I made my way down the hallway slowly, each step heavier than the last, the stale aftertaste of untouched champagne still lingering bitterly on my tongue. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for anymore—just water, maybe something simple to steady myself.

I turned toward the kitchen without thinking, but I stopped abruptly before I reached it.

They were there, half-hidden in the low glow of the wall sconces.

Dominic had Liliana pressed firmly against the wall. One hand tangled in her hair, the other at her waist, and his mouth was on hers with a force that didn’t belong to anything careful or accidental. This wasn’t the brief, performative kiss from earlier. This was something deeper—urgent, practiced, familiar.

I let out a small sound before I could stop myself, a sharp breath breaking the silence.

Dominic jerked back immediately.

His eyes flicked to me, then to Liliana, then back again. For a split second, panic flashed across his face. But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by the calm, controlled expression he always wore when he was choosing a lie.

“Sofia,” he exhaled, already straightening his jacket as though nothing had happened. “I… I thought she was you.”

I stared at him, the words not landing at first. I was in a loose grey shirt and sweatpants, barely standing upright, while Liliana still shimmered in that emerald gown like she belonged in another world entirely.

“You thought she was me,” I repeated slowly, voice completely drained of emotion.

“It’s dark,” he said quickly, stepping away from her as if distance could erase what I had just seen. “And you two look identical. You know how difficult it can be sometimes. The shape, the outline… it’s easy to confuse you.”

Behind him, Liliana adjusted her dress, smoothing it down with calm, deliberate movements. There was no embarrassment on her face. Only satisfaction, quiet and certain.

“I’m so sorry, Sofia,” she said softly, her tone sweet enough to feel rehearsed. “I tried to stop him, really. But he was just… overwhelmed. He misses you so much, you know.”

I looked at both of them for a long moment. The air between us felt thick, almost suffocating, like breathing their words would poison me.

“Right,” I said at last, turning away. “That happens.”

I started walking again, intending to leave it behind me. I just wanted my room. I just wanted silence. I wanted sleep—anything that would carry me through until I could finally escape this place.

“Stop.”

Dominic’s voice snapped through the hallway.

I paused but didn’t turn around.

“That’s it?” he said, louder now, footsteps approaching behind me. “You’re just going to walk away and say ‘that happens’?”

Slowly, I turned to face him.

“What exactly do you want from me, Dominic?” I asked. “Do you want me to scream? Break something? Collapse on the floor?”

His jaw tightened. “I want you to care,” he said sharply. “You saw your husband kissing another woman—even if it was a misunderstanding—and you’re acting like it means nothing. Do you even still love me?”

I studied him then, really looked at him. The man I had once believed in completely. The man I had lost a child for.

“I’m tired,” I said quietly. “That’s all. I’m just so tired.”

His expression hardened.

“Tired?” he repeated. “Or guilty?”

My brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Liliana told me things,” he said with a faint, bitter smile, gesturing loosely toward her. “About you disappearing sometimes. About other men. Is that why you’re so indifferent? Because you’ve already been doing the same thing?”

My stomach dropped. “That’s insane. I am not cheating on you. I was in the hospital losing our baby.”

“Don’t hide behind that,” he snapped. “You’ve been distant for months.”

My voice started to rise before I could stop it. “You and I both know what’s really happening here. Don’t twist this. I see how you look at her. I see what you’ve done with her. The jewelry. The nursery. Everything.”

Dominic scoffed. “You’re being hysterical.”

Liliana stepped closer then, her voice soft and coaxing. “Sofia, please,” she said gently, reaching for my arm. “You’re not thinking clearly. Dominic loves you. I’m only here because I care about both of you.”

“Don’t touch me!” I shouted.

I shoved her away.

It wasn’t meant to hurt her. It was just instinct—panic, desperation, the need to get her away from me.

But we were standing too close to the top of the staircase.

Liliana stumbled backward, her heel catching on the edge of the carpet. She reached out blindly, grabbing my wrist as she tried to steady herself.

“No—!” I gasped.

She pulled me with her.

And then everything fell apart at once.

The world tilted violently. Light, shadow, floor, ceiling—none of it stayed in place. The stairs rushed up to meet us.

Impact came in brutal waves.

Thud. Crack. Another impact.

Pain exploded through my body—my shoulder, my ribs, my head—each collision ripping the breath out of me as we tumbled down the staircase in a chaotic tangle of limbs and sound.

Then everything went black.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound was steady, mechanical, irritating.

When I opened my eyes, the world was white.

A hospital ceiling. The smell of disinfectant. A dull, crushing pain radiating through my body.

