Nothing But Lies

Sam and Paxton, the two men who claimed to love me, were both lying to my face. I wanted to laugh, but my eyes burned. When I reached up to wipe them, my fingertips were wet with tears.

Forget it. I didn’t want anything anymore. Right now, the only thing that mattered was staying alive.

Paxton didn’t seem suspicious. He was still as patient and gentle as ever, but I had no intention of staying by his side anymore. I packed my things, and when he came home from work that evening, I told him I wanted to break up.

He froze for a moment. Then, in that same affectionate tone, he coaxed me like always. “What’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you, my Leah?”

He pulled me into his arms, his fingers gently rubbing my earlobe.

I stared at him in silence. His acting was flawless. It was no wonder I hadn’t seen through him before. But now, all I saw was deceit.

“Paxton, do you love me? Or do you love Georgina?”

His expression stiffened as he hadn’t expected me to bring up her name so directly. A full minute passed, but he didn’t answer.

“Can you even tell the difference between us?” I tilted my head, watching him closely.

I had seen Georgina once by chance. We looked almost identical.

So that’s what this was, wasn’t it? Sam and Paxton both treated me as a substitute, a tool to keep Georgina safe and healthy.

“You heard everything.”

Paxton finally let go of me, his face returning to its usual calm.

“Leah.” He sighed and lowered himself to my eye level, his dark gaze unreadable. “Your heart is the perfect match. Sam and I will take care of everything. You don’t have to worry about anything happening to you. I promise you won’t die. After the surgery, I’ll stay by your side.”

His voice was steady and patient, as if he were explaining something reasonable. However, every word felt like a knife slicing through me. Even now, he was still lying.

“What if I don’t agree?”

He paused, as if the thought had never even occurred to him, or maybe because my opinion didn’t matter at all.

Just as he was about to speak, a sudden knock on the door shattered the tense silence. Paxton went to open it, and standing outside was a middle-aged couple, dressed in a sophisticated manner.

The woman, adorned in jewelry, stepped inside and gave me a scrutinizing look. Her gaze was anything but kind.

“Sir. Ma’am.” Paxton greeted them politely, but an uneasy feeling crept up inside me.

“I overheard everything,” the woman said coldly. “It doesn’t matter whether you agree or not. The surgery will happen.”

I looked at her face, which bore a resemblance to Georgina, and in that instant, I understood who they were.

The man beside her, who had been silent until now, suddenly smiled.

“You’re a smart girl,” he said. “I doubt we need to introduce ourselves.”

I frowned but didn’t answer, and he didn’t seem offended either.

“We’re Georgina’s parents, but we’re also your parents.”

I froze, stunned, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth. Then, from a stranger’s lips, I learned the truth about myself.

Georgina and I were twins. She was born just one minute before me. That was why we looked so much alike.