####CHAPTER FOUR

Vivian

I couldn’t believe it. Jack’s mother was here, in this orphanage, potentially about to change my life forever.

Why did she want to adopt? I hoped Jack and his sister were alright.

Did he even remember me after all these years? What if he had forgotten all about me? And if his mother took me in, would I ever be able to face him again?

I couldn’t think straight, as a million questions spun in my mind.

I had always dreamed of leaving this place, of finding a new family, but I never imagined it would be his family.

It felt like life was playing some cruel joke on me.

Suddenly, the blaring sound of a car horn snapped me out of my thoughts.

"We're here.” Mrs. Anderson announced.

My breath caught in my throat as we drove into the Andersons’ compound.

The house itself was more like a mansion, It was the kind of place I had only ever seen in movies, and now, somehow, it was supposed to be my new home.

As the car finally came to a stop in front of the grand entrance, Mrs. Anderson turned to me with a warm smile.

“Welcome home, Vivian,” she said softly.

Home?

The word felt foreign, almost unreal. I couldn’t bring myself to respond, still too overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

“This is Vivian. She’s my daughter now, and I want you all to treat her with the same care and respect you show me.” Mrs. Anderson said, turning to the group of maids who had emerged from the house.

“Welcome, Miss Vivian,” they chorused bowing their heads in unison.

I blinked, completely taken aback. I wasn’t used to this kind of treatment, and the sight of it left me feeling awkward and unsure of how to respond.

“Than..thank you,” I responded, tapping my fingers together nervously.

“Let’s go inside, Vivian,” Mrs. Anderson said, gently guiding me towards the entrance.

********

“This will be your room,” Mrs. Anderson said softly, pushing open a door at the end of the hallway.

I stared in awe, barely able to comprehend that this beautiful space was meant for me.

It was stunning. The bed, the rug, the windows, the cushions….everything was so breathtaking.

But as I took a few more steps inside, something felt off.

It seemed like someone was already staying in the room.

There was a book that was laid open on the desk, a pair of slippers rested beside the bed, and the closet door was slightly ajar, revealing clothes hanging neatly inside.

I hesitated, glancing at Mrs. Anderson. “ Is this me and Li…..”

I caught myself just in time. I had almost asked if this was me and Lily’s room, but I quickly remembered that Mrs. Anderson didn’t know I was familiar with her children.

“I mean, is this just my room or am I sharing it with someone?”

“My son will be back soon. I’d love for you to meet him.” Mrs. Anderson said, ignoring my question.

Just as the words left her mouth, we both heard the sound of the front door opening downstairs.

Her face lit up, and she turned back to me. “Oh, he’s already here. Perfect timing.”

“Jack, come up here! There’s someone I want you to meet,” she called out.

The moment Mrs. Anderson called out to Jack, my heart began to race.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead, and anxiety gripped me so tightly that it felt like I could hardly breathe.

Would he recognize me? Did he even remember me after all these years?

My palms grew really sweaty, and I quickly wiped them on my dress, hoping Mrs. Anderson wouldn’t notice how nervous I was.

The sound of his footsteps on the stairs made my heart leap.

Each step echoed louder in my ears, building the tension until I felt like I was about to explode.

My eyes were glued to the hallway, waiting for him to appear.

And then, there he was, walking down the hallway towards us.

My breath caught in my throat. He was even more handsome than I remembered….taller, looking mature.

His hair was neatly brushed back, just like it had always been when we were kids.

I smiled at him as he approached, hoping he would recognize me, but his expression remained cold.

“Jack, meet Lily,” Mrs Anderson said.

“She’s going to be your new sister.”

I blinked in shock, trying to process what Mrs. Anderson had just said.

Wait, what?

My name is definitely not Lily.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I glanced up at her.“Um…Mrs. Anderson,” my voice trembling slightly, “My name is…..”

She cut me off with a sharp look. “I’m not done talking, young lady. And you'll call me Mama from now on…That’s what Lily used to call me”

What the hell is happening here? I just stood there dumbfounded, unable to process what she just said.

“Oh, so now you have the nerve to call a complete stranger Lily?” Jack sneered. “You think you can just replace my sister like that?”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. The hate in his voice took me by surprise, and I flinched, taking a small step back.

“Lily is gone. She's dead,” he shouted, his voice breaking with anger. “And no one…..especially not her,” he pointed at me, “is going to take her place.”

“Take her back,” Jack demanded, his eyes blazing with fury. “Take her back to wherever you brought her from. I don’t want her here.”

Mrs. Anderson’s expression hardened as she stepped toward Jack. “That’s enough, Jack. She isn’t going anywhere, and you need to accept that.”

He clenched his jaw but didn’t say another word. Instead, he turned away from us, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

I stood there, frozen, the tension in the room making it hard for me to breathe.

Mrs. Anderson turned back to me, her tone softening. “Come with me, darling,” she said, guiding me back into the hallway.

My legs felt like they were made of lead as I followed her into the room she had shown me earlier. Once we got inside, she closed the door behind us.

“This room belonged to my late daughter, Lily,” Mrs. Anderson began.

“Everything in here was hers…..the clothes, the furniture, I mean everything. But from now on, it’s all yours.”

I looked around the room, my heart sinking as I tried to comprehend what she was saying.

“You mustn’t get rid of anything,” she continued, her eyes boring into mine. “You will wear what Lily wore, eat what Lily ate, and you will bear Lily’s name.”

A cold dread washed over me as her words sank in, twisting my stomach into knots. “You’re here to replace Lily, and you mustn’t do otherwise.”

A shiver ran down my spine as her words echoed in my head. What the hell is happening here? No, I can’t do this.

I thought this was going to be my final destination, my escape, but I was wrong…..terribly wrong. I can’t be caught up in this madness.

First, Jack didn’t recognize me. Not only that, but he had a completely different personality. And now, his mother wants me to become her dead daughter, taking up her identity. Is she insane?

“Do you understand?” Mrs. Anderson asked, with a firm tone.

“No,” I blurted out. “I don’t understand, and I can’t do this. I’m not Lily, and I’m not going to pretend to be. I’m going back to the orphanage.”

Mrs. Anderson threw her head back and started laughing, she laughed so hard that tears started to fall from her eyes.

“Oh, you poor, naive girl,” she said, her laughter subsiding as a wicked smile curled up on her lips. “You don’t understand anything, do you?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“You think you were adopted?” she sneered, stepping closer.

“You think you have a choice in this? No, Vivian, you were bought…paid for, from that matron who sold you to me like you were nothing more than a commodity.”

I staggered back, the horror of her words hitting me like a ton of bricks. “Bought?” I echoed, my voice trembling with fear

“Yes,” she replied, placing her hands on her hips, a look of satisfaction spreading across her face.

“You belong to me now. There’s no orphanage to go back to, no one to save you. You’re mine, and you will be Lily. You’ll do everything she did, live exactly as she lived, and you will not defy me.”

My legs felt numb as the weight of her words sank in.

I was bought. Not adopted. I had been sold to this woman, forced into a life that wasn’t mine, and now, I was expected to take on the identity of a dead girl.

My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to make sense of it all.

Am I dreaming? Is this some kind of nightmare? Oh please wake up.

Mrs. Anderson’s voice cut through my thoughts, snapping me back to the present. “You should try to settle in, Vivian,” she said, turning to leave.

“There’s going to be a family ritual tonight and it’s going to be a long night, so you’d better prepare yourself.”