I tried to move and immediately regretted it. My arm was in a cast. My ribs screamed in protest.

The chair beside my bed was empty. No flowers. No visitors. No Dominic.

Voices drifted in from the hallway.

“Is she awake?” Dominic’s voice cut through first—strained, almost frantic. I had never heard him sound like that.

“She’s stable, Mr. Ashford,” a doctor answered calmly. “The fall was severe, but she’s recovering.”

“And the baby?” Dominic asked quickly.

My entire body froze.

The baby?

I wasn’t pregnant anymore. I knew that. So what was he talking about?

“The fetus is doing well,” the doctor replied. “Strong heartbeat. It’s quite remarkable, given the trauma. But she will need strict bed rest.”

My breath caught.

She?

I wasn’t the one who was pregnant.

Ignoring the pain tearing through me, I forced myself out of bed. Every step felt like glass under my skin as I moved toward the slightly open door.

Across the hall, another room sat wide open.

Liliana lay inside the bed, pale but composed, almost serene—like someone carefully arranged for sympathy.

Dominic was sitting beside her, holding her hand against his lips as if it was something sacred.

“Thank God,” he whispered, voice breaking slightly. “I thought I lost you. I thought I lost our baby.”

“I’m alright,” Liliana murmured, brushing his hair back gently. “We’re alright. Don’t blame yourself. Sofia… she didn’t mean it. She’s just jealous.”

Dominic lifted his head sharply, his expression darkening. “She nearly killed my heir,” he said lowly, his voice carrying a protective fury I had never been on the receiving end of. “I’m done pretending, Liliana. I’m ending this with her. Soon, you’ll take your place. Just wait—I’ll fix everything. I just need to deal with my grandfather first.”

Then he leaned in and kissed her.

Soft. Certain. Devoted.

I stood there, fingers gripping the doorframe so tightly it hurt, the thin hospital gown doing nothing to warm the cold that had settled inside me.

And suddenly, everything became painfully clear.

I stepped back and quietly closed the door.

Then I returned to my bed.

I sat down, motionless, as the pain in my body faded into something insignificant compared to what I now understood.

There was nothing left for me in that life anymore.

The next two days passed like I was walking through fog. I moved through the house without really feeling present, only counting the hours until Madame Verena’s extraction team was supposed to arrive. I stayed out of Dominic’s way. I avoided Liliana completely. I didn’t pack a single meaningful thing—just what I was told to bring, as if I was already meant to disappear from my own life without leaving a trace.

But Dominic still wasn’t finished with me.

On the afternoon of the third day, I was passing by his study when I caught voices coming from inside. The door wasn’t fully closed.

“I don’t understand why she has to go,” Liliana’s voice complained, soft but sharp with entitlement. I could almost see her expression—lips pressed into a spoiled little pout. “It’s your grandfather’s eightieth birthday, Dominic. I’m the one carrying your child. I should be the one beside you.”

Dominic let out a tired sigh. “We can’t take that risk, Liliana. You know how Grandfather is. Tradition matters to him. And he’s always been fond of Sofia.”

“He’s old,” she scoffed. “He won’t even realize if I wear her dress and act properly.”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Dominic snapped back immediately. “He knows Sofia too well. Four years of marriage, he’s studied her without even trying—how she moves, how she speaks, even how she stays silent. If you walk in there pretending to be her, he’ll expose you in minutes. And if he learns about the divorce or the pregnancy before I secure his support for the CEO vote, I lose everything.”

I leaned against the hallway wall, a faint, bitter smile forming despite myself.

So that was what I had become. The only person in this entire twisted family who could still “represent” me properly was an eighty-year-old man I wouldn’t even get the chance to say goodbye to.

“So what, I just stay here?” Liliana asked, annoyed.

“No,” Dominic replied. “You can come. Just stay out of sight. Sofia will play the wife. You’ll be introduced as her sister. That’s all—for tonight.”

I didn’t argue. I didn’t fight it. There was nothing left in me for another battle. It felt like one last performance before the curtain finally dropped.

I changed into the navy silk dress Grandfather had once complimented during last year’s Christmas dinner. Before leaving, I picked up the gift I had already prepared for him—a vintage wristwatch he had admired for months but never bought for himself. It felt heavier than usual as I held it, like even the gesture was dragging me down.

I got into the SUV first, sliding into the front passenger seat. Dominic took the wheel, his grip tight, controlled. Liliana settled into the back seat right behind me, humming softly under her breath in a way that scraped against my nerves.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Dominic muttered as he started the engine.

