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.