ARIA'S POV
I can't sleep.
Every time I close my eyes, I see Damien's face. Feel his hand on my skin. Hear his voice saying "you're mine."
I need to clear my head.
I slip out of bed and leave my room. The house is dark and quiet. Everyone's asleep.
Good.
I head downstairs to the kitchen. Maybe some tea will help. Maybe some warm milk. Anything to stop my brain from spinning.
I push open the kitchen door and freeze.
Someone's already here.
Celeste sits at the island, holding a steaming mug. She looks up, startled.
"Oh! Sorry. I didn't think anyone else would be awake." She starts to stand. "I can leave if you want privacy."
"No." The word comes out before I can think. "Stay. Please."
She sits back down slowly. "Can't sleep either?"
"No." I walk to the kettle and start making tea. "Too much happening. Too much to think about."
"Yeah." Her voice is quiet. Sad. "Same."
We sit in silence for a moment. The only sound is the kettle heating up.
"Can I ask you something?" Celeste says.
"Sure."
"Do you hate me?"
I look at her. Really look at her.
She's wrapped in a borrowed robe. Her hair is messy. Her eyes are red like she's been crying.
She looks as lost as I feel.
"No," I say honestly. "I don't hate you."
"You should." She stares into her mug. "I'm taking everything from you. Your family. Your name. Your life."
"You're not taking anything." I pour hot water over my tea bag. "You're just... claiming what was always yours. I'm the one who took from you. Even if I didn't know it."
"That's not fair to you."
"None of this is fair." I sit down across from her. "Not to you. Not to me. Not to anyone."
She's quiet for a moment. Then: "I don't want this life."
"What?"
"This life. This house. This family." She gestures around. "I don't want any of it. I just want to go home."
"Where's home?"
"A little village three hours from here. Small. Poor. Simple." Her eyes fill with tears. "My parents—my adoptive parents—they died six months ago. Car accident. And suddenly I was alone. No family. No money. Nothing."
"I'm sorry."
"Then I found out I was adopted. Found some papers in their things. Birth records that didn't match." She wipes her eyes. "I got a DNA test. Just curious. Just wanting to know where I came from. And then..." She laughs bitterly. "Then your mother showed up at my door with lawyers and documents and this whole insane story about being switched at birth."
"What did you think?"
"I thought it was a scam. Some cruel joke." She looks at me. "But it's real. The DNA doesn't lie. I'm a Chen. And you're..." She trails off.
"Nobody," I finish. "I'm nobody."
"That's not true."
"It is." I sip my tea. It burns going down. "Everything I thought I was is a lie. My parents aren't my parents. My brother isn't my brother. My name isn't even really mine."
"Your name is still yours," Celeste says softly. "They raised you. They loved you. That doesn't disappear because of DNA."
"Doesn't it?" I laugh. It sounds broken. "You saw how my mother treated me today. Like I'm an inconvenience. A problem to solve. Not her daughter anymore."
Celeste is quiet.
Because she knows I'm right.
"I'm sorry," she says again. "I'm sorry I exist. I'm sorry this happened. If I could go back, if I could make it so I never took that DNA test—"
"Don't." I reach across and grab her hand. "Don't apologize for existing. This isn't your fault. You didn't choose this."
"Neither did you."
"No." I squeeze her hand. "But we're stuck with it anyway. So we might as well stick together."
She looks surprised. "You want to stick together? Even though I'm replacing you?"
"You're not replacing me. You're just... taking your rightful place." I manage a small smile. "Besides, someone needs to warn you about this family. Someone needs to teach you how to survive them."
"Are they really that bad?"
"Worse." I lean closer. "My mother—our mother, I guess—she's ice-cold. Everything is business. Everything is strategy. She doesn't care about feelings or fairness. Only appearances and profit."
"And your father?"
"Weak. He lets Mom make all the decisions. He'll smile and nod and pretend to care, but when it matters, he'll side with her every time."
Celeste absorbs this. "What about... Damien?"
My stomach twists at his name.
"What about him?"
"He's..." She searches for words. "Intense. The way he looks at you. It's not normal. Even I can see that."
"He's complicated."
"That's one word for it." She sips her tea. "Is he dangerous?"
Yes, I think. To me. To my sanity. To my heart.
But I say: "He's protective. Overprotective. But he won't hurt you if that's what you're asking."
"I'm not worried about me." Her eyes are knowing. "I'm worried about you."
"Don't be. I can handle Damien."
"Can you?"
I don't answer.
Because honestly, I don't know.
We sit in silence, drinking our tea.
Finally, Celeste speaks. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being kind to me. For not hating me. For..." She smiles. "For being my friend. I think I really need a friend right now."
"Me too." I smile back. "Friends?"
"Friends."
We finish our tea together. Just two girls who had their lives destroyed by a hospital mistake twenty-two years ago.
Two girls trying to survive the same nightmare.
"We should get some sleep," I say finally. "Tomorrow's going to be hard."
"Why?"
"Because Mom's going to start training you. Teaching you how to be a Chen. How to walk and talk and act like you belong here." I stand. "And trust me, she's not a gentle teacher."
Celeste stands too. "Will you help me? Please? I don't know if I can do this alone."
"You won't be alone." I put my mug in the sink. "I'll help you. Teach you everything you need to know. We'll get through this together."
"Why would you help me? I'm taking your place."
"Because," I say honestly, "you're the only person in this house who understands what I'm going through. The only person who knows what it's like to have your life turned upside down overnight."
She hugs me suddenly. Tight. Desperate.
I hug her back.
And for the first time since I came home, I feel like maybe I'm not completely alone.
We pull apart.
"Goodnight, Aria."
"Goodnight, Celeste."
She leaves first. I wait a moment before following.
As I walk through the dark hallway back to my room, I feel it.
Eyes watching me.
I turn.
Damien stands in the shadows at the end of the hall.
Just watching.
How long has he been there?
How much did he hear?
"Couldn't sleep?" His voice is soft. Dangerous.
"No."
"Me neither." He steps into the dim light. "I've been thinking about you. About us. About what happens next."
"Nothing happens next. We have an agreement. Three months."
"Yes." He smiles. "Three months of you and me under the same roof. Three months of you learning that you belong to me."
"I don't belong to anyone."
"We'll see." He steps closer. "I saw you with Celeste. You're making friends with your replacement. How sweet."
"She's not my replacement. She's just a girl who's as lost as I am."
"Is she?" His eyes are dark. "Or is she exactly where she's meant to be? Taking what's yours. Becoming what you could never be."
"Stop it."
"Stop what? Telling the truth?" He's right in front of me now. "You're being replaced, Aria. In every way that matters. And there's nothing you can do about it."
"I can survive it."
"Can you?" His hand reaches out. Stops just before touching my face. "Three months, little bird. Let's see how well you survive."
He walks away.
Leaving me shaking in the dark.