Chapter 1
Hearing the slight tremble in my voice, Lila Preston paused for a moment.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you planning to give that lottery ticket worth ten million dollars to Brian Parker as an anniversary gift? What happened? Got cold feet already?”
She teased and mocked me, but when I didn’t respond for a long time, she finally sensed that something was off.
‘What’s going on, Caroline?”
stared in disbelief at the direction where Brian Parker and my sister had just left. Cautiously, I asked Lila,
I’m Caroline Eleanor, right? Lily Eleanor is my sister? And Brian Parker is my husband?”
Lila froze for a few seconds before abruptly hanging up the phone.
A minute later, she appeared at the doorway, still wearing her white coat, sweat dripping from her brow as she tared at me.
Caroline, what’s going on? Did you hit your head in the car accident? But I checked you last time–you were ›erfectly fine!”
he anxiously felt my forehead and looked over the reports beside me. Seeing her so worried confirmed for me that ny memory hadn’t failed.
rian Parker was indeed my husband.
I just played a little joke on them,” I said.
I told them I was Lily Eleanor. But guess what? They didn’t panic. Brian Parker just walked off with Lily, arm in
rm, like nothing happened-”
Lila’s expression froze for a moment before a sudden realization dawned on her.
Wait… Are you saying your husband and your twin sister are… involved? And now that you’ve lost your memory, your sister is trying to steal your life?”
Her words pierced through my already chaotic thoughts, laying everything bare.
I nodded, and tears involuntarily rolled down my cheeks.
Lila hugged me tightly, trying to comfort me.
“How could Brian Parker do this? You’ve always treated him so well! And Lily Eleanor… If she hadn’t insisted on taking that detour to see the sunset, the car wouldn’t have lost control in such a remote place.
If I hadn’t arrived in time, you might not have survived.”
I looked at the photos on my phone from the trip, filled with a bittersweet ache.
My sister and I were twins, identical in appearance.
I’d always joked about her lack of social life.
So when I planned our fifth–anniversary trip and she volunteered to join us, I was thrilled she was finally stepping out into the world.
On the last day of the trip, she suggested that Brian Parker accompany her to Sunset Mountain to watch the sunset while I packed up and checked us out of the hotel.
But I never expected the brakes to fail halfway up the mountain, sending the car crashing into a tree on the roadside.
Thankfully, Lila, who had planned to meet me for dinner and was already waiting at the base of the mountain, rushed
up when she got my SOS message and brought me to the hospital just in time.
Surviving the ordeal, I had only wanted to play a harmless joke on them.
Never did I imagine Brian Parker would just walk out of the hospital room, hand in hand with my sister.
Suddenly, the ringing of Lila’s phone pulled me back to reality.
The caller ID showed Brian Parker’s name.
Lila immediately put the call on speaker.
‘Lila, I’ve got a question for a friend. What’s the likelihood of someone hitting their head and mistaking themselves for someone else afterward?”
Lila was about to curse him out, but I grabbed her hand to stop her.
Confused, she looked at me, and I typed a message into the memo app for her to see:
I need to deal with my ten–million–dollar lottery ticket first.
No wonder Lila Preston was my best friend; she immediately understood my intention with just a few glances. Clearing her throat, a subtle smile appeared on her lips.
“This kind of thing happens quite often in medicine,” she said calmly.
“I’ve treated a few patients like this before. Physically, they’re fine, but they suffer from memory loss or confusión. But don’t worry–Caroline hasn’t shown any signs of that yet.”
On the other end of the line, I could hear hushed whispers of a discussion.
“What should we do? That’s not going to work!”
That voice–I recognized it instantly. It was none other than my dear sister, Lily Eleanor.
“Dr. Preston,” she chimed in with urgency, “why don’t we bring my sister home to recuperate? She seems to be doing much better now, and I can take care of her. There’s no need to trouble you any further.”
Holding back her anger, Lila responded tactfully, “As long as she’s in the hospital, I’ll make sure she gets proper treatment.”
Lily quickly interjected, “Who could care more about her than her husband and sister?”
I’d always thought my sister was naive and socially awkward. Who knew she could be so articulate?
I patted Lila’s shoulder and nodded, signaling her to proceed. Suppressing a laugh, she replied,
“Alright, then. Why don’t you go ahead and settle the discharge paperwork? Come by later if you’d like. In the meantime, I’ll chat with her and conduct another treatment session.”
Sure enough, urged by Lila, they turned back immediately.
Feigning ignorance, I looked at Lily with a puzzled expression. “Weren’t you two just leaving? Why are you back so soon?”
Panting heavily, Lily began packing my belongings.
“The hospital food isn’t as good as home cooking. It’s better for you to recover at home, where I can take care of you.”
