Chapter 8

• (Alice Lewis? No. That name no longer belonged to me.)
• My hands were sweating as I stared at my phone screen.
• "Answer me already, Alice."
• "I'm serious, you need to know this."
• Nothing after those last messages. No calls. No explanations.
• The silence was worse than any truth I could imagine.
• I stepped out of the taxi, my stomach twisting. The previous night was still a blur of alcohol and pure pleasure, but now, the hangover wasn’t from the alcohol—it was from fear.
• Clara would never send messages like that without a reason. But what if she was overreacting?
• Maybe he was just a cocky playboy. An heir who thought he owned the world.
• Or maybe… maybe it was worse.
• A sexy bastard? Definitely.
• A criminal? A loan shark? A pimp?
• Shit.
• I took a deep breath, shoving those thoughts to the back of my mind as I headed up to the apartment. I couldn’t afford to give in to paranoia now. I already had too many problems to deal with.
• And I still had to say goodbye to myself.
• I tossed my bag onto the couch and went straight to the bathroom. The mirror reflected a version of me I barely recognized—messy hair, red marks down my neck, a gaze lost somewhere between reality and the lingering high of something greater.
• I turned the shower to its hottest setting, letting the scalding water wash away every trace of the previous night.
• "I should just forget all of this… I’m sure that after meeting Arthur and taking my sister’s place, no one will recognize me…"
• After getting dressed, I grabbed my phone and dialed the number of the man who, on paper, was my father. He answered on the third ring.
• "I'm on my way," I said flatly, trying to keep calm.
• On the other end, his voice was as cold as ever.
• "Good. We have a lot to discuss."
• He hung up before I could say anything else.
• My chest tightened.
• I was certain that after today, my life would never be the same.
• On my way to the hospital, I checked my phone for the tenth time. Nothing from Clara.
• Every second of her silence was another nail in the coffin of my anxiety.
• When I arrived, my mother was already being transferred into the ambulance that would take her to Montgomery Hospital.
• My "father" stood next to the doctors, watching everything with his usual calculating stare.
• I approached, trying to push aside the unease in my mind.
• "Are you ready to go through with the plan?" he asked bluntly, signing the transfer documents and settling the remaining debts.
• I swallowed hard. No. I would never be ready to stop being who I was.
• But did it even matter? Alice Lewis was already dead.
• I had to die so my mother could live.
• "Yes," I answered.
• He looked at me for a moment, analyzing every detail of my expression as if something about me bothered him.
• "You have dark circles," he noted, narrowing his eyes as they flicked to the marks on my neck. "Didn’t sleep all night?"
• A cold chill ran down my spine, and I quickly tried to cover it up. I hadn’t expected him to notice something so small.
• "It was hard to fall asleep. That’s all," I lied, averting my gaze and letting a few strands of hair fall over my neck.
• He didn’t look convinced—quite the opposite.
• "You’re lying."
• My body tensed. He let out a sigh, crossing his arms as if debating whether it was worth pressing the issue.
• " Get used to not hiding anything from me " he said at last. " Now that you've agreed to take your sister’s place, everything you do will be watched. You can’t afford distractions… Do we have a deal? Did you forget?
• I nodded, swallowing any sharp reply I wanted to give. He didn’t care what I thought, and the sooner I understood that, the better.
• My phone vibrated in my hands.
• A message from Clara.
• My heart nearly jumped out of my throat when I saw her name on the screen.
• "Alice, for the love of God. The guy you slept with…"
• "He's the son of one of the most dangerous mobsters in the city."
• My blood ran cold. I froze.
• The sounds around me seemed to fade into the distance.
• "This has to be some kind of stupid joke… right?"
• My father noticed my immediate reaction.
• " What is it? " he asked, frowning.
• " Nothing " I answered too quickly, locking my phone.
• His eyes narrowed, and for a second, I felt like he didn’t believe a single word I said.
• He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming, as if he could swallow me whole.
• " If there's something that could jeopardize our plan, you'd better tell me now. "
• My heart pounded like a frantic drum, but I kept my expression cold.
• " I said it’s nothing " I repeated, forcing my voice to sound firm, even as my fingers clenched the phone so tightly it hurt.
• A heavy silence settled between us.
• Arthur tilted his head slightly, studying me like a predator sniffing out fear.
• " I hope you're right. " His tone was cold, calculated. " Don't forget what’s at stake… how much you and I stand to lose if you fail… "
• I swallowed hard. He didn’t need to say it out loud—I already knew.
• My mother. My life. My freedom.
• All of it was on the table.
• I didn’t reply. I just watched as the paramedics shut the ambulance doors, taking my mother away to her new reality.
• His words felt like a sentence.
• The same thing would happen to me.
• Except, unlike her, I wouldn’t have anyone to save me.
• Arthur’s car was already waiting, ready to take me straight to my new destination. My new role. My new identity.
• But my mind was stuck on that damned message.
• The son of one of the most dangerous mobsters in the city.
• And I had just… slept with him.
• Without knowing who he was. Without having a clue what I was getting myself into.
• Every fiber of my being screamed that this was a mistake.
• But it was already too late for regrets.
• " Let’s go… there’s a lot I need to explain. I’ll take you to your new home. " Arthur turned and started walking toward the car, not even looking back.
• My throat was dry.
• My legs felt like lead.
• I took a deep breath and, with no other choice, moved forward.
• Hoping that nothing I did last night would come back to haunt me.
• But deep down… I knew that was just wishful thinking.