Chapter 3: Shadows and Substitutes

She leaned in, whispering like it was the biggest secret in the world. “Honestly, it’s kind of tragic. People say he’s never gotten over his ex. Lily’s sweet, but it’s like she’s living in someone else’s shadow.”

I forced a smile. It was absurd, not touching.

No matter how much she resembled me, she wasn’t me.

The bitterness was hard to hide. Did anyone else see how cruel this was? Or was it just me?

When I returned to Ethan, he was preparing for a meeting. He glanced indifferently at my bleeding hand and asked, “The afternoon meeting schedule?”

His indifference was a slap in the face, but I straightened my shoulders and answered crisply.

I refused to let him see me falter.

I kept it together. I’d already prepared everything just the way he liked it. He listened, then looked at me in surprise—maybe realizing I wasn’t just an idle rich girl.

For a fleeting moment, I saw a flicker of respect in his eyes.

It was almost enough to make me smile.

Back then, when he started his business, I was always by his side—meeting clients, attending dinners, studying accounting. When we were cheated out of our first capital, I confronted the boss myself, threatening him until he paid up. Afterward, Ethan held me tightly, his eyes red, forbidding me from risking myself again. I was his partner, his comrade, his lover.

I could still feel his arms around me, the way he whispered, ‘Don’t ever scare me like that again.’

We were a team, built on trust and stubborn love. I missed that version of us more than anything.

If someone else wears my former face, is that really me? Ethan, do you know how much you’ve disappointed me?

I watched him as he worked, wondering if he ever thought about the woman he lost, or if he’d buried those memories for good.

The distance between us felt insurmountable.

The meeting ran late. After everyone left, only Ethan and I remained, gazing out at the city lights. He turned to me, scrutinizing, and finally said, “You’re not what I expected, Savannah. But let me be clear—don’t waste your time on me.”

The city outside was a blur of headlights and neon, a world moving on without us.

His words were final, but I refused to let them break me.

I just watched the skyline, pretending I didn’t care.

I said nothing. He probably thought my earlier confession was just a whim.

But the words I said to him at our first meeting echoed his own words to me years ago...

When he shyly confessed, “I know your name is Autumn Rivers. You’re my future girlfriend.”

I remembered that moment so clearly—his nervous laugh, the way he fidgeted with his tie.

It was the first time I truly believed in forever.

Now, it felt like a cruel joke.

That memory made me lose control. I asked, “Ethan, do you love Lily, or is she just a substitute? What would your late girlfriend think if she knew you found someone who looks just like her?”

My voice trembled despite my best efforts.