Chapter 1

Eight years after being forced to break up by my boyfriend's mother, that powerful matriarch, Evelyn Wilson, found me again.

"Since you left, Oliver has turned white overnight and been admitted to countless mental hospitals. I beg you to come back. If you don't, he truly won't be able to survive," she said.

I touched the scar on my forehead, bitterness filling my face. "But I'm no longer young and beautiful."

Evelyn bowed deeply, pleading, "If you're willing to return, no matter the outcome, I'll give you three million to treat your family."

For my bedridden mother, I decided to go back to Oliver Wilson's side.

"When my beauty fades, will he still love me?" I murmured to myself.

*****

Evelyn Wilson answered with absolute certainty, "I know him better than anyone. No matter how you change, he'll only ever love you."

With Evelyn pulling the strings, I landed a job at Wilson Group in no time.

Standing in front of the mirror, I felt a wave of nerves hit me.

My bangs hid the scar, but there was no covering up the wrinkles at the corners of my eyes. I wasn't the pretty girl I used to be.

Even though I'd moved on from us a long time ago, I still couldn't help but worry about how Oliver Wilson would see me now.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.

"Mr. Wilson is here," someone shouted.

I spotted him from a distance, my heart skipping a beat in surprise.

Though he was just over thirty, Oliver's hair was already streaked with silver.

As I stared at him, Oliver whipped his head around, as if he could sense my gaze.

When his eyes landed on my face, his icy gaze melted into pure joy.

Not caring about the stares from everyone around, he ran straight toward me.

"Iris, is it really you?" Oliver asked.

Seeing him laugh and cry at the same time, as he'd just found his most precious treasure again, I felt my heart ache.

Before I knew it, my eyes were brimming with tears, too.

"It's me, Oliver. I've come back to you," I whispered.

Back then, when Evelyn sent people to chase me down, I slipped and fell into the water in the chaos.

Evelyn told Oliver I was dead.

Oliver's face was overflowing with joy, as he'd just gotten back something he thought he'd lost forever.

Once he confirmed I was really standing in front of him, he pulled me into a tight, crushing hug, so hard that I could barely breathe.

"Iris, do you have any idea how I've spent these eight years?" Oliver choked out. "I've thought about you every single day. I love you so much."

When I heard those words from Oliver, a bittersweet ache welled up inside me.

Evelyn told me that over the past eight years, Oliver kept hurting himself over and over.

He'd been sent to the psychiatric hospital and gone through psychological counseling more times than anyone could count.

This year, he finally managed to stabilize a bit emotionally.

But then he started searching everywhere for women who resembled me, lavishly spending to keep them around.

Evelyn was scared out of her wits that Oliver would run the Wilson Group into the ground, and even more terrified that he'd do something reckless and end up ruining himself.

With nowhere else to turn, she swallowed her pride, came to me, and begged me to come back.

I remembered the promise I made to Evelyn.

With a gentle voice, I looked at Oliver and said, "All these past eight years, I've never stopped thinking about you."

Oliver couldn't wait to bring me back to his villa.

But as soon as he opened the door, I saw a woman standing there who looked uncannily like me.

When she saw Oliver holding my hand, her expression immediately soured.

I put two and two together.

So this was Emily Carter, the one Evelyn told me about.

Oliver had been taking Emily everywhere he went this past year, even letting her live with him.

Even though Oliver never made it official, she acted like she was his girlfriend.

With a sly smile, I pointed at all those high heels lined up on the rack.

"Oliver, weren't you the one who said you never stopped thinking about me these eight years? So what's with this bitch?" I teased.

Emily bit her lip, clearly embarrassed by my words.

"Mr. Wilson, if you want me gone, just say it. I'll leave right now," she said.

I deliberately put on my most unreasonable, bossy act, hands on my hips.

"Look, I get it. You were lonely and needed someone around, so you found a few women to fill the void. But now that I'm back, shouldn't you kick these stand-ins out already?" I said.

Oliver's expression twisted with pain. "Iris, how could you say that?" he said.

I wasn't about to give in.

After a long pause, he finally decided to stand up for Emily.

"Emily's just my assistant. She helps me with everyday stuff. I can't just throw her out for no reason," Oliver said. "Iris, don't worry. You've always been the only one I truly love. No one else has ever mattered to me."

Evelyn just wanted me to figure out a way to kick out all these wannabe stand-ins.

Honestly, I never thought Oliver would be unwilling to do that for me.

