I didn’t ask her to run with me to Dad, because I knew they’d never stop until they got Mia Sokolov’s daughter.
And they did stop. Once I started living with Dad, they never bothered me—I think. My memories are still fuzzy around that.
What I know for sure is that at the time, I thought Dad would try to find Reina and bring her back.
He must’ve realized he got the wrong twin. And in some way, maybe Dad searched for her. It can’t be a coincidence that he was involved in all that dangerous business with the mafia.
Then they took him, too.
And they came back for Reina and me when we reunited at the cottage. Although I don’t remember exactly what happened, I’m sure they did.
If they didn’t kill her after all these years, surely they need her alive, right? Surely she’s still out there.
Human remains.
A tear slides down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away.
No.
I won’t believe they took her life. They need her in some way. She managed to survive all this time and will continue to do so.
You promised, Reina.
The door clicks open and I startle, nearly toppling over the side of the bed. During my jumbled thoughts about what happened, I forgot about the unfamiliar place I’m in.
My heart picks up speed and sweat beads on my forehead. My muscles tighten like every time Mom ushered me from the bed and told me we were leaving.
No warning, no nothing.
My eyes were usually closed as we ran in the middle of the night to God knows where then slept under the walls when we had no money for hotels. At least I slept—Mom never did. She’d stay wide awake all night watching over me to ward off any homeless.
Or the men chasing us.
Those motherfuckers, she called them. They’ll never take you away from me, Rai. Not as long as I breathe.
What if they came for me now? What if they figured out the identity switch and decided to rectify their mistake nine years later?
A shadow spills into the room and I jump back, my shoulder blades hitting the wall.
The light casts a halo on him as he becomes clear. A long breath heaves out of my lips before they turn shallow again.
Asher.
No idea why it’s both relieving and suffocating to see him.
Probably because he tried to kill you, Reina.
No, not Reina. Rai. I was always Rai. Reina was temporary. Her life was never mine to confiscate.
Maybe that’s why I’ve been that cold and aloof with her personality. I didn’t want people to get close because I didn’t want to form any attachments. I was an imposter and knew that one day, the real Reina would return to her life.
I was only a watchdog, and in my attempts to remain detached, I royally fucked it up.
Asher carries a plate in his hands as he approaches me at a steady pace. His dark jeans hang low on his hips and his T-shirt tightens around the developed muscles of his chest.
I force myself to look away as a potent feeling of disgust grips me by the throat.
The reality of what I’ve done—and can’t undo—slams against my face.