"But my son is also Matteo’s son."

The words echoed in my skull, each syllable sharp and merciless.

I stared at Candice, my twin, my own flesh and blood—yet in that moment, she felt like a stranger. My pulse roared in my ears as I turned to Matteo, my voice barely above a whisper.

“What… what is happening?” My hands clenched at my sides. “Matteo, are you cheating on me with my sister?”

His eyes widened. “No! I wasn’t cheating on you, Cassandra. I swear.”

I turned to Candice, my breath shaky. “Then explain. Right now.”

She inhaled sharply, guilt flashing across her face. Then, she spoke, her voice trembling.

“The night before my wedding with Derek… I found out I was pregnant with Matteo’s child.”

Derek. My ex-fiancé. The man I was supposed to marry.

The memories surged forward like a flood, drowning me in a past I had fought so hard to forget.

Years ago, Derek and I had been engaged, our wedding set to be a grand event—one that was supposed to mark the happiest day of my life. But fate had other plans.

On the morning of the wedding, Candice and I had been kidnapped.

I still remembered the suffocating darkness, the rough hands dragging us into an unmarked van. The frantic screams. The ropes biting into my wrists. The chilling laughter of our captors as they taunted us.

We were held for ransom, two identical sisters at the mercy of cruel men.

But our parents—our parents only had enough money to save one. And they chose Candice.

I could still hear the moment they told me. The moment my world shattered.

"We’re sorry, Cassandra. We could only save one."

I had begged. Screamed. Pleaded. But the decision had been made. Candice was released, and I was left behind.

Left to be tortured. Left to suffer in a way no one could imagine.

For weeks, I endured their cruelty—starvation, beatings, pain that still haunted me in my nightmares. Until Matteo found me. Until he rescued me. He was my hero.

But by then, it was too late.

Derek had already married Candice. The life that was supposed to be mine had been handed to my sister.

I had lost everything. And now—now Candice was standing in front of me, confessing that the night before she took my place as Derek’s wife, she had slept with Matteo. With my Matteo.

I took a step back, as if putting distance between us would keep me from drowning in the betrayal. My voice was barely above a whisper. “You were pregnant… before your wedding? With Matteo’s child?”

Candice nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I didn’t tell Derek. I couldn’t. It would’ve ruined everything. I was already marrying him, and after what happened to you… I didn’t want another scandal. I thought—I thought I could keep it buried forever.”

Buried. Like a secret. Like a mistake she could erase.

Matteo ran a hand through his hair, his voice strained. “Cassandra, I swear, I didn’t know. I had no idea she was pregnant with my child.”

I barely heard him. My mind was spiraling, unraveling, trying to piece together a past that suddenly made no sense.

Candice stepped closer, her desperation seeping into every word. “But now… now I have no choice.” She choked back a sob. “Our son—he inherited my kidney disease. He’s critical, Cassandra. If he doesn’t get a transplant, he won’t make it.”

“No!” My voice was raw, breaking under the weight of my fury and devastation. “That is the kidney for my daughter—not your son!”

The words hung in the air, heavy and immovable.

Candice wasn’t giving up. She turned to Matteo, grasping his hands as tears streamed down her face. “Please, Matteo. He’s your son. You can’t let him die. You saved me once… please, save our son now.”

I stepped in between them, my hands trembling. “Matteo, you promised. You promised to save our daughter.”

His face was unreadable, torn between two impossible choices.

One kidney. Two lives hanging in the balance.

And then—

He made his decision.

Matteo turned away from me.

Toward Candice.

“I’m sorry, Cassandra.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I have to save him.”

The world tilted. I felt my breath leave my lungs, my body swaying as if the ground beneath me had disappeared.

“No…” My voice cracked, disbelief numbing every nerve in my body.

But it was real.

Matteo chose Candice’s child.

Not ours.

Not Amber.

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I could only watch as they rushed Candice’s son into surgery, as Matteo was taken away to save him.

