Chapter 2

Edwin ran his hand over his neck, a sly smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Mosquitoes have been getting out of control lately," he said.

Finlay's brows knitted tight, his gaze locked onto Edwin, as if trying to catch any hint of a lie.

"You didn't touch her, did you?" he asked.

"Come on, she's your girl. I wouldn't stoop that low," Edwin replied.

Finlay rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Edwin had never been one for morals. He'd ditched the family business to run with some big shot, and now he pretty much had the whole city's underworld in his hands.

Their father was so furious that he kicked Edwin out of the family and told everyone he'd been killed in a truck accident.

They hadn't seen each other in almost seven years, and Finlay never thought Edwin would actually agree to such a crazy plan, let alone play his part so seriously.

After all, Edwin was the kind of guy no one could control.

Maybe he wasn't really a bad guy. He just talked tough but had a soft heart. After all, he was still a Roberts.

'Yeah, he's still family, no matter what,' Finlay told himself.

Finlay clapped Edwin on the shoulder, but Edwin just dodged it without making a big deal.

"Alright, Edwin, I know you've never been a fan of Rebecca. Back when I was after her, you did everything to get in my way, and when I said I wanted to marry her, you were the only one who really fought me on it.

"It's been rough on you these past months. Once this is over in two weeks, just tell me what you want as payback," Finlay said.

"No need," Edwin replied.

Edwin grabbed his trench coat and made for the door.

"Let Ashley know she doesn't need to make dinner for me. It's gonna rain tonight, and I gotta get home to Rebecca," he said.

He turned back, a subtle, teasing glint in his eyes.

"After all, you know she's terrified of thunder. You'd never leave her alone on a stormy night, would you?" Edwin said.

Finlay's knuckles turned white.

"Edwin, remember, this is all just an act!" he snapped.

The door slammed shut, cutting off whatever else Finlay was about to say.

I hid around the corner, watching that back I knew so well, yet felt like a stranger now. Biting my lip so hard, I could barely keep from crying out.

I never imagined Finlay would actually have the nerve to get his own twin to pretend to be him, just so he could openly mess around behind my back.

And Edwin? That bastard kept fooling me into sleeping with him, all while pretending to be his brother.

And maybe even worse...

I rested my hand on my stomach.

This should've been where our love blossomed into something beautiful, but now it just felt so tainted and wrong.

I couldn't bear this twisted charade for another second.

After I scheduled the abortion for three days from now, I called up my best friend.

"Bryleigh, I need you to set me up with a new identity. In two weeks, I want to vanish from Finlay's world forever," I said.

The engine growled as the car started up, and I slumped against the window, watching the trees flash by in a blur.

Finlay and I had walked this street more times than I could count.

He'd walk me back to school, we'd stroll here after hanging out, and even when his parents came over to ask for my hand, this was the way we'd go.

Down at the far end, where the night swallowed everything, I could almost picture a boy racing toward a girl waiting under a tree, clutching a bunch of roses, his smile burning brighter than the setting sun.

My belly fluttered softly.

I rested my hand there, my eyes stinging with unshed tears.

After all, this is still my child.

But every child deserved to be born with a name and to be loved.

The moment I stepped inside, a wave of nausea hit me. "Rebecca!"

Edwin burst out of the room just as I flushed the toilet.

"It's nothing, probably just caught a chill," I said.

He helped me to a seat at the table.

I glanced at the empty table, then at the refined, reserved man nearby, and I realized that it was Finlay who'd come home tonight.

They might look identical, but there were always little differences between them.

Edwin would always cook up a feast tailored to her tastes and wait patiently for her to come home, while Finlay never bothered to step foot in the kitchen.

Edwin could never keep his hands off her when she walked in, always finding some excuse to get close, but with Finlay, it felt more like an old married couple, polite, almost distant.

When Finlay rested his hand on my cheek, it wasn't rough and calloused like Edwin's, whose touch could almost sting.

"Rebecca, Malia's on vacation, and the new nanny won't start until tomorrow. Just have a sandwich for now," Finlay said.

My hands tightened in my lap. 'So Finlay's really going to have someone watching everything Edwin and I do,' I thought.

"Rebecca, what's going on? Why are you acting so cold toward me lately?" Finlay said.

Finlay furrowed his brows, grabbed my chin, and forced me to look him in the eye. His gaze was dark and turbulent, like a storm about to break.

My emotions were all over the place, leaving me speechless. I tried to use the sandwich as an excuse to escape, but Finlay pushed me back down into the chair, holding me there.