Chapter 3

The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Sterling mansion's dining room, casting golden light across the polished mahogany table where Rick and I sat in uncomfortable silence. He'd insisted on dinner together tonight—just the two of us—and the thought made my stomach twist with anxiety. Every moment in his presence was a minefield of potential mistakes, each casual question a possible trap that could expose me.

"More coffee?" he asked, his voice breaking the silence.

I glanced up from the untouched fruit plate before me. "No, thank you."

Rick studied me over the rim of his cup, his dark eyes unreadable. "You're quiet this morning."

"Just tired," I said, trying to match Alex's crisp tone. After three days of this charade, I was beginning to understand the rhythm of her speech, the slight lift at the end of her sentences, the way she held herself with perfect posture even when no one was watching.

"I've made reservations at Eloise for tonight," he said, setting down his cup with precise movements. "Eight o'clock. I thought we could continue our conversation from last week."

My heart stuttered. Conversation from last week? What conversation? I frantically searched for an appropriate response, something that wouldn't give me away.

"That sounds lovely," I managed, buying time. "Though I'm not sure there's much more to say on the matter."

Rick's eyebrow arched slightly. "Really? You seemed quite adamant about your position."

I took a sip of water, mind racing. "I've had time to reconsider."

"So you're agreeing to the Hamptons property sale?"

Relief washed over me. Business. Of course it was business. "Yes, if you think it's the right move."

Something flickered in his eyes—surprise, perhaps suspicion. "That's... unexpected. You've been fighting me on this for months."

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Sometimes a fresh perspective is all we need."

Rick studied me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Indeed." He reached across the table, his hand moving to cover mine.

I flinched involuntarily, pulling back before his fingers could touch my skin. The movement was small but unmistakable.

Rick's eyes narrowed, his hand retreating. "Are you alright, Alex?"

"Fine," I said quickly. "Just a little jumpy. That migraine the other night... I'm still not feeling quite myself."

"Clearly," he murmured, his gaze lingering on my face before he stood. "I have meetings all day. I'll see you tonight."

After he left, I exhaled shakily, pressing my palms against my eyes. How long could I keep this up? Every interaction was a performance, every response a calculated risk. And somewhere upstairs, hidden in the guest wing's linen closet wrapped in plastic and surrounded by mothballs, lay my sister's body—a ticking time bomb that would destroy everything the moment it was discovered.

I needed to understand Alex better if I was going to survive this. Rising from the table, I made my way upstairs to her—my—bedroom suite. The massive walk-in closet beckoned, a treasure trove of information about the woman whose life I'd stolen.

The closet was larger than my entire apartment, clothes organized by color and season, shoes displayed like museum pieces. I ran my fingers along the hanging garments, all designer labels, all perfectly pressed. Alex had always been meticulous, even as a child, while I'd been the messy one, the wild one, the disappointment.

I needed something appropriate for dinner tonight—something Alex would wear for an intimate evening with her husband. The thought made me shudder. How far would this charade need to go? The question had been haunting me since I'd stepped into her shoes.

As I pushed aside a row of evening gowns, my hand caught on something—a slight irregularity in the seemingly perfect wall. Curious, I pressed against it, feeling a section give way slightly. A hidden panel. Of course Alex would have secrets, even in her meticulously organized life.

The compartment was small but deep. Inside lay a burner phone, several folded papers, and a small glass vial containing white pills. I pulled everything out with trembling hands, spreading the items on the carpeted floor.

The papers contained offshore account numbers, passwords, and what appeared to be travel arrangements—a private charter to an island I'd never heard of, scheduled for next week. The burner phone was password protected, but the vial's label was clear enough: a powerful sedative, the kind that would knock someone out completely for hours.

My mind raced. Alex hadn't been suicidal—she'd been planning something. An escape? From what? From whom? The Rick Sterling I'd met seemed cold but hardly threatening. What had driven my sister to such elaborate preparations?

Before I could investigate further, a sound from the bedroom doorway made me freeze.

"What the hell are you doing?"

I whirled around to find Mason Sterling standing in the closet entrance, his lanky frame tense with anger. At nineteen, Rick's son from his first marriage had the same dark eyes as his father, but none of the control. His gaze flickered from my face to the items spread before me.

"Mason," I said, scrambling to gather the evidence. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously." He stepped closer, his expression a mixture of fury and confusion. "So what was it? A cry for attention? Another manipulation?"

I stared at him blankly, unsure what he meant.

"The suicide attempt," he spat. "Was it real, or just another one of your games?"

My breath caught. Of course—he thought I was Alex, that I'd tried to kill myself and somehow survived. The perfect explanation for any strange behavior.

"It wasn't a game," I said softly, deciding to lean into the misunderstanding.

"Bullshit." He stepped closer, looming over me. "You've never done anything that wasn't calculated. So what was the endgame? Getting Dad to finally notice you? Making Grandmother feel guilty? Or was it just another way to make everyone dance to your tune?"

The venom in his voice took me aback. Had Alex and Mason's relationship really been this toxic? I searched his face and saw something beyond the anger—hurt, deep and raw.

"I'm sorry," I said, the words coming naturally. "I never meant to hurt you."

Mason blinked, clearly thrown by my response. He'd expected defensiveness, perhaps cruelty—not apology.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry," I repeated, standing slowly. "Whatever's happened between us... maybe we can start over?"

He took a step back, his expression shifting from anger to wary confusion. "Who are you?"

The question hit too close to home, sending a chill down my spine. "What do you mean?"

"You're not..." He shook his head, backing toward the door. "Something's different. You're different."

"Mason—"

"Stay away from me," he said, his voice suddenly uncertain. "Whatever game you're playing now, I want no part of it."

He turned and fled, his footsteps echoing down the hallway. I stood frozen in the closet, surrounded by evidence of Alex's secret plans, my heart hammering in my chest.

Mason had seen through me—or at least, he'd sensed the change. How long before Rick noticed too? How long before Detective Hale connected the dots between the witness at Club Velvet and the suddenly different Alexandra Sterling?

The burner phone in my hand buzzed suddenly, making me jump. A text message appeared on the screen:

*Everything still on schedule? Confirmation required.*

I stared at the message, a new fear blooming in my chest. Who was Alex communicating with? What had she been planning? And most importantly—what would happen when they realized she was dead and I had taken her place?

The elegant dinner at Eloise suddenly seemed like the least of my worries.