Chapter 1

The day my elder sister ran out on her wedding, she shoved me into the wedding car.

Vivian said, "Be good, Lottie. Help me out just this once."

Still in her regular clothes, she hurriedly pulled the veil over my head, promised she'd come back and switch with me once things died down, then slammed the door.

The wedding car started rolling, and I sat inside amid clusters of white roses without even getting the chance to look back.

The wedding dress was Vivian's size, which was too big on me, and the straps kept slipping while I clutched the bouquet so hard my knuckles turned white.

The whole city knew what day it was: Alexander Hart, the Hart heir, was marrying Vivian Bennett, the Bennett family's eldest daughter.

A handsome groom, a beautiful bride, a match made in heaven.

And me? I was Charlotte Bennett, the Bennett family's second daughter, an illegitimate child omitted from the family register. From the day they brought me back at fifteen, I knew I existed only to be Vivian's shadow.

If she didn't want to go to class, I went instead.

If she didn't want to take medicine, I took it for her.

If she didn't want to marry the man chosen for her, I married him.

The wedding car finally stopped at Hart Manor. Someone opened the door and offered me a hand.

I looked up and saw a stranger, not Alexander.

"Ma'am, Mr. Hart is waiting inside for you," he said.

I took a deep breath and placed my hand in his.

The lavish wedding made my knees weak. Hundreds of guests filled the hall, including the city's political and business elite, and the red carpet seemed endless.

Made up to resemble Vivian, whose face looked much like mine but far more refined, I walked forward one step at a time.

That morning, I had watched the makeup artist work on Vivian. Smiling at the mirror, she said, "Lottie, look. This face is worth a fortune."

I said nothing.

Now that same artist spent over an hour remaking my features into hers.

"Don't move, Miss Charlotte. Miss Vivian said it has to look exactly the same."

Alexander stood at the end of the red carpet.

I didn't dare look at his face, only at the tips of his spotless black shoes. He stood utterly still, like a statue.

When we exchanged rings, his fingers brushed the back of my hand, ice-cold.

"I do," he said, his voice low and rough.

I echoed him so softly it was almost a whisper. He never looked at me, his gaze fixed on some empty point in the distance as though I weren't standing before him at all.

After the ceremony, I was taken to the bridal suite on the third floor of Hart Manor. Red silk draped the bedroom, and the window faced the back garden, where the fountain was only a dark outline.

I sat alone on the bed beneath the veil, listening to the clink of glasses downstairs, until the door opened.

The footsteps were heavy and unsteady. I gripped the red silk so hard my nails bit into my palms as the veil was lifted.

When I looked up, I saw Alexander in his black suit, tie loosened, collar open, eyes hazy with drink yet disturbingly clear.

"I finally got to marry you," he said, his voice rougher than it had been at the altar.

My throat tightened, but I forced a smile and whispered, "Alex."

He stared at me for so long that I thought he'd seen through me. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might jump out of my throat.

Then he bent down and kissed me.

The kiss tasted of alcohol, bitter and sharp, but his touch was gentle, almost careful.

"Vivian," he murmured against my lips, calling my sister's name.

I closed my eyes, and that night he held me while repeating it again and again.