The night before our wedding, my fiancée's high school sweetheart, Chad, slammed into me while driving drunk. He stalled on calling for help, and by the time they got me to the hospital, the doctor said I was in a coma, maybe never coming back. My bride-to-be, Brittany, wearing her wedding dress, became my wife in front of a courthouse clerk, vowing to get to the bottom of everything and make sure I got justice. They all told me the driver, Chad, was brain-dead in the next room, and I believed them. Until I accidentally heard Chad and Brittany getting it on in the next room. "Thank God for you, or the Baker family would never have let a nobody like me take your place." "He'll never know he was the real Baker all along, and our kid will inherit everything. Mom and Dad even helped things along during the surgery to make sure he stayed out of it! The Baker and Sullivan fortunes will be all ours." Brittany finished with a sloppy kiss. The marriage I thought would save me was a joke from the start. I don't want this kind of toxic "love." 1. Daylight broke before the rustling from next door finally stopped. "How was it? Better than that pretty boy, Shawn, right?" "Stop it!" Their teasing cut me like knives, suffocating. The sounds of their "good time" had gone on all night. I bit down so hard I cracked a tooth, blood filling my mouth. Pain shot through me. The wife who promised justice was in another bed, pleasuring the guy who put me here. And the parents I'd called "Mom and Dad" for 25 years? Part of the con. They messed with my surgery to put me in this coma and tricked their own daughter into marrying me. That way, when I died, she and her bastard kid could take everything. A carefully planned death trap. Nice work. The door creaked open, light footsteps coming in – Brittany. "I told you not to worry. He's in a coma, he can't hear anything." Chad said, doubt in his voice. "It's weird, I could have sworn I heard something in here." The room went quiet, but I knew they were still there. Then, a jolt of pain exploded in my leg. I bit my tongue to keep from screaming. Brittany stabbed my leg three times with scissors. "Now do you believe me?" Chad pulled Brittany onto the bed next to mine, whispering. "I feel better now that I tried it." "Are you crazy? Shawn's right there!" Her voice was a mix of fear and excitement. Chad chuckled. "He's just a vegetable. Don't you think having him so close adds to the excitement?" Brittany lost it. Heavy breathing. The bed started to creak, a steady rhythm. The sound of their sloppy kisses and the hospital monitors beeping created a sick contrast. Shock and hate choked me. They were doing this right next to me... My mom burst in, then left immediately. "Seriously, couldn't you find somewhere with more privacy?" She said with a hint of amusement in her voice. My nails dug into my palms, the pain keeping me sane. My mom barged in again, telling them to get to the doctor's office in a panic. Once they were gone, she picked up the scissors, still dripping with blood. She shoved them deep into my thigh. Brittany and Chad returned, sounding casual. "We just tested it, Mom." My mom asked, "Did you notice anything unusual?" Her hand didn't stop moving, repeatedly yanking the IV in and out of my vein. My veins were a mess of scar tissue. I wanted to scream, "Why?" Had the last 25 years been a lie? But I knew it was pointless. "The doctor said his brain activity is high. Maybe it's a last surge, maybe he'll wake up." I tensed. My mom said, cold as ice, "We can't let that happen." "Get the doctor to give him something to knock him out. He's resistant to anesthesia." "We'll see if he's faking or really in a coma." She'd always spoken to me with such tenderness, now she was my enemy. I laughed inwardly. The doctor slowly injected the drug, the coldness snapping me even more awake. I gripped the sheets, knuckles white, heart racing. Then, my mom and the doctor's conversation came through clearly. 