or someone who looked exactly like me.
I felt my blood run cold.
Daniel stepped toward the laptop.
"Turn that off.""
Ethan didn't move.
"Why? Afraid she'll recognize the woman?""
I stared at the screen.
The woman turned slightly toward the camera.
And I recognized the tiny scar above her left eyebrow.
It wasn't mine.
It was Victoria's.
She had been wearing my coat, using my name, and pretending to be me.
Again.
But this time, Daniel had also been pretending to be his brother.
I turned toward my sister.
"How many times?""
She began shaking her head.
"Claire—"
"How many times did you pretend to be me?""
She started crying.
Daniel tried to intervene.
"She was helping me.""
I looked at him.
"Helping you do what?""
He stared at the floor.
Ethan answered.
"Build an alibi.""
I felt sick.
The hotel bookings, the messages, the false identities.
Everything had been arranged to make it appear that Ethan was having an affair with me.
And that I was secretly meeting him behind Daniel's back.
But why would Daniel need an alibi?
Before I could ask, Ethan opened another file.
It contained a series of recorded conversations.
He clicked the first one.
Victoria's voice filled the room.
*"Once Claire believes Ethan is the father, Daniel can divorce her without losing everything.""*
Then Daniel's voice replied.
*"And what happens to the baby?""*
Victoria laughed.
*"She'll have bigger problems than that.""*
The recording ended.
I slowly turned toward my husband.
"Was this your plan?""
He didn't answer.
Ethan opened a second recording.
This time, Daniel was speaking to someone else.
"Once the paternity results come back, she'll have no choice but to leave.""
A woman's voice replied.
"You're sure the sample will show Ethan?""
Daniel answered.
"I paid enough to make sure.""
My knees went weak.
He hadn't simply been confused.
He had deliberately manipulated the test.
And someone had helped him.
I looked at Victoria.
"Who was that woman?""
Victoria wiped her tears.
Then she whispered:
"Your mother-in-law.""
I turned toward Daniel's mother, who had been standing silently near the garden entrance.
She had attended my baby shower carrying a beautiful silver gift box.
Now she was staring at me with a face completely drained of color.
May you like
And when I opened my mouth to ask why, she said something that changed everything.
"Claire, I didn't know Daniel was going to use the test results against you.""