And I stood there, frozen, as my daughter faded away.

That night, while Candice wept tears of joy for her son’s survival, I stood alone in the pouring rain—burying my daughter.

No one stood beside me.

No one held me as I sobbed over the tiny coffin lowering into the earth.

I had never felt so betrayed.

Home was no longer home.

The walls felt suffocating. I could still hear the echoes of Amber's laughter, still picture her tiny hands reaching for me, still feel the warmth of her body against mine before it went cold.

Matteo had always been my hero.

The man who had saved me when I was kidnapped. The man who held me through my nightmares, whispering that I was safe, that I would never be left behind again.

I had loved him for five years. And in the end, he chose to kill my daughter.

I sat on the edge of our bed, staring at the empty space beside me. My hands curled into fists, nails digging into my palms, but I barely felt it. All I could feel was the unbearable ache in my chest.

“You’re safe now, Cassandra. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Matteo’s words echoed in my head.

He had said that to me the night he found me. When he barged into that filthy warehouse, his fists bloodied, his face twisted with rage. I was tied to a chair, my body weak, my face bruised from the beatings I had endured.

And then—he had lifted me into his arms, whispering, “It’s over. I have you now.”

I had believed him.

Back then, he had been my savior. The only light in my darkness.

I had clung to him, even after the trauma. He had been patient, understanding, wiping away my tears in the middle of the night when the nightmares came. He had kissed my scars, promising that they didn’t make me any less beautiful.

I had thought his love was my salvation.

But now, as I sat in the same house we built together, in the same bed where we whispered dreams about our future—he wasn’t my hero anymore.

He was my worst betrayal.

I walked to our bedroom, placed the divorce papers on the nightstand, and turned away. I didn’t want to see this room again. I didn’t want to be reminded of the life we shared—the life he had destroyed.

I grabbed my suitcase, yanking clothes off the hangers, shoving them inside. I didn’t know where I was going, but I had to leave. I couldn’t stay in the same house that smelled like him, in a place where every corner reminded me of my daughter’s absence.

As I pulled a sweater from the shelf, something small and solid fell to the floor.

A flash drive.

I frowned, bending down to pick it up. The label on it made my stomach twist.

"Kidney Transplant – Candice."

I stared at it. My sister’s kidney condition wasn’t new to me. We had always known she was fragile since we were kids. But after the kidnapping incident, the doctors had told us someone had donated a kidney to her.

Someone. A cold feeling crept into my spine.

I plugged the flash drive into my laptop, clicking on the only video file inside. The screen flickered to life, and my breath caught in my throat.

Matteo.

He was in a hospital room, holding Candice’s hand.

I watched, frozen, as his voice filled the speakers.

"It’s going to be okay," he murmured, his fingers tightening around hers. "She is your twin sister. I’ll be a perfect match. You’ll live. I will make sure… and I will never leave your side ‘till you wake up."

My vision blurred. The screen swam in front of me, but the truth was already seared into my mind. Matteo hadn’t just chosen Candice’s child over mine.

He had chosen Candice over me from the very beginning.

And the worst part? The kidney she had received—the one that saved her life— It had been mine.

That was why I only had one kidney. Matteo had taken it. He had stolen a part of me and given it to my sister without me ever knowing. Maybe he even married me because he was guilty.

My hands trembled as I closed the laptop. My grief turned into something darker. Something sharper.

If they had taken everything from me… I would take it all back. I wasn’t leaving anymore. I was staying. And they would regret ever betraying me.

I yanked the flash drive from the laptop, and tucked it into my pocket.

The front door opened downstairs, followed by the sound of footsteps. I turned just as Matteo walked in—Candice right behind him, holding her son.

He looked at me. “Candice and the baby will be staying with us.”

I didn’t hesitate.

I walked up to him, raised my hand, and slapped him across the face.

His head snapped to the side, a sharp silence filling the room.