Noticing I looked upset, He kept coaxing me, saying I should just move in with him starting today.

Right in front of me, he called someone and had three huge boxes of Chanel outfits sent over, saying I could wear whatever I liked.

Oliver's tenderness right then made my head spin.

After I finished my shower, I was ready to slip into one of those Chanel outfits Oliver had sent over for me.

But Emily was suddenly there in the room.

She mockingly nudged one of the Chanel boxes with her foot.

"Oliver is just as generous and attentive with every new lookalike he brings in. So don't think you're anything special," Emily said with a smirk.

Seeing me flustered, Emily crossed her arms and gave me a smug, mocking grin.

"Even if we're all just stand-ins to him, I'm still his favorite. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let me stay by his side all these years," Emily sneered. "Besides, look at you. You are old, and with that scar on your face."

She jabbed her finger at my forehead, her eyes full of disdain. "Once Mr. Wilson realizes you're nothing like the dream girl he remembers, he'll dump you at once."

I couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

If Oliver and I didn't end up patching things up and he just threw me out, that would still count as fulfilling Evelyn's request.

As long as Oliver could finally move on from me, even if he hated me for it, I could just take the money and walk away.

Before I could say a word, Oliver pushed the door open and walked in.

Emily's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she dramatically collapsed to the floor, putting on her best pitiful act.

"Iris, I really do love Mr. Wilson. Can't you just let me stay?" Emily sniffled.

Oliver walked in, just as stunned as I was.

Before I could even explain, Oliver softly helped Emily to her feet and, with a kind voice, asked her to step outside for a moment.

Emily wiped the tears from her eyes and clung to Oliver's arm.

"Iris just loves you so much. She just wants to have you all to herself. Please don't blame her," Emily pleaded.

Oliver gave Emily a gentle, almost pitying look.

He escorted Emily out, and when he returned, his gaze toward me was full of mixed emotions.

"At first, I only let Emily stay because she reminded me of you," Oliver said. "But as time went on, I saw she's truly kind, gentle, and thoughtful. She's a good person. Iris, please, go easy on her."

In my memories, Oliver always took my side, no matter what.

No matter how many times Evelyn tried to frame me, accusing me of stealing her jewelry or even poisoning her, Oliver never believed a word of it.

He was always there for me, defending me against the world and trusting me, no matter what.

But the Oliver standing before me now wasn't the same man I used to know.

He was starting to doubt me, and the woman he trusted without question was someone else.

I swallowed my disappointment, keeping my head down and silently accepting it. "I know."

Oliver finally relaxed, stepping forward to pull me into his arms.

"I know you only act this way because you love me. It's okay," he said. "I've set up a welcome party for you. Get ready, and we'll head out."

I went along with him, showing up at the welcome party looking glamorous and polished.

Everyone in our circle already knew that Oliver's dream girl had finally come back to him.

Friends and family flocked in, all dying to see what the woman Oliver could never forget actually looked like.

I stood by Oliver's side, smiling softly.

Countless people came up to offer their congratulations.

"Congrats, Mr. Wilson, you finally reunited with your one true love," someone cheered.

Someone else joked, "Mr. Wilson, those stand-ins you've been collecting? They're no match for the real deal."

Oliver's eyes flashed coldly. "Watch what you say around Iris."

Then Oliver turned to me, trying to cheer me up. "Don't listen to them. See? The whole world knows how crazy I am about you."

I kept my cool, just smiling softly and refusing to make a scene.

But right then, another woman who looked seven parts like me appeared.

I recognized her instantly. It was Nora Fields, the second lookalike Oliver had taken in.

Nora walked gracefully onto the stage and sat down at the piano.

"Welcome back, Iris. On such a wonderful day, let me play a song for you and Mr. Wilson," Nora said with a sweet smile.

With that, she began to play, and the beautiful piano music filled the ballroom, flowing gently through the air.

When I watched Nora's fingers fly over the piano, the familiar melody pulled me right back into the past.

Back in college, when we first met, Oliver was sitting in the audience, watching me perform Moonlight Variations up on stage.

Oliver was always begging me to play that song for him.

"Every time I hear it, it always reminds me of the moment I first saw you and fell head over heels," he'd say.

That song was basically our anthem, the one that defined us.

I could still remember how Oliver would get totally mesmerized every time I played for him.

But now, as I turned to look at him, I saw Oliver utterly captivated by Nora at the piano. It wasn't me who had him mesmerized anymore.

