During the year I hit rock bottom, I agreed to my mother’s demand. I would marry a man in place of my twin sister and take care of her newly blind husband. What they didn't know was that in this game of playing the substitute, I had fallen far too deep into my role. Later, when we met again, he was holding my sister's hand, announcing to the media that they were going to hold a grand wedding. Everyone said they were a match made in heaven, their love stronger than gold. He twisted the wedding band on his finger, his gaze dropping to the audience. "My wife is the best woman in the world." My sister smiled radiantly beside him. And I stood in the audience, fighting back tears, clapping for their beautiful love story. 1 "Here is one million dollars." The elegantly dressed woman sitting on the sofa handed me a check. I stared at her for a few seconds before finally stepping forward to take it. "After today, Harrison's vision will be fully restored. So, it's time for both of you to return to your rightful places." That's right. The woman sitting on the sofa was my biological mother, Evelyn. She looked dotingly at the girl standing next to her. "Lily, you two should communicate about the minor details of your daily life. You absolutely cannot let Harrison notice anything is off." The girl nodded obediently. "I know, Mom." After Evelyn left, Lily dropped her innocent act. She crossed her legs and looked at me with smug satisfaction. "Mia, my dear sweet sister." "You really should win an Oscar. If it wasn't for you, how could Harrison have fallen so deeply in love with me?" "Regardless, for these past two years, I suppose I owe you a thank you." I looked at the face that resembled mine by about sixty or seventy percent, and forced a slight twitch of my lips. "Yeah." "But seriously, your acting is incredible. How about you become my permanent body double?" "As for the pay, I'll take eighty percent, you take twenty. How's that? Being an actress is way better than whatever else you'd be doing." I shook my head. "The entertainment industry isn't for me." Yes, Lily was my twin sister. When I was three years old, our dad died in an accident. Evelyn already despised him. Less than twenty-four hours after his death, she packed her bags, took my sister, and left. I grew up in a small, rural town, living a life without parents. My grandma raised me all by herself. But two years ago, Grandma fell severely ill, and I had absolutely no money to save her. When I was at the end of my rope, my mother suddenly showed up. That was when I learned that after leaving the country, she had married her current husband. He was a very powerful man. And also her first love. She told me she could get me the best doctors and the best medical care for Grandma, plus an extra million dollars. The condition was that I had to marry a man in my sister's place and take care of him until he recovered. Faced with my grandma's failing life, I couldn't care less about morals, or what was right and wrong. All I knew was that Grandma was my only family left in this world. I couldn't lose her. I had to save her. Lily's fiancé was Harrison Vance. In a terrible accident, he had lost his sight. The doctors said his recovery timeline was completely unpredictable. Lily never liked Harrison to begin with, and when she found out he was blind, she resisted the marriage even more. She thought he was a cripple—a rich and powerful cripple, but a cripple nonetheless. But she couldn't break off the engagement. This was a hard-won opportunity for her stepfather's family. With the Vance family's connections, they could reach entirely new heights. However, right around that time, Lily was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She needed to go abroad for surgery. Her return date was uncertain, so my mother suddenly remembered she had another daughter. When we were little, Lily and I looked exactly alike. Even our mother couldn't tell us apart. But as we grew up, we only shared a passing resemblance. Because she had gotten plastic surgery. She altered the eyes and nose that looked too much like our father's. Because she, too, was sick of that poor man and wanted to erase every trace of him from her face. Fortunately, the power of modern makeup is incredible. Plus, before marrying Harrison, my mother put me through rigorous training to mimic Lily's every mannerism. So, no one noticed the cracks. Sometimes, even I caught myself wondering whether I was Mia or Lily. 2 I handed a small notebook to Lily. Inside was a detailed record of everything between Harrison and me over the past two years. It included all our anniversaries, his living habits, his preferences... The one I gave her was a copy. I planned to keep the original for myself. Weren't those two years acting as Lily the exact years I got everything I ever wanted? It was only when I handed the notebook back to her that it truly hit me: I was just a stand-in. The past two years were nothing but a beautiful dream. Lily flipped through it casually. Her expression suddenly turned fascinating, as if