The only thing louder than the crack of my palm against his cheek was the sound of my vengeance beginning.

Matteo inhaled sharply, his jaw tightening as he turned back to me, his eyes dark with something unreadable.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he growled.

I let out a bitter laugh, my chest burning with rage. “Wrong? You dare ask me that after you killed our daughter?”

His face twisted with frustration. “I didn’t kill her, Cassandra.”

“Yes, you did,” I hissed, taking a step closer. “You had a choice, Matteo! You chose Candice’s son over Amber. You let our baby die.”

He shook his head, rubbing a hand down his face. “It wasn’t that simple—”

“It was,” I cut him off. “It was exactly that simple. It was one kidney, one life to save. And you didn’t choose her.”

Candice shifted beside him, wrapping her arms protectively around her son. “Cassandra, please—”

I snapped my gaze to her, my blood boiling. “Don’t. Don’t you dare say my name like we’re still sisters.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I didn’t mean for this to happen—”

“Oh, you never mean for anything, do you?” My voice dripped with venom. “You never meant to steal my fiancé. You never meant to take everything from me.”

She opened her mouth, but I didn’t let her speak.

“You should’ve been the one to die,” I whispered.

Candice flinched.

Matteo stepped between us. “That’s enough.”

I let out a breathless laugh. “Of course, you’d defend her. You always have.”

His hands curled into fists at his sides. “I was trying to save a child, Cassandra.”

“So was I!” I screamed. “But you didn’t care, did you? You just—” My voice broke. “You just let her go.”

Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.

Then, a sharp cry pierced the air.

Candice’s son.

Matteo’s body tensed immediately. He turned away from me like I wasn’t even there, moving toward the crib.

He scooped the boy up in his arms, cradling him gently, whispering soothing words as he rocked him back and forth.

The way he used to hold Amber.

I felt the breath get knocked out of my lungs.

For a split second, it was like she was still here. Like he was holding our daughter. But no—Amber was gone.

And this child, his son, had taken her place.

Something inside me shattered.

“I want a divorce,” I whispered.

Matteo didn’t even flinch.

Didn’t look at me.

Didn’t care.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “Did you hear me?”

Still, nothing.

That was my answer.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing back the tears that burned behind my eyes. I had already cried enough for him. For her.

I turned on my heel and stormed out.

Later that night, the house was silent. Candice and Matteo had gone to sleep. The air was thick with the remnants of the day’s chaos, but I felt nothing now. No grief. No pain. Only the burning weight of knowing—

I had been robbed of everything.

I had planned to leave. I had even packed my bags.

But leaving wasn’t enough.

Not anymore.

I wasn’t going to let them win.

Moving silently through the hallway, I reached Candice’s room. The door was slightly ajar, the dim light from her bedside lamp casting a glow across the floor.

I stepped inside.

She was sitting on the edge of her bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily. When she saw me, her brow furrowed. “Cassandra?”

I shut the door behind me. Slowly. Carefully.

She sat up straighter. “What do you want?”

I didn’t answer.

I reached into my pocket, my fingers closing around the cold, smooth handle of the scalpel I had taken from the study earlier that evening.

Candice’s eyes widened.

She scrambled to her feet. “What are you doing?”

I took a slow step forward. “Do you know what I found today?”

Her breath hitched. With a swift motion, I lifted it, exposing her stomach.

A scar.

Faint, but there.

Proof.

Candice gasped, trying to shove me away, but I was faster. I slammed her back against the dresser, pinning her wrists.

“Cassandra, stop!” she cried.

I lifted the scalpel, pressing it just below the scar.

Her breathing grew ragged, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“I know the truth now,” I whispered, my grip tightening.

Her lips parted, her entire body trembling.

“That’s my kidney,” I said, my voice laced with cold fury.

Tears streaked down her face. “Cassandra, please—”

I pressed the blade against her skin, my heart pounding with nothing but pure, unfiltered rage.

“I’m going to take it back now.”