I looked down at my hands, worn and rough from years of struggling just to get by.

My expression turned somber, a wave of sadness washing over me.

As the final notes of the piano drifted through the hall, Nora made her way over to me, a glass of wine in hand.

"When I started being with Mr. Wilson, everyone said the only reason I got to stick around was that I looked so much like you, Iris," Nora said.

"People thought they were throwing shade at me, but honestly, being able to look this much like you is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me," Nora added.

Her meaning couldn't have been clearer.

Oliver's expression turned stormy in an instant.

"Who gave you permission to talk nonsense here? Get out, now," he snapped.

He didn't even bother to hide his coldness toward Nora.

After having someone escort Nora out, Oliver pulled me into a tight hug.

"Nora's fresh out of college. She's clumsy with words. If she said something that upset you, don't let it get to you," Oliver said.

He was obviously covering for Nora, making excuses for her the whole time.

Oliver pulled me along from table to table, making me toast with everyone and soak up all the praise people were showering on me.

Seeing him so excited, I didn't want to kill his vibe.

That night, Oliver gently lay me down on the bed, holding me close.

"Iris, there were so many nights I couldn't sleep, just tossing and turning, thinking about you," he whispered.

The air between us grew warm and charged with emotion.

He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of my nose, his fingers tenderly brushing through my hair.

As I watched his eyes grow hazy with desire, I closed my eyes, too.

But right then, he suddenly went still.

I opened my eyes.

Oliver was staring at me, totally thrown off by the scar on my forehead and how rough my skin had gotten from everything I'd been through.

I was not the stunning girl in my prime anymore.

I caught a flash of rejection in Oliver's eyes, but he quickly masked it by turning away.

"Oh, I just remembered, I've got a pile of work to deal with tonight," Oliver said.

He quietly excused himself, then had the servant bring me milk, reminding me to get to bed early.

But through the balcony window, I could clearly see Oliver speeding away in his luxury car.

The servant came over and quietly told me, "Whenever Mr. Wilson goes out at this hour, he's usually heading to see Ms. Fields."

I turned to the mirror and stared at my haggard reflection, my heart sinking with a wave of loneliness and despair.

Even though Oliver wouldn't share a bed with me, during the day, he was practically glued to my side.

After I came back, the darkness and anger in Oliver just faded away. He stopped hurting himself or spiraling into those dark thoughts.

He didn't bother hunting for new stand-ins anymore and poured all his energy into the Wilson Group. Even those silver strands in his hair started turning normal again.

Evelyn was incredibly grateful to me.

Word quickly spread among the staff at Wilson Group. "Honestly, only Iris, the one true love, could ever be the perfect Mrs. Wilson," they said.

Just when Evelyn thought I could keep living peacefully with Oliver, everything changed in an instant.

One day, I got a call that dragged me straight to the hospital.

As soon as I walked into the hospital room, I saw Nora lying in bed, her face pale as a sheet.

As soon as she saw me, she burst into tears, crying as if her whole world had just fallen apart.

"Iris, I know you're jealous that Mr. Wilson is with me every night, but no matter what, you can't hurt his baby," Nora sobbed.

As she cried, she clutched her belly and pointed at me. "I'm carrying Mr. Wilson's only child. Iris, how could you be so heartless?"

The heavy, tense atmosphere in the hospital room caught me completely off guard.

Before I could even make sense of what was happening, Emily stormed over, her face twisted with fury as she pointed right at me.

"Before you came back, Nora and I were totally fine. When I found out she was pregnant with Mr. Wilson's baby, I was honestly happy for her," Emily said.

"But as soon as you showed up, she lost the baby." As Emily spoke, tears streamed down her face.

"I could put up with you yelling at me or bossing me around, but how could you be so heartless as to lay a hand on Mr. Wilson's baby?" Emily added.

In the thick silence, I did my best to keep my composure and looked straight at Oliver.

"I didn't even know Nora was pregnant. I don't even know where she lives. This has absolutely nothing to do with me," I said.

Emily clung to Nora, the two of them bawling their eyes out.

"Just because Oliver's crazy about you, you think you can wipe us out for good, but you can't be so selfish that you cut off the Wilson family's bloodline," Emily sobbed.

"Enough. Shut up, every single one of you," Oliver snapped before Emily said more, his face dark.

The tension was so thick that one could cut it with a knife. Everyone held their breath, staring at Oliver, waiting for him to finally speak.