Chapter 1 Three years into her marriage with Damien Blackwood , Elara Vance received the good news . She could finally leave him . 2010 0 " Your sister will be back in a month . For this last month , you will continue to play her part perfectly . " On the other end of the line , her mother's voice was as cold and remote as ever . " When it's all over , I'll give you five million dollars . You can go live the life you've always wanted . " " I understand , " she replied softly , her voice as still and lifeless as a stagnant pool . Hanging up , Elara looked up at the enormous wedding portrait hanging on the wall . In the photo , Damien was breathtakingly handsome in a tailored suit , a man who looked sculpted by the gods . And she , adorned in a priceless designer gown , wore a gentle , captivating smile . " Three years … " she murmured , her fingertips tracing the edge of the frame . " It's finally ending . " Three years ago , the union of the Vance and Blackwood dynasties was the society event of the year , a merger of fortunes that sent shockwaves through the global elite . Her twin sister , Seraphina Vance , was the bride handpicked by the Blackwood family . But on the eve of the wedding , Seraphina had vanished , leaving behind a single , defiant note : Mom , Dad , I refuse to be a pawn in your corporate games . But I know my duty . Give me three years to find my own freedom . After that , I'll come back . To salvage the multi - billion - dollar alliance , the Vance parents had no choice . They summoned their other daughter , the twin they had cast away to the countryside years ago , and brought her back under the cover of night . And just like that , Elara Vance - the girl raised in obscurity , who had never even been invited to a family gathering - stepped into her sister's life , put on her sister's dress , and became the substitute bride . " Damien doesn't love your sister . He loves the scholarship student his family sponsored , " her mother had warned her on the night before the wedding , her words like shards of ice . " Life with him won't be easy . But all you have to do is keep your head down , wear your sister's name , and survive these three years . " Elara remembered simply nodding , her obedience a practiced shield . Of course , she knew who Damien was . A permanent fixture in financial magazines , the most celebrated prince of Manhattan's elite , the object of desire for countless socialites . She had also heard the stories about him and Isabelle Croft . Isabelle was the brilliant , struggling student the Blackwoods had sponsored , the girl who got into a top university on a full ride . Damien had loved her with a fierce passion , ready to defy his family to be with her . But Isabelle , proud and fiercely independent , refused to accept a love that came without blessing . She broke it off and left the country . The Blackwood family , overjoyed , immediately arranged Damien's marriage . Married life was even harder than Elara had imagined . Damien's study was a shrine to Isabelle , filled with her photographs . Every week , he would take a private jet to Paris , just to catch a glimpse of her from afar . Meanwhile , Elara , his wife , was not even permitted to enter the master bedroom . She slept in the guest room at the far end of the hallway . Elara was meticulous , playing the role of Seraphina to perfection . To ensure the corporate alliance remained intact , she had spent the last three years being impossibly , almost insanely , good to Damien . 20.10 Chapter 1 20 10 0 When he worked late , she left the porch light on , waiting for the sound of his car in the drive . When his stomach acted up , she woke at five every morning to prepare the simple broth he could tolerate . He loved quiet , so she became the quietest thing in the house , a ghost in her own home . Slowly , whispers began to circulate through their social circle : Mrs. Blackwood was devastatingly in love with her husband . And the way Damien looked at her … it seemed to change , to soften . The photos of Isabelle in his study disappeared . The weekly flights to Paris stopped . He started remembering her birthday . He wou- Id come home early if he heard she had a cold . He even began to … share her bed . For a dizzying moment , Elara almost let herself believe that something real , something true , had begun to grow in the ashes of this substitute marriage . Until three months ago , when Isabelle Croft came back . Everything snapped back to the way it was . Damien Damien's heart was once again entirely captivated by Isabelle . He started staying out all night . The photos of Isabelle reappeared in his study , more numerous than before . Everyone in their circle laughed at Elara , calling her a pathetic joke . But she simply smiled her quiet smile , never raising her voice , never making a scene . Because she had never , ever loved Damien . The only reason she stayed was for the money and the freedom her parents had promised . His affection would have made her life easier , yes . But his indifference ? It didn't matter . No one knew that while Elara and Seraphina were twins , their fates were worlds apart . When their mother gave birth to Elara , she suffered a major hemorrhage and nearly died . From that day on , her mother's eyes alw- ays held a flicker of revulsion when she looked at her . Her father , who doted on his wife , saw Elara as nothing more than a harbing- er of disaster . When she was five , she was sent to live with a distant , paid caretaker in a forgotten town upstate . She remembered one winter when the caretaker's furnace broke . She had shivered uncontrollably , with not even a single thick coat to her name . Meanwhile , Seraphina was in their warm city mansion , dressed in expensive cashmere , cherished and adored by their parents . Eighteen years of such disparate treatment had long ago scoured away any hope she had for familial love . Now , just one more month . One month , and she would collect her five - million - dollar payment for playing Seraphina and leave this city forever . She would finally have a life that was truly her own . As a wave of genuine pleasure washed over her , her phone vibrated . The caller ID flashed on the screen . Damien Blackwood . She took a deep breath and answered . " Hello ? " " I need you to bring some feminine products to Eclipse within twenty minutes , " Damien's voice was as cold as steel . " The overnight kind . " The line went dead . Elara clutched the phone , understanding instantly who they were for . Isabelle's cycle . Damien remembered it more clearly than the date of his company's IPO . Outside , a torrential downpour lashed against the windows . The drive from the Blackwood estate to the Eclipse nightclub would take at least forty minutes in this weather . 