The weather had turned ugly without warning. A storm rolled in from the coast, painting the sky in deep shades of bruised purple and grey. Rain hammered against the windshield, swallowing the winding cliffside road ahead and turning it into something blurred and unstable.

“Can’t you go faster?” Liliana complained from behind me, kicking the back of my seat. “This is so dull.”

“The road’s slippery, Liliana,” I said quietly, staring out at the edge of the cliff where the ocean churned violently far below. It looked endless, unforgiving.

“Nobody asked you,” she snapped back instantly.

A moment later, she added under her breath, “I’m the wife anyway. Even if you’re playing one for the night—”

Before she could finish, headlights suddenly exploded into view.

Blinding. Close. Impossible to avoid.

“Dominic!” I shouted.

He slammed on the brakes.

The tires locked instantly. The SUV lost control, skidding across the wet road like it had no weight at all. Everything turned into chaos—white light, rain streaks, the sound of metal struggling against physics. We spun once, then again.

Then came the impact.

A violent crash tore through the vehicle as another car slammed into us from behind. The force sent us hurtling toward the guardrail.

Metal shrieked as we broke through it.

The world tilted violently.

And then everything stopped.

Silence followed.

I gasped, trying to breathe through the shock. The airbag had deployed, filling the front seat with dust and pressure. My head throbbed painfully.

“Dominic?” I called out weakly.

The car groaned, shifting.

That’s when I looked down—and froze.

My entire side of the vehicle was suspended over nothing. The front wheel hung in open air. Beneath me, the ocean crashed violently against jagged rocks far below.

We were hanging off a cliff.

“Don’t move,” Dominic said, his voice tight and unsteady.

He was safe—his side still on the road. But the balance had shifted dangerously toward me.

“Dominic, help me!” Liliana screamed from the back seat. “I’m scared! The baby!”

Dominic unbuckled his seatbelt.

For a brief moment, I thought he was coming to me.

“Please,” I said quickly, reaching toward him. “My door’s stuck. I can’t get out.”

The vehicle creaked again, dipping slightly lower.

Dominic looked at my outstretched hand… then toward Liliana.

“If I move to pull you out,” he said, voice strained with fear, “the weight shift could send us over the edge.”

“Then pull me over to your side!” I cried out. “Dominic, please!”

“Dominic! The baby!” Liliana screamed again.

Something changed in his expression then. The panic disappeared, replaced by something cold, deliberate, final.

He didn’t reach for me.

He let go of me instead.

“No—” I breathed, the realization hitting harder than the crash itself. “Dominic, don’t—”

He shoved the door open. Wind and rain rushed into the car. Without hesitation, he pulled Liliana out and dragged her onto the wet asphalt.

“I’ve got you,” he said urgently, holding her close as he steadied her on the roadside.

The car shifted again, lighter now, the imbalance becoming worse.

I looked through the cracked windshield. I could see them clearly—Dominic holding Liliana, both of them safe on solid ground. I was still inside, suspended over the abyss.

And he was looking at me.

Watching.

Not moving.

“Dominic!” I screamed, my voice breaking into something raw and desperate.

He turned his face away.

The metal groaned violently. Another tire slipped past the edge.

For a second, everything held.

Then gravity took over.

The SUV tipped forward and plunged.

The world dropped away beneath me.

As the car fell, the last thing I saw was the taillights fading into the storm and my husband standing on the road with another woman in his arms—watching me disappear without stepping forward once.

He had once pulled me out of darkness.

Now he had decided I should go back into it.

Dominic’ POV

The scream simply stopped.

And somehow, that silence was worse than everything that came before it—the grinding metal, the violent screech of steel tearing against rock, the distant thunder of impact echoing up from the canyon below. Those sounds at least made sense. They belonged to something happening.

But the silence that followed did not.

One moment, she was there. I could still hear her voice cutting through the storm, calling my name, begging me not to let go.

And then, in the next breath, there was nothing. Only the empty space where the vehicle had been—swallowed completely by the cliffside darkness.

“Oh my God,” Liliana gasped, pressed tightly against my chest. She was shaking so badly I could feel it in her grip, her fingers clawing into my soaked shirt as if I were the only thing anchoring her to the world. “Dominic… is it over? Is she gone?”

I couldn’t answer.

I couldn’t even draw a full breath.

My pulse pounded violently against my ribs, erratic and suffocating, as I stared at the shattered guardrail. Twisted metal jutted outward like broken bones, pointing into the void where the car had disappeared. Rain lashed across my face in sharp, relentless sheets, but I barely felt it.

