Chapter 1

For three years, I was married to a lie. The man I loved, the man whose name I carried, wasn't my husband. He was his identical twin brother.

The truth shattered my perfect life on our anniversary. My real husband, Elliot, had swapped places with his volatile twin, Killian, all so he could be with another woman without the mess of a divorce.

I was just a placeholder in their cruel game. Elliot stood by as his lover burned my hand, while Killian wore his face, whispering promises he never meant.

But the final blow came when I found Killian's phone. In a group chat, he called me a "prize" he'd won from his brother, promising his friends they could have me once he was bored.

That's when my heartbreak turned to ice. I filed for divorce, took everything the pre-nup promised, and fled to London. I thought I was free, but now they've followed me, determined to reclaim their favorite toy.

Chapter 1

Claire Costa POV:

For three years, I was married to a lie. The man I' d slept beside, the man whose name I carried, the man I loved with every fractured piece of my soul, wasn't my husband. He was his twin brother.

I had known the Callahan twins, Elliot and Killian, since we were children. They were the princes of a New York financial empire, identical in their sharp jawlines and startling green eyes, yet polar opposites in every other way.

Elliot Callahan was the golden boy. Polished, sophisticated, and gentle. He was the heir apparent, the man who walked into a room and commanded it with a quiet, assured grace. He was warm sunlight on a spring morning.

Killian Callahan was the black sheep. Rebellious, volatile, and fiercely possessive. He was the storm cloud that lingered on the horizon, threatening to break at any moment. His eyes didn't hold warmth; they burned with an intensity that had always terrified me.

They had circled me my entire life, their rivalry a constant, unspoken hum in the background. Killian' s obsession was overt, a suffocating presence I constantly tried to escape. Elliot' s affection was a safe harbor, a gentle hand that always pulled me back from the edge.

So, when it came time to choose, the choice was easy. I chose Elliot. I chose the sun. I became Mrs. Claire Callahan, and for three years, I believed I had the perfect life.

Until tonight.

Our third anniversary. The scent of champagne and roses filled our penthouse apartment, a glittering jewel atop the Callahan tower. Elliot-my Elliot-had his arms wrapped around me from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder as we swayed to the soft melody playing in the living room.

His lips were warm against my ear, his breath a familiar, comforting caress. "Happy anniversary, my love," he murmured.

I turned in his arms, my hands finding their way to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath the fine fabric of his shirt. "Happy anniversary, Elliot."

He smiled, that gentle, perfect smile that had first captured my heart. But as he leaned in, his gaze held an intoxicating fire I usually only saw in moments of unguarded passion. His lips met mine, not with the usual tender pressure, but with a devouring hunger that stole the air from my lungs.

It was thrilling. It was different.

His hand slid from my waist, down the curve of my hip, his fingers tracing patterns that sent shivers down my spine. The kiss deepened, becoming a raw, desperate claiming. When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, his chest heaving.

He whispered two words, a husky, possessive rumble against my skin.

"Sister-in-law."

The music screeched to a halt in my mind. The warmth in my veins turned to ice. I pulled back, my entire body rigid. The man in front of me, the man whose kiss was still imprinted on my lips, was smiling, but it wasn't Elliot's smile. It was a predator's grin. Triumphant. Feral.

"What did you just say?" My voice was a thin, reedy thing.

He blinked, the feral glint in his eyes vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. He smoothed his expression back into the familiar, gentle mask of my husband. "What's wrong, Claire? Did I say something?"

My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic, trapped bird. "You called me... you called me sister-in-law."

He chuckled, a low, easy sound that was meant to be reassuring but only amplified the screeching alarm in my head. He reached for me, but I flinched away. "You must have misheard me, darling. I said 'my love'." His movements were smooth, his voice patient, but the lie hung in the air between us, thick and suffocating.

"I need some air," he said, his smile faltering slightly at my continued recoil. He straightened his tie, a perfectly composed portrait of Elliot Callahan, and walked toward the balcony.

As the glass door slid shut behind him, a sound from the party downstairs drifted up. A woman' s sharp, distinctive laugh. Kassie Kent' s laugh. The sound acted like a key, unlocking a flood of memories I had long suppressed.