20:10 Chapter 1 But Elara grabbed an umbrella and walked out the door . 2010 O Halfway there , traffic came to a dead stop . She glanced at the clock on the dashboard . Twelve minutes left . Gritting her teeth , she pushed open the car door and ran into the storm . The rain soaked through her clothes in seconds . Her high heels slipped on the slick pavement , and with a sudden lurch , she fell hard into a puddle , a sharp , searing pain shooting through her knee . She ignored it , scrambling back to her feet and forcing herself to run faster . Finally , in the nineteenth minute , she arrived at the club . As she reached the door of the private suite , she was about to knock when she heard a burst of laughter from within . " Seriously , Damien ? You really made your wife bring you that in this storm ? It's a forty - minute drive from your place , minimum . " " Isabelle's in a lot of pain , " Damien's voice was flat , detached . " She'll find a way to get here . " " I guess so . Everyone knows how madly in love she is with you . For three years , she's stood by you without a single complaint , even knowing your heart was with someone else . " Another voice chimed in , teasing , " But for real , Damien . A stunning woman who adores you like that … you're telling us in three years , you haven't been tempted ? Not even a little ? " The room fell silent . Elara held her breath , listening . She heard Damien pause for a few seconds before he spoke . " Whenever it comes to a choice between Isabelle and her , I will always choose Isabelle . " The words were merciless , yet Elara felt no pain . Instead , a wave of relief washed over her . She waited for the conversation inside to resume before raising her hand to knock . When she pushed the door open , all eyes turned to her , wide with shock . " Holy shit , she's right on time ! " " Mrs. Blackwood … what happened ? You're completely soaked ! " Damien stood up , his brow furrowed deeply . " Why are you such a mess ? " Elara held out the package of sanitary pads , which she had managed to keep perfectly dry . " You said you needed them in twenty minutes . I was worried you were in a hurry , so I got out of the car and ran . " She didn't mention the fall , nor the fact that her knee was now throbbing so painfully her leg was trembling . Something shifted in Damien's eyes . He abruptly took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her shivering shoulders . " Put this on . " Then he gestured to the package in her hand . " Take it to the women's restroom . " Elara nodded , obediently turning toward the restroom . When she knocked , she heard Isabelle's delicate voice from within . " Who is it ? " " It's the delivery . " The door opened a crack . Elara passed the package through the opening and turned to leave without another word . Back home , she took a hot shower , the wound on her knee stinging beneath the water . Lying in bed , the thought of her impending freedom filled her with an indescribable sense of peace . Chapter 1 Just as she was drifting off to sleep , her bedroom door was thrown open with a violent kick . Damien stormed in and grabbed her by the wrist . " Get up ! " 2010 O Before Elara could react , she was yanked brutally from the bed , stumbling as he dragged her out of the room and to the top of the grand staircase . " Damien ? What are you do- " Her words were cut short as a massive force slammed into her . She was thrown backward , her head cracking hard against the edge of a step as she tumbled , again and again , down the long flight of stairs . An explosion of pain ripped through her entire body . She lay crumpled at the bottom , her vision blurring , as a warm liquid trickled down from her forehead . " Why … " she managed , pushing herself up with trembling arms . " Why would you … do this to me ? " Damien stood at the top of the stairs , a dark silhouette against the light , his expression unreadable . His voice , however , was a blade of ice . " Did you or did you not push Isabelle ? " Elara stared up at him , bewildered . " What ? " " Stop pretending ! " he descended the stairs , each step a hammer blow of fury . " You've been playing the part of the magnanimous wife for months , just waiting for a moment like this , weren't you ? Do you have any idea what you've done ? You pushed her from a window ! She has multiple fractures ! She almost died ! " " I didn't … " she shook her head weakly , the movement sending a fresh wave of dizziness through her . Damien knelt , his fingers digging into her chin , forcing her to look at him . " Seraphina , did my kindness these past few years give you some kind of delusion ? Let me tell you again . We are a contract . There are no feelings involved . " He leaned in close , his voice a venomous whisper in her ear . " The love you want ? I will never , ever be able to give that to you . " The pain was making her vision go black , but a sudden , hysterical laugh bubbled up in her throat . Because she had never … she had never wanted his love at all . 30