2. "Our hospital doesn't have the latest tech. I recommend a hospital in Switzerland. They have new treatments for comatose patients." My mom cut him off. "Don't give me that. I want to know if his brain waves are still active. Is he a vegetable or not?" I could feel the doctor's eyes scanning me, and every hair on my body stood up. "He's definitely in a coma. I guarantee it." I didn't know why he was lying, but he was saving my life. "You interfered during the surgery, which caused this. Now you want him dead. That's…" My mom slapped him. "Don't forget what happened 25 years ago. You were part of that." The doctor apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I'm just saying he's in a coma. He's not a threat." "That's not your problem. Your job is to make sure he never wakes up, and preferably meets the grim reaper soon." "This has been in the works for 25 years. Time to cash out. If you mess this up, I'll make your whole family suffer." My wife, who'd sworn to protect me, wanted me dead. The doctor agreed, bowing as he walked them out. I lay in bed, gasping for air like a drowning fish. Good patience. This started 25 years ago. Meaning, 25 years ago this doctor switched me and Brittany's identities. They'd waited 25 years. They'd even sacrifice their daughter for money, pretend to love me for 25 years. Wolves in sheep's clothing. I felt like I was falling into a glacier, my muscles shaking uncontrollably. They didn't know I wasn't really in a coma. I was a medical miracle when I left the hospital, shocking everyone, including the doctor who helped them. Without giving him a chance to warn anyone, I took a cab back to the house I'd lived in for 25 years. Brittany stared, pulling at her shirt collar, trying to hide the hickeys. I ignored it, opening my arms. I hugged Brittany as she cried, glancing at Chad hanging onto the window sill outside. "Okay, okay, I'm back." Brittany punched my chest, wincing as she touched me. "I feel bad, we got married but didn't get a honeymoon." I pushed her onto the bed, ignoring the fear in her eyes. "Bang." I stood up, walking to the window. "Did something fall?" Brittany wrapped around me, trying to stop me from opening the window. Then, my mom walked in, eyes red. Brittany rushed to her, asking what was wrong. My mom looked at me with hate, "It's nothing. I'm fine." Right, that height would break every bone in his body. They felt bad. Unbelievable. Brittany grabbed my hand, "Mom's just thinking about Chad. After raising him for 25 years, she must miss him." "Chad messed up, but he's being punished. You're awake, but he's still in a coma. He loves my sister and thought you were marrying her, so he lost it. Good people don't deserve to die." "Mom and Dad want to send him to Switzerland. They say the tech is good. We'll deal with him when he wakes up." Brittany stared, worried I'd disagree. Switzerland. "You've raised him for so long, I don't want to see him die in bed. Do whatever you want." Brittany smiled, kissing me. "Mom, I told you. Shawn doesn't want Chad to suffer. After all, they're brothers." Mom said I was understanding, she was proud. I didn't react. Inside, I burned with hate. Both raised for 25 years, but they saw Chad as a son, and me as a walking bank account. Before bed, Brittany brought me milk. She hovered until I drank it, then snuggled into my arms. "Honey, I'm sorry you suffered. I'll make it up to you." I patted her back, realizing she'd always been nice to me. She brought me soup and medicine in the rain, crying, looking like a cute, helpless bunny. She always surprised me on my birthday, her eyes always full of me. Now I knew she'd never loved Shawn. Only the Baker fortune. She wanted money and power, not me. "Shawn? Shawn?" When she was sure I was asleep, Brittany snuck out. I opened my eyes, throwing off the wet sheets and following her to Chad's room. A toddler ran up, hugging Brittany, calling her "Mommy." Chad was in a wheelchair, kissing her hand. "Eww, Daddy kissed Mommy, eww." My eyes burned, tears welling up. Finally, I understood. They were a family. And I, the outsider, was their stepping stone. "I didn't know he'd wake up." "He cries for his mother every day. What was I supposed to do?" "I'm working on it. I can kill him a second time. I told Mom and Dad to take the kid to Switzerland." Brittany soothed Chad. "When you get back in a month, after the wedding, let them both die." A month after the wedding of Chad and Brittany's sister, Bailey. They'd planned this for a while. They wanted the Bakers to lose both kids, so they'd be vulnerable. Then, they'd swoop in and take everything. I stumbled back to my room. I called a number. "Lucas, I'm joining your team." Lucas shouted, "Good. Shawn, you figured it out. You're going to take us to the top!" "Don't exaggerate. Give me a week. I'll be there." The next day, Brittany saw my job application and freakeded
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