Chapter 1

My elder sister and I were twins, but from the moment we were born, I lived in her shadow. She was outgoing, the darling of everyone. But I was like the silent shadow, the extra nobody needed.

Everyone thought so, except for my fiancé, Lucas Burton. After my sister got my favorite dress, he'd quietly buy me the entire limited-edition collection.

When the whole family was celebrating my sister's art exhibition, he'd secretly take my hand and lead me up the mountain to admire the stars for our exclusive experience.

He told me that I was the one and only Ms. Right to him.

I believed him. Until the night before our engagement, I caught him holding my sister's framed photo.

His voice was shattered and obsessed in a way I'd never heard before. "Soleil, wait a little longer. Soon, I'll turn her into a perfect replica of you."

*****

At the engagement party, champagne bubbles fizzed and burst in a delicate cascade inside the crystal glasses. The sound was barely audible amid the lively chatter, yet so much like the frantic beat of my heart.

Lucas' hand rested steadily at my waist, his palm's warmth radiating through the thin silk of my dress. The magnetic comfort reassured me.

He was the absolute star tonight. His perfectly tailored dark suit made him look more refined.

Whenever guests gathered with their drinks to toast me, the barely-noticed heiress of the Lane family, he would subtly shift to block and deflect most of the chatter away from me.

"Umbra's not feeling well. I'll take the wine for her," Lucas said, lowering his head slightly. His eyes were brimming with such doting affection that the socialites around us couldn't help but let out envious sighs.

I was so wrapped up in this overwhelming happiness that I almost felt dizzy. Ever since I was little, as long as my sister Soleil Lane was around, I'd turn unnoticed.

She was a genius artist and a social butterfly. I always hid in the corner of the studio, washing paintbrushes and mixing colors.

But now, Lucas took my hand in front of everyone and announced, "Umbra is the one and only Ms. Right to me. Marrying her is the greatest honor of my life."

His words felt like a long-awaited redemption, yanking me out of the deep shadow my sister had cast over me.

During a break in the party, I went to the restroom to touch up my makeup.

My cousin Ainsley Lane was applying lipstick in front of the mirror. Through the reflection, her eyes, lined with flawless eyeliner, shot me a sideways glance. Her tone dripped with bitterness she couldn't hide.

"Lucas is ridiculously good to you. Is he desperately trying to make up for something through you?" Ainsley sneered.

My hand trembled, and the lip gloss left a jarring red streak at the corner of my mouth, like a fresh wound. I forced a smile, refusing to rise to her bait. But inside, her words stung me hard.

When I returned to the ballroom, Lucas was already waiting for me at the entrance. He gently draped his coat over my shoulders and carefully buttoned it up. The car glided smoothly through the night, finally stopping outside my home.

He leaned in and pressed a warm, gentle kiss to my forehead. His voice was so low it was almost a whisper. "Goodnight, dear Soleil."

In that instant, his words chilled me to the bone. Soleil was my sister's name. And she passed away in a tragic accident a year ago.

*****

After Lucas left, I stood frozen in the foyer, my palms drenched in cold sweat.

His words hit me like an ice-cold curse, eating at me and making my head spin. Maybe he was drunk. Perhaps it was a slip of the tongue.

I kept telling myself that over and over. To fight off this weird, creeping fear, I started tidying the room like crazy.

While cleaning out the deepest corner of the storage room, I reached into an old box and found something solid.

It was Soleil's diary, the one with a dark red leather cover. It still held a faint whiff of her favorite scent of roses.