Chapter 1

I was Joyce Collier's substitute in life. We looked so much alike that she used my name to hit the clubs, drag race, and flirt with whoever she wanted.

I went to her classes, ran her business deals, and wrote her papers for her.

Everyone thought Joyce was the perfect role model for women.

Meanwhile, my reputation was trashed. Netizens called me shameless, said I was adopted by the Collier family but never gave anything back, causing trouble every day.

I endured it all because I owed the Collier family a debt I could never repay.

I kept holding on until everyone abandoned me, even my boyfriend, who cast me aside and started worshipping Joyce.

He wrapped his arms around her and snarled at me, "Lydia, you're so dirty, you're not even fit to carry Joyce's shoes!"

Years later, at a ball, my heel snapped. My ex reached out to pick up my shoe. But before he could, a rich, handsome man swept me up in his arms like I was something precious.

"Your hands are filthy. You're not worthy to touch her shoes," the man said coldly.

*****

"Lydia, you disgust me!" Ewan raged at me over the phone. We'd been giving each other the silent treatment for two weeks, and I'd been secretly hoping he'd reach out.

But I never expected his call would be to rip into me.

Ewan said, "Two years ago, we were living just fine in Wasall. Then you suddenly said you wanted to move south to Sario City for your career. So tell me, what have you actually done these past two years?"

Ewan's deep, magnetic voice dripped with sarcasm as he went on, "All you do is party and fool around. Now you've even gotten involved with the hottest celebrity out there. Damn, you're all over the trending topics!"

The number one trending topic was [Felix Hurst and Lydia Morris's nude photo scandal.]

I instantly realized Joyce was pulling her usual stunt, messing things up for me again with my name.

I clicked on the trending post and saw a few pixelated, intimate photos. Even with the faces blurred out, it was obvious the guy was Felix, the hottest star right now.

The woman in the photos had flawless skin, thick black hair, and a gorgeous face. I couldn't help but think, she looked just like me.

I was born with that typical influencer look, nothing special, just easy to blend in with the crowd.

Joyce already looked a bit like me, but after a few rounds of cosmetic tweaks over the years, she kept getting prettier, and now, she was practically my twin.

And with all that heavy makeup she always wore, it was impossible to tell us apart. Any tiny differences between us vanished.

Even Ewan, my boyfriend of five years, couldn't tell she wasn't me.

As the only heir to the Collier family, all the family pressure landed on Joyce's shoulders. But she wanted to party. Studying bored her, and work was her worst nightmare.

Two years ago, we made a deal. The Collier family would make sure my autistic brother got the best treatment money could buy.

The catch? I had to be Joyce's stand-in for everything.

So, Joyce got to live wild and free, pretending to be me, while I was left to deal with all the Collier family duties.

I busted my ass making sure everything was perfect, and when Joyce finished partying, she'd come home and enjoy all the results of my hard work.

Like right now, it was pouring rain, and I was climbing a steep, rain-soaked mountain trail to inspect the silk production site halfway up the mountain.

The Collier family specialized in luxury textiles, and their silk-making tradition went back a thousand years. It was a national treasure and a piece of living heritage.

This silk required only the finest silkworms, so I'd been chasing after the mountain farmers day and night, barely eating or sleeping, to make sure everything was perfect.

My feet were covered in blisters, and my socks were soaked with blood.

Ewan had no idea what was really happening. He kept laying into me. "Seriously, have you no shame? Posting those kinds of photos online? That's disgusting!"

I tried to explain, "That wasn't me."

Ewan yelled into the phone, "Lydia, you're already a total mess. Do you have to add lying to your list of sins? At this rate, you'll have all seven deadly sins checked off!"

On this cold, rainy night, my feet throbbed with pain, but my heart ached even more. The loneliness cut deeper than the chill.

Ewan was my first love, the boy in white I used to dream about. He was the only one I ever loved, and my feelings for him never changed.

But he didn't believe me.

Everyone was out to shame me, and he joined them, piling on the hate.

The trending comments were calling me every name in the book, like gold-digger and slut.

[Lydia Morris is the Collier family's stain. She slept with everyone. She's been around the block so many times, Felix must be out of his mind to pick her.]

[Heard Lydia was adopted by the rich Collier family, but she's an ungrateful leech. They paid for her education, and all she does is blow their money on partying.]

[Joyce, the Collier family's real daughter, is the same age as Lydia and still working on her PhD. They call her a bare-faced goddess. She is super low profile online, never posts selfies, just academic stuff. Compared to her, this adopted girl has zero class.]

The rain was so heavy I could barely see, and my tears mixed with the downpour, dripping onto my phone screen.

The mountain trail was slippery in the rain, and I knew I should keep my eyes on the path.

I couldn't help feeling miserable. I choked out, "Ewan, please trust me. I can't explain right now, but I promise, I'll tell you the truth someday."

Suddenly, my foot caught on something hard, and I lost my balance, tumbling forward.