she'd read something incredibly entertaining. "You and Harrison actually had sex?" She looked amused. My face flushed. I had written it vaguely, but I didn't expect her to be so blunt. "Alright, alright, my good sister, I'll stop teasing you." She looked a bit excited. "That's great, actually. I've never tried a man like Harrison before." "Oh, right. Just to be safe, once things are stable with him, I'm going to get a little more work done on my face. That way, you won't have to live your life hiding in the shadows." She was surprisingly considerate of me in that regard. But mostly, I guessed she just wanted to get her lips done. After all, our lips still looked exactly like our dad's. I forced a smile, feeling a pang of sorrow for my father. I remember when we were little, Dad used to carry us both on his shoulders, telling us we were his little princesses... And now, his other daughter wanted to completely erase the facial features she shared with him. I nodded. "Whatever you want." Lily looked at me for a moment, then tossed me a set of keys. "This is my apartment. You can stay there for now." "Remember, until I have my footing with him, you must wear a mask every time you go outside." I nodded obediently, then left their house. I held the keys, but my mind dragged me back to two years ago. When my mother found me, her demands went beyond just being Lily's stand-in for the marriage. While Lily was recovering from surgery, I also had to fulfill her lifelong dream. To be an actress. Lily had dreamed of being a movie star since she was a kid, but she could never get into the film academies. She was about to give up, but when my mother saw me, she thought it was worth a shot. If I succeeded, when Lily returned, all the glory and fame would belong to her. If I failed, Lily wouldn't be the one taking the heat from the public. She had absolutely nothing to lose. I let out a self-deprecating laugh. Mia, is it really that hard to accept that your mother just doesn't love you? Maybe it wasn't that she didn't love me; she just didn't love my father. And by extension, she hated the daughter who looked like him and chose to stay with him. I had seen it countless times. Whenever I stood in front of her without makeup, the sheer disgust on her face was impossible to hide. It was true. I was her ultimate shame. When she left the house, I refused to go with her. To her, that meant I was forever her enemy. And Lily, who left with her, was her only true daughter. 3 Harrison had his final surgery, and today was the day the bandages were coming off. Before going into the operating room, he held my hand, looking nervous. "Honey, will you be there when I wake up?" I kissed his eyes. "Of course I will." He hugged me, smiling brightly. "I want to see you..." Like I was possessed, I hailed a cab to the hospital. I just wanted to see him. Even though the person who promised to stay by his side was supposed to be Lily. Just let me indulge this one last time, I comforted myself. I bundled myself up tightly in a heavy coat, a hat, and a face mask. From the moment I agreed to be a stand-in, I ceased to be a good person, didn't I? Soon, I arrived outside Harrison's VIP room. He was the sole heir to the Vance family. With his vision being restored today, the room was packed with people. And standing right in the center of it all was Lily. "Harrison, don't be nervous," Lily said, holding his hand soothingly. The doctor slowly unwound the gauze. Harrison's previously unfocused eyes blinked, then locked squarely onto Lily. "Honey, you're so beautiful!" Even from the hallway, I could clearly hear the sheer joy in his voice. His parents started teasing him, saying he'd completely forgotten about them now that he could see his wife. The cheers and laughter from inside suddenly felt piercing to my ears. I didn't want to stay any longer, so I turned and walked away. Sitting on a bench outside the hospital, I looked up at the lit window of Harrison's room. There really was nothing to be sad about, right? The person Harrison loved was always meant to be Lily. When he was blind, Harrison had a terrible temper. That was right after we got our marriage license. It was my first time being in close proximity to him. He smashed everything in our bridal suite to pieces. That was when I learned that the boy who had stolen my heart at first glance years ago actually had a horrible personality. At the time, I thought to myself: Is he really blind, or is he just faking it to throw a tantrum? He constantly spoke to me with biting coldness. Judging by how viciously he insulted me, I figured his relationship with the real Lily hadn't been that great to begin with. I never took it to heart, because the person he was cursing wasn't actually me. Over time, because I never talked back, he got bored. He actually started treating me with a lot more respect. Later on, under my careful care, Harrison gradually grew dependent on me. He stopped lashing out with cruel words. But back then, besides taking care of him, I also had to juggle my acting career. Whenever