Page 4 of Replacement

Amber isn’t interested in reconciling with me. Her priority isn’t even saving me from danger.

She wants an easy escape from an awkward situation while still getting the money she thinks is hers.

It hurts. The weight of disappointment. But I’ve stopped expecting people to be good. Even my own family has done nothing but let me down.

“I deserve it. I stuck with Dad until the end, and you know exactly what I had to deal with. I’m owedsomething.”

Transactional. That’s what the relationship with our father was to her. She put in the time and effort, and she deserves to be paid for it.

“So just marry Worthing. You’re engaged, right? Speed up the marriage and get your payout.”

“I have to stay with him for at least four more months. We have a contract. I don’t get anything unless I go through with the whole agreement.”

“Are you sure? If it’s a business arrangement to him, why would he care about shortening the length of time you’re stuck together?”

“He wants it to at least look real. He thought maybe we could make it work, but even if we can’t, he doesn’t want anyone suspecting the whole thing is a ridiculous ruse. He’s got… issues with his family, and he wouldn’t agree to it unless we made it look like a real relationship to the rest of the world.”

“I guess that makes sense.” I sip my coffee, my eyes on the front door, watching every single newcomer to make sure there’s no sign of longish dark hair and wireframe glasses. “But it doesn’t the change the fact that he’s going to recognize that I’m not you.”

“No, he won’t. I just told you our relationship is not real.”

“But he must know you have a twin sister—”

“He doesn’t. I never told him about you.”

I try not to wince from a stab of pain in my heart. “Okay. But I’m sure he ran some sort of background check on you—”

“Of course. But after you left, Dad was so mad he bribed some people to change the paperwork so there’s no record of you.”

“Hewhat?” I didn’t think it was possible for my father to hurt me like that again, but somehow he’s managed it even from the grave.

“You betrayed him. You know how he was. So he made it like you never existed.”

I’m having trouble breathing through this new blow, but I force myself to move on. “Even with the paperwork changed, someone could still look into our past and find out—”

“He ran a normal background check. It wouldn’t have shown up there. He didn’t send a whole team to investigate every detail of my past. I’m telling you, he has no idea that I have a sister. He’s never going to suspect one is taking my place. Plus, he’s gone half the time traveling for work, and when he’s in town, he’s at the office all day long. We go to some social stuff together as part of the ruse and sleep in the same bed, but that’s it. If you wear my clothes and go through my daily routine, he’ll have no clue.”

The mention of the bed makes my spine stiffen. “You don’t have sex with him?”

“No. We agreed we could if we both want to, but I’ve been saying I don’t know him well enough yet. We kiss occasionally, but that’s it. You’re not going to have to fuck him. Or pretend you’re in love with him. You just need to be there. Fill the empty space.”

“What about your friends?”

“I don’t have any real ones. Only some who act friendly but don’t give a shit about me for real. I’m telling you, this can work.”

It’s a ridiculous idea. Utterly irrational. Without a prayer of succeeding.

But I’m starting to consider it. Amber desperately wants it. And if I’m living her life, then Montaigne will never find me.

I won’t be me, but I’ll be able to let out my breath at last.

Maybe I can actually do it.

“What will you do?” I ask her.

“I’ve squirreled some money away over the past few months, so I have enough to live on until the time of the contract runs its course. Then I can divorce him and be me again, and by then, maybe your stalker will have given up. If not, I can split the money with you so you’ll have enough to go somewhere else and be someone different. Whatever you want.”

“And you think this plan has the slimmest chance of succeeding?”

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