Because everything inside me had gone strangely hollow.

I had done it.

The realization didn’t come all at once—it settled slowly, heavily, like something sealing shut inside my chest.

I had made the choice.

In that brief, impossible moment when the vehicle tilted and physics demanded its price, I chose who stayed and who went. It wasn’t chaos in my mind. It was calculation. Cold, immediate, undeniable.

The heir.

The original.

The one I was supposed to protect.

I pulled Liliana out.

And I let Sofia go.

“Dominic?” Liliana’s voice trembled as she tugged at my sleeve again. “Talk to me. We’re okay now. The baby is safe.”

Something inside me snapped.

A sharp, sudden surge of anger tore through my chest, so intense it drowned everything else. I shoved her away before I even realized what I was doing.

She stumbled back onto the slick asphalt, her expression collapsing into shock as she looked up at me.

“Stay back,” I said harshly, my voice barely recognizable.

Without thinking, I ran.

I scrambled toward the edge of the cliff, my shoes slipping uselessly against mud and broken gravel. The expensive leather, the ruined suit—none of it mattered. I dropped to my knees at the shattered barrier, gripping the cold, rain-slick metal with shaking hands as if I could force reality to undo itself.

The storm swallowed everything around me.

And then I roared her name into it anyway.

“Sofia!”

Nothing came back but the sound of the wind and the crashing waves hundreds of feet below.

I squinted into the darkness, my hands shaking uncontrollably. Where is the car? Where is the light?

I expected to see headlights beaming up through the water. I expected to see the car caught on a jagged rock halfway down. I expected… something.

But there was nothing. Just a black, gaping maw of ocean. The current down there was vicious; I knew that. It swallowed ships. It swallowed bodies.

“Sofia!” I screamed again, my voice cracking.

Why was I screaming? I wanted this, didn’t I? I wanted the clean slate. I wanted the problem gone so I could focus on Liliana and my son.

But as I stared into that void, I didn’t feel relief. I felt a phantom pain in my chest, like a rib had been ripped out.

I remembered her face in that last second.

She hadn’t looked angry. She hadn’t looked hateful.

She looked… broken.

“Dominic!”

The raw, animal sound of her voice played on a loop in my head. She had looked at me not as her killer, but as her husband. She expected me to save her. She always expected me to save her.

And for four years, I had. I was her god. I was her world.

And I just threw her away like garbage.

“Dominic, please!” Liliana crawled toward me, grabbing my ankle. “Get away from the edge! It’s dangerous! She’s gone, Dominic! She’s gone!”

I looked down at Liliana.

The rain had plastered her hair to her skull. She looked terrified, yes, but there was something else in her eyes. Relief.

She was glad.

For the first time in five years, looking at Liliana’s face—the face I had obsessed over, the face I had bought Sofia to replace—I felt a wave of nausea.

She looked exactly like Sofia.

But she wasn’t Sofia.

Sofia would have jumped over the edge to save me. Sofia would have died before she let me fall.

“I have to go down there,” I muttered, trying to stand up, my equilibrium gone. “I have to… maybe she jumped. Maybe she’s on a ledge.”

“Are you insane?” Liliana shrieked, standing up and grabbing my shoulders. “It’s a three-hundred-foot drop into freezing water! No one survives that! She’s dead, Dominic! The car is gone!”

She shook me.

“Think about the baby! Think about us! This solves everything! We can say it was an accident. The hydroplaning… the storm… no one will know you chose me. No one will know!”

I stared at her mouth moving, the words blurring together.

This solves everything.

I looked back at the edge. The darkness seemed to be staring back at me, mocking me.

I had the original now. I had the woman I wanted.

So why did I feel like I had just lost the only thing that was real?

Sirens wailed in the distance. Blue and red lights flickered against the wet cliff face, getting closer.

I sank back onto my heels, the mud soaking through my trousers. My hands were empty.

I looked at my palms.

Ten minutes ago, I was driving her to a party. I could still feel the ghost of her warmth in the passenger seat.

Now, there was just rain.

“Dominic, the police,” Liliana hissed, composing herself instantly. She wiped her face, practicing her tears. “Remember. It was an accident. You tried to save her. The car just… slipped.”

I closed my eyes, the image of Sofia’s terrified face burned into my eyelids.

“Yeah,” I whispered, my voice sounding like it belonged to a stranger. “I tried to save her.”

I stood up, turning my back on the cliff. I wrapped my arm around Liliana, pulling her close as the police cruiser screeched to a halt.