I was filming a movie, Harrison would move into a hotel near my set. And he would stay there until we wrapped. Sometimes, his insecurities would flare up. One time, as soon as I got back to the hotel, I leaned in to wipe his eyes with a warm towel. The moment I got close, he grabbed my wrist, his voice dripping with grievance. "You smell like another man." I was confused. It was probably just the cologne rubbing off from my male co-star during a scene. It was just a normal part of the job. I planned to give him a quick, casual excuse and brush it off. But his eyes turned red, and he lost his temper again. "Lily, do you think I'm repulsive?! Do you think I'm just a useless cripple?!" Watching him throw a hysterical fit, I felt a surge of my own grievances. Who was looking down on him? At that time, I was walking on eggshells, terrified of my identity being exposed, while exhausting myself acting on set. I was doing things I wasn't good at, but was forced to do. The one who wanted to be an actress was the real Lily, not me! The more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt, and my quiet sobs quickly turned into loud crying. That terrified Harrison. He followed the sound of my crying, found me, and pulled me gently into his arms. He held me until I slowly calmed down, and he calmed down with me. "Lily, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper. Next time I—" Before he could finish, I shut him up. By stealing his first kiss. I grabbed him by his tie, my voice still thick with tears. "Harrison Vance, I like you! Do you have any idea?!" Only I knew that in that split second, I wasn't Lily. I was Mia. The Mia who had fallen in love with him the very first time she saw him in high school. After a long time, I let go of him. He hadn't even processed what happened, just sitting there completely stunned. "I'm going to get you some water!" Just as I tried to stand up, he reached out blindly and yanked me back. "I didn't catch that. Let's try it again." 4 I stayed in Lily's apartment for nearly a month. During that time, I rarely went out. Lily never came to look for me either. I figured she was adapting to her life perfectly well. After all, everything had returned to its rightful owner. But a week later, Lily suddenly showed up at the apartment. "What's wrong?" She angrily ripped off her sunglasses and mask. "Tell me the truth! Is Harrison normal?!" I hesitated. "What do you mean? Normal in what way?" "What do I mean?! Don't play dumb! I've been living with him for a month!" "I am this gorgeous, and he hasn't even touched me!" Lily's eyes were full of disgust. "Tell me! Is he impotent?!" Where she couldn't see, I let out a massive sigh of relief. If Lily had come here today to complain about the intimate details of their sex life, I probably would have been sick to my stomach. Maybe deep down, I couldn't bear the thought of sharing the Harrison I had spent two years with. "I... I don't know." "A man who can't perform isn't a real man!" Lily ground her teeth. "If Mom hadn't forbidden it, I'd make you go back and cover for me again!" I was shocked. Did Lily really just suggest bringing me in for marital... duties? "What are you looking at me for? Do you want to live like a nun?!" I shook my head like a rattle drum. I didn't know what was going on with Harrison, but based on my personal experience, there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. After all, I still vividly remembered the time I couldn't get out of bed for three days. "And another thing, how exactly did you act on set?" Compared to Harrison, Lily seemed much more concerned with her career. I told her the truth. She frowned, quickly losing patience. "Whatever. I have the Vance and Sterling families backing me now. Even if my acting sucks, I'll still get the best roles!" "Being eye candy isn't a bad gig anyway." She seemed to have just come to vent, and once she was done, she left. But before leaving, she told me her lip fillers and alterations were done. Which meant I was free to do whatever I wanted now. "Oh, considering you did me a huge favor..." "If you ever hit a dead end, you can come work at the Sterling Corporation." Lily grabbed her designer bag and clacked away in her heels. Go to the Sterlings? I laughed bitterly. If I could help it, I never wanted anything to do with them ever again. The very first thing I did after Lily left was pack my bags and move out of her apartment. I went back to my hometown. Fortunately, Grandma had been moved from the ICU to a regular ward. She had several private nurses taking care of her. I was relieved to know she was recovering, though it would take time before she fully woke up. I stayed in my hometown with her for a week before heading back to the city. But I didn't return to Lily's apartment. Since she was adapting to her identity, our business was officially concluded. I had the one million dollars. After setting aside Grandma's future medical bills, there was still plenty left for her recovery care.
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