Chapter 1My sister wants to take my place.

After being killed by my sister, I could only watch as she wore my face and stepped over my corpse to return to my husband.

She copied my voice, stole my habits, and forced herself into my life.

But the moment Adrian came home, his brief hesitation cut through her manufactured perfection like a blade.

I realized he had already sensed something was wrong.

And my sister had no idea—she was about to face a man far more terrifying than she ever imagined.

Today is the day Adrian Hawthorne returns from overseas.

He’s been out of the country for over two months, and I’ve already been dead for a week.

My sister, Faye Dawson, nervously stood as Adrian entered the house.

“Adrian, have you had dinner yet? I had the housekeeper make your favorite—pumpkin soup.”

This should’ve been their first time meeting.

Yet Adrian didn’t seem to notice that his wife had been swapped.

Faye had really done it—altered herself from head to toe to look exactly like me.

Adrian handed his suitcase to one of the staff and rubbed his temples. “I’ll have a bowl.”

Faye smiled, perfectly mimicking my gestures and mannerisms, exactly as she’d seen on hidden camera footage.

Following behind Adrian, she entered the dining room. “Mrs. Jenkins, get a bowl of pumpkin soup for Mr. Hawthorne.”

Adrian glanced at her briefly.

Though there were plenty of staff, I had always preferred to do things myself.

I never felt comfortable ordering people around, even though I’d been living in Harbor City for almost two years now.

Before I married Adrian, I lived in a quiet rural town in South Carolina.

And truth be told, Faye was supposed to be the one marrying Adrian.

The Dawsons and Hawthornes had been close for generations. The Hawthorne family was second in influence in Harbor City—nobody dared claim first.

Years ago, our grandfathers had arranged for a marriage between Adrian and Faye.

But after both passed away, Adrian’s family was betrayed in the business world.

Adrian’s father, in a last-ditch effort, tried to revive the old engagement, hoping the Dawsons would come to the rescue.

But my father had already been courted by other powerful players, ready to divide Hawthorne Holdings, caring little for past loyalties.

The Hawthornes went bankrupt. Adrian’s father died shortly after, and his mother vanished from Harbor City with Adrian and their butler.

Two years ago, Adrian returned with Hawthorne Holdings, crushing every major player in the city.

Anyone who had wronged the Hawthornes wasn’t spared—either left buried in debt or sent to prison.

Businessmen quietly thanked their stars that this was happening domestically. Adrian’s ruthless reputation abroad was notorious.

By the time the Dawsons were nearly bankrupt from Adrian’s moves, my father remembered the old marriage agreement.

Faye, fearing Adrian’s wrath, begged me to take her place and marry him instead.

My father, like many businessmen, was deeply superstitious.

On the day Faye was born, my father landed a major deal, one that propelled the Dawson family to new heights.

But on the day I was born, the deal went sour, and the Dawson family lost half its fortune.

He believed Faye brought him luck, while I brought him ruin.

If it hadn’t been for my grandfather, who fought to keep me alive, I’m certain my father would’ve drowned me at birth.

Instead, he told everyone I was ill and sent me “overseas” to recuperate.

The truth? I was abandoned in a small southern town, raised by a blind widow.

Faye’s name symbolized peace and safety, while my father named me “Early Death.” He hoped I would die young and not curse the family’s fortune.

The widow, who cared for me, pitied me and secretly changed my name to Elara.

Though I escaped an early death, I still ended up dying young.