My twin sister ran away just before her wedding. Our parents, desperate to maintain the alliance with the Taylor Family, insisted that I step in and marry Declan Taylor in her place. After the wedding, Declan never laid a finger on me. “Adeline, stop wearing those clothes to try and seduce me. You’re just standing in for Hazel, so keep your little fantasies to yourself.” “If it weren’t for the fact that you and Hazel have the same face, I wouldn’t even look at you.” Declan had no idea, but he was about to get his wish. Fiona had already enjoyed her life outside. Before Declan returned, I sent a message to my father. “I agree to the switch, but you need to set up a new identity for me.” “Alright, I’ll transfer a hundred million dollars to you. Never come back to the country.” Was such a deal even possible? I laughed aloud at the message. Declan put on his coat, returning to his usual composed demeanor, and frowned at my cheerful expression. “Adeline, what’s so funny? Are you thrilled because I touched you today?” I stopped smiling and looked up at him. “I was just thinking about Grandfather’s upcoming 80th birthday.” Declan nodded, a hint of mockery in his eyes. “Another chance for you to seek favor.” “But no matter how much the Old man likes you, he’ll always see you as Hