Chapter 3
My smile widened.
With Mark watching, I put the call on speaker and made my voice sound innocent and hurt.
"Um, sorry, who is this? I don't understand what you're talking about."
Claire was losing it on the other end.
"I'm Claire Foster! You fraud! You stole my photo and you're pretending to be me! I've called the police!"
Mark's expression changed the second he heard Claire's name.
He shot me a confused look, then glanced at the phone.
I put on the perfect look of panic, tears welling up.
"Mark, I really don't know what's happening. I'm really Claire..."
I grabbed his arm, trembling. "Who is she? Why is she saying this about me?"
Mark looked completely lost. Finally, he yelled into the phone, "Who are you? Stop messing around! Claire's right here!"
Claire practically screamed, "Mark! Have you lost your mind? I'm Claire! That woman is an imposter!"
Too angry to continue, she hung up.
The room went silent.
Mark stared at me, his eyes full of confusion.
Then I started crying, tears streaming down my face.
"Mark, I'm so scared... Why is she doing this to me? Is it because I've been spending time with you, and she's jealous?"
I made it all about jealousy.
Guys always get cocky about stuff like this.
Just as I expected, Mark immediately relaxed.
The confusion in his eyes faded, replaced by protective concern for me and obvious disgust toward the other "Claire."
He gently patted my back. "Don't worry. I'm here. She's just some crazy person trying to mess with us. Ignore her."
Hearing him say "us" made me sick.
Still, I leaned into his arms and whispered, "But... she said she called the police. What if they come?"
"Let them come," Mark said angrily. "Let her explain herself to them. I want to see her try."
He trusted this face completely, unable to doubt me at all.
While inwardly sneering, I put on a face full of gratitude and dependence.
"Mark, you're so good to me."
After Mark left, I immediately hid the signed divorce papers.
The next day, I took them with my ID and marriage certificate straight to the courthouse.
Everything went smoothly.
When I finally held that divorce certificate, I felt lighter—like I could breathe again.
Five years of marriage—one long nightmare, finally over.
But the real nightmare for Mark and Claire was just beginning.
First, I slipped into Claire's life and went straight for her fiancé, Ryan Summers.
I'd done my homework—Ryan was intensely possessive, and nothing enraged him like betrayal.
I met him at a café and told him I was Claire's younger sister, sent away as a child and only recently returned.
I told a heartbreaking story about my miserable life, saying Claire refused to acknowledge me as family.
Ryan looked uncertain.
I pulled out a photo of myself before surgery—back when I was still Emily.
"This is what I used to look like. After an accident, my face was ruined, so I had to get surgery to look like my sister, Claire. I just wanted her to notice me... to be closer to her."
Tears streamed down my face, each drop designed to stir compassion.
Then, seemingly by accident, I mentioned Mark.
"My sister... she's been spending a lot of time with the security guard at her building. I've seen them together more than once, and the way he looks at her... it's different. Ryan, I think you should pay closer attention to her."
I started feeding Ryan little pieces of "evidence," just enough to make him suspicious.
I mentioned how Mark would visit Claire's place late at night to help her, and pointed out that photo she posted online—the one taken in my old apartment.
Ryan's face darkened with every word.
Meanwhile, the real Claire was scrambling to deal with my impersonation.
She tried explaining everything to her friends, but nobody believed her.
Everyone thought she was playing the victim to get Ryan's attention.
Her life was falling apart.
Right before her engagement party with Ryan, I dropped the final bomb.
I sent Ryan a video from an unknown number.
Mark was the star in it.
He confessed to the camera with all the passion he could muster, pouring out his heart—never realizing I was filming him.
"Claire, I love you. From the moment I saw you in high school, I fell for you. I know you're getting engaged, but please, give me one more chance. I'd do anything for you, even divorce my wife."
I'd tricked him into signing the divorce papers, then had him record this video—he had no idea what he'd done.
I told him I wanted to see how deep his feelings for 'Claire' really were.
He didn't hesitate—just did it.
The moment I sent the video, I called Claire.
"Claire, looks like your engagement party is off," I smiled.
On the other end, Claire was screaming—completely losing it.