The Callahans were a dynasty. Elliot, the elder by seven minutes, was groomed from birth to take over Callahan Financial Group. He was the epitome of gentle and proper, the perfect heir. Killian was the spare, the untamed shadow who reveled in chaos. He was rebellious and wild, a constant thorn in his family's side.

Their competition had always been fierce, but it intensified when I entered the picture. Killian' s pursuit was a relentless siege. He' d corner me in hallways, his presence overwhelming, his gaze possessive. Elliot was my rescuer, his calm demeanor a shield against his brother's volatility.

I always chose Elliot. I chose the quiet library dates over the roar of Killian's motorcycle. I chose the soft-spoken compliments over the possessive growls.

My aversion to Killian solidified into pure hatred the night of my eighteenth birthday. He' d had too much to drink, his usual possessiveness curdling into something violent. He' d backed me against a wall, his hands gripping my arms so tightly they left bruises. His eyes, usually just intense, were filled with a terrifying darkness as he tried to kiss me, his words slurring about how I was his.

Elliot had arrived just in time, pulling Killian off me with a strength I' d never seen in him. The ensuing fight was brutal. After that night, Killian disappeared. The family said he' d been sent abroad, a final attempt to tame the black sheep. I hadn't seen or heard from him in three years. I had been relieved.

Now, the man on my balcony, the man I had married, turned back toward the room. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture so familiar it made my stomach clench. He looked exactly like Elliot. He acted exactly like Elliot. But that whisper... "sister-in-law." It echoed in my skull, a venomous taunt.

He slid the door open. "Feeling better?" he asked, his voice once again the gentle timbre of my husband. "Our guests are arriving. It's time for the big announcement."

"What announcement?" I asked, my voice numb.

"The group trip to London," he said, smiling. "A celebration of our anniversary with our closest friends."

I let him lead me downstairs, my body moving on autopilot. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear. The grand hall of the Callahan mansion was filled with New York's elite. I plastered a smile on my face, a mask of the perfect hostess.

Then, I heard it again. Kassie Kent' s laugh, closer this time. I glanced toward a secluded alcove near the garden and saw her, draped in a glittering red dress, talking to a man whose back was to me.

"...can' t believe Elliot let you out of his sight for even a second," a socialite beside me gossiped to her friend. "That Kassie Kent is practically glued to his side."

"Well, she did help him out of that mess with his mentor," the other replied. "I heard her family has him wrapped around their little finger. But for him to swap places with his lunatic brother just to be with her... it' s insane."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Swap places.

The man in the alcove turned. My breath hitched. It was Elliot. My real husband, Elliot. I would know him anywhere. Not just by the custom-made Patek Philippe on his wrist-a graduation gift he never took off-but by the cold, calculating distance in his eyes.

He was talking to Kassie, his former assistant, his expression soft in a way he never looked at me.

And standing beside me, the man whose hand was resting possessively on the small of my back, was not Elliot.

It was Killian.

I looked at him, truly looked at him. The way his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. The barely suppressed fire that always seemed to simmer just beneath the surface. The way he held me, not with gentle ownership, but with a desperate, crushing possession. It had been there all along. For three years.

My blood ran cold.

The real Elliot walked over, his gaze sweeping over me with casual indifference before landing on his brother. "Everything under control?" he asked, his voice clipped and authoritative.

Killian-the man I had called my husband for 1095 days-smiled that chilling, triumphant grin. "Of course, brother. I told you I could be you." He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. "After all, I got the prize."

Elliot didn't even look at me. He just nodded, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features. "Just keep her happy until the trip. Kassie' s been patient long enough." He turned to me then, his face a mask of polite concern. "Claire, you look pale. Are you unwell?" He spoke to me as if I were a distant acquaintance. "You've always been more like a sister to me, you know that. I'm glad we can all be one happy family."

Sister.

The word was a guillotine, severing the last thread of hope. The perfect life I had built, the love I had cherished, the man I had married-it was all a lie. A cruel, elaborate game orchestrated by the two men I had trusted most in the world.

My perfect world didn't just shatter. It had never existed at all.