Chapter 1
My husband, Devin Greene, and his twin brother, Ethan Greene, had an accident while they were away.
When the news came back that one was dead and the other was injured, Ethan's wife, Meredith, was crying her eyes out.
When I saw Devin walk through the door, alive and well, I finally felt like I could breathe again.
Just as I was about to rush over to him, he handed me an urn.
"Sandra, I'm really sorry. The hospital messed up. The one who passed away was Devin," he said.
Meredith immediately stopped crying.
I pressed my lips together, and just went along with it, hugging the urn and bursting into loud sobs.
*****
Devin was bracing himself for me to start questioning him, but he was caught off guard when I just went along with the story of his death without a fuss.
After all, the news that came back said Ethan, Devin's twin brother, was the one who didn't make it.
When hearing me sob and call out his name, Devin couldn't help but get goosebumps.
He pretended to steady me, but I seized the opportunity to grab his arm.
His forearm was wrapped in thick bandages.
He really went the extra mile for this.
He'd even gone so far as to carve off his own skin just to erase the birthmark that made it obvious he wasn't Devin.
I dug my nails hard into his arm.
Devin winced, but when he saw my bleary, tear-stained eyes, he didn't dare shake me off.
He could only offer a dry, awkward comfort. "Sandra, please stay strong. Devin would hate to see you like this."
I wiped my tears. "You're right. I need to get it together."
After all, starting today, I was a widow.
Devin's parents were long gone, and with my husband just dead, I was newly widowed.
So if I decided to end the pregnancy, there was no one left I needed to tell anyway.
People always said Devin and Ethan were identical.
Devin figured pretending to be his brother Ethan would be a piece of cake.
But reality proved otherwise.
Even after removing the birthmark on his arm and copying Ethan's every move, his little habits would always give him away.
Besides, I was his wife. We'd lived together for years. The second I saw him, I knew it was Devin standing there.
I could always tell that it didn't matter if it was this life or before, I'd recognize Devin anywhere.
But back then, I just couldn't figure out why Devin would go to such lengths to pretend he was Ethan.
So I kept stubbornly trying to prove to everyone that he was really Devin.
Devin denied it to the end, and Meredith called me shameless, saying I was after her husband just because mine was gone.
But the truth was that they both knew perfectly well the one still breathing was Devin.
People started looking at me with less pity and more contempt.
They all thought I was losing it, unable to accept that my husband was really gone.
But it was Devin's attitude that pushed me to the edge more than once.
It wasn't until I realized I was pregnant that hope sparked in me again.
If I gave birth to this child, Devin wouldn't be able to keep denying who he was, and he couldn't turn his back on his own kid.
While I was pregnant, Devin stopped keeping his distance from me.
He would even take the initiative to look after me.
Even though he still wouldn't admit he was Devin, I took it as a sign that things were finally looking up.
Later, I gave birth to a baby boy.
Devin was over the moon, and for a split second, he almost let something slip.
"Thank you, Sandra, my love," Devin blurted out, using my nickname without thinking.
I was so wiped out from giving birth, but hearing him say that, I finally felt relieved.
Devin finally slipped up. Otherwise, he would never have called me his love just like before.
When I woke up again, the baby was gone.
The first thing I saw was Devin's face, full of grief.
He told me the baby had died from sudden respiratory distress, that they tried everything, but it was no use.
Once again, he said those words to me. "Sandra, please stay strong..."
When I got out of the hospital, I really went completely mad.
Devin moved to the city with Meredith.
And I became the town's resident lunatic. Everyone avoided me like the plague.
Every day, I'd just sit on that rock at the crossroads, staring off into the distance.
Whenever someone walked by, I'd yell at them, "Devin's back! Devin's back!"
Sometimes, a bunch of mischievous kids would follow behind me, imitating me.
They shouted to me, "Devin's been dead for ages! Devin's been dead for ages!"
Hearing their laughter, I'd reflexively chase after them.
I screamed as I ran, "My baby! My baby!"
The kids would scatter in all directions.
And so, I just wandered through the next few years in a daze.
One night, I had a breakdown and ran out into the street. A car hit me, and by the time anyone found me, I was barely hanging on.
The townspeople had no choice but to call Devin.
They wanted him to come back and take care of my funeral arrangements.
On my deathbed, I finally saw Devin again.
I couldn't tell if seeing me like this finally made him feel guilty, or if he just thought I was too far gone to be a threat anymore.
Devin sat by my bedside and confessed everything.
He said Ethan really was the one who died back then, but he just couldn't bear to see Meredith become a widow so young, so he decided to pretend to be Ethan.
The three of them had been childhood friends, and both Devin and Ethan fell for Meredith.
In the end, Meredith picked Ethan over Devin, and Devin could never get over it. He'd been holding onto that grudge ever since.