St. John's Cathedral, New York City.
Today was supposed to be the most important day in Victoria Sterling's life. Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, casting colorful patterns on the marble floor. Three hundred guests from high society filled every seat in the grand cathedral. Everyone was waiting for the beautiful bride to appear.
But Victoria Sterling was gone.
"What do you mean she ran away?"
Harold Sterling, head of one of New York's four most powerful families, hissed into his phone. His face turned red with anger. The veins on his forehead bulged as he tried to keep his voice down.
"Sir, Miss Victoria never came home last night. We've searched all over New York. There's no sign of her anywhere."
The bodyguard's voice shook through the phone. Harold could hear the fear in it.
Harold ended the call and looked at his wife Catherine in the front row. Her face was white as paper. Her hands gripped her purse so tight her knuckles hurt.
"What do we do now?"
Catherine whispered the words, but Harold heard the panic in her voice.
Harold's eyes swept across the cathedral. The guests were starting to whisper among themselves. They kept checking their watches and looking toward the altar with confused expressions.
At the front of the cathedral stood Alexander Blackwood. The groom's face was dark as storm clouds. His jaw was set tight, and his blue eyes showed no emotion. But Harold could see the anger burning beneath the surface.
The Blackwood family. Another of New York's elite dynasties. This wedding wasn't just about two young people falling in love. It was about power. It was about the alliance between two of the most influential families in the city.
If this wedding was canceled, the consequences would be terrible.
Harold's phone buzzed again. He answered quickly.
"Sir, we found something."
"What?"
"Victoria left a note. She says she can't go through with the marriage. She's sorry, but she's already left the country."
Harold felt his world spinning. Twenty years of planning, destroyed in one moment.
"There has to be another way."
Catherine grabbed his arm. Her eyes were wide with desperation.
"The girl. Sophia."
Harold stared at his wife. For a moment, he didn't understand what she meant. Then it hit him like a lightning bolt.
Sophia Claire. The girl they had taken in two years ago. The orphan who looked so much like Victoria that people often mistook them for sisters. The girl who had the same height, the same build, the same hair color as Victoria.
"Are you insane?"
Harold whispered, but his mind was already working. It could work. From behind, with a veil covering her face, no one would know the difference. At least not until after the ceremony was over.
"It's the only way."
Catherine's voice was firm now. She had made up her mind.
"Where is she?"
"At home. In her room."
Harold looked toward Alexander again. The man was checking his watch. His patience was running out. Soon, he would demand an explanation. And Harold had no explanation that wouldn't destroy everything.
"Call the car."
Thirty minutes later, Harold Sterling burst through the doors of the Sterling mansion. Sophia was in the garden, reading a book under her favorite tree. She looked up when she heard his footsteps on the gravel path.
"Mr. Sterling? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the wedding?"
Sophia closed her book and stood up. She wore a simple white dress and no makeup. Her long brown hair fell loose around her shoulders. Even without trying, she was beautiful.
"Sophia, I need you to listen to me very carefully."
Harold's voice was serious. More serious than Sophia had ever heard it.
"What's wrong?"
"Victoria is gone. She left. The wedding is in one hour, and we need your help."
Sophia felt her stomach drop.
"I don't understand."
"I need you to take her place."
For a moment, Sophia thought she heard wrong.
"What?"
"You look just like her. With the wedding dress and veil, no one will know the difference. Please, Sophia. Our family depends on this."
Sophia took a step back. Her heart was racing.
"I can't do that. That's crazy. I'm not Victoria. People will know."
"No, they won't. The ceremony will be over before anyone realizes what happened. After that, we'll figure out the rest."
Harold moved closer. His eyes were desperate.
"Please. You owe us this much."
The words hit Sophia like a slap. She did owe them. The Sterling family had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go. They had given her a home, food, education. They had saved her life.
But this was different. This was marriage to a man she had never even met.
"Mr. Sterling, I—"
"There's no time to argue."
Catherine Sterling appeared in the garden. She was carrying a large white bag.
"The wedding dress is in here. We need to leave in fifteen minutes."
Catherine's voice was cold and commanding. It was the voice she used when she expected to be obeyed without question.
Sophia looked from Harold to Catherine. She thought about her life before the Sterlings found her. The orphanage. The hunger. The loneliness. The fear of never having a real family.
"What about after the ceremony? What happens then?"
"We'll figure it out."
Harold's answer wasn't very comforting, but Sophia knew she didn't have a choice. She had never had a choice.
"Okay."
The word came out as barely a whisper.
Twenty-five minutes later, Sophia stood at the back of St. John's Cathedral. The wedding dress fit perfectly. It was made of ivory silk and covered in tiny pearls. The veil was so long it trailed behind her for six feet. Most importantly, it covered her face completely.
In her hand, she held a bouquet of white roses. Around her neck was a simple silver chain with a small pendant. It was the only thing she had from her real mother. She never took it off.
Harold offered her his arm.
"Are you ready?"
Sophia's mouth was dry. Her palms were sweating. She could hear the wedding march beginning to play.
"No."
"Good. That's normal."
Harold smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
The cathedral doors opened. Three hundred faces turned toward them. Sophia felt like she might faint.
She forced herself to walk forward. One step at a time. Don't think about what you're doing, she told herself. Just walk.
At the altar, Alexander Blackwood waited. Even through her veil, Sophia could see how handsome he was. Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and the kind of face that belonged in movies. But his expression was cold. Distant.
As they reached the front of the cathedral, Harold lifted her veil just enough to kiss her cheek. It was supposed to be a father giving away his daughter. But Harold Sterling was not her father, and she was not his daughter.
When Harold placed her hand in Alexander's, she felt a shock of electricity. Alexander's hand was warm and strong. For just a moment, his grip tightened around her fingers.
Did he know? Could he tell she wasn't Victoria?
The priest began to speak, but Sophia couldn't focus on the words. Her heart was beating so loud she was sure everyone could hear it.
"Do you, Alexander James Blackwood, take this woman to be your wife?"
"I do."
Alexander's voice was deep and steady. He never took his eyes off her face, even though he couldn't see it through the veil.
"Do you, Victoria Catherine Sterling, take this man to be your husband?"
Sophia's throat felt like it was closing up. This was it. This was the moment when she became someone else entirely.
"I do."
The words came out stronger than she expected.
"You may now kiss the bride."
This was the moment Sophia had been dreading. Alexander reached for her veil with both hands. Slowly, carefully, he lifted it back from her face.
The cathedral fell silent.
Alexander's blue eyes widened with shock. For a long moment, he just stared at her. His hands trembled slightly as he held the veil.
Then something strange happened. His expression changed. The shock faded, replaced by something Sophia couldn't identify. Recognition? Confusion? Anger?
"You're not Victoria."
He whispered the words so only she could hear.
Sophia's heart stopped. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do?
"I know."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. He leaned closer, studying her face like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
"Who are you?"
"I'm... I'm Sophia. Sophia Claire."
The name seemed to hit him like a physical blow. He took a step back, his face going pale.
Around them, the guests were getting restless. They were expecting a kiss. They were expecting the ceremony to continue.
But Alexander just stood there, staring at her with an expression that was part shock, part something else. Something that looked almost like... fear?
Finally, he seemed to remember where they were. He glanced around at the waiting crowd, then back at her.
"We'll talk later."
His voice was cold now. Colder than ice.
Then he leaned down and kissed her.
It wasn't a romantic kiss. It wasn't the kiss of a man in love with his new wife. It was quick and impersonal, like he was checking off a box on a to-do list.
When he pulled away, Sophia reached up to touch the pendant around her neck. It was a nervous habit she'd had since childhood.
The moment her fingers touched the silver chain, Alexander's eyes snapped to her throat. His face went completely white.
"Where did you get that?"
His voice was sharp with panic.
"What?"
"That necklace. Where did you get that necklace?"
Sophia's hand protectively covered the pendant.
"It was my mother's. It's the only thing I have left of her."
Alexander stared at the necklace like he'd seen a ghost. Around them, the guests were starting to clap and cheer. The ceremony was over. They were officially married.
But Alexander wasn't paying attention to any of that. He was still staring at her pendant.
"This isn't possible."
He whispered the words to himself, but Sophia heard them.
"What isn't possible?"
Alexander looked up at her face again. This time, his expression was completely different. This time, he looked at her like she was the most dangerous person in the world.
"You look exactly like her."
"Like who?"
But Alexander didn't answer. Instead, he took her arm firmly and began walking down the aisle. The guests threw rice and flower petals, cheering and taking pictures.
Sophia smiled and waved like she was supposed to. But inside, she was terrified.
Who did she look like? Why did her pendant make Alexander so upset? And what had she just gotten herself into?
As they reached the cathedral doors, Alexander leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"When we get to my house, you're going to tell me everything about who you really are."
His grip on her arm tightened.
"And then you're going to tell me exactly how you got that necklace."
The limousine was waiting outside the cathedral. As they walked toward it, Sophia caught sight of her reflection in the car window. In the wedding dress and veil, she really did look like a different person.
But the question was: who did she look like?
And why did that seem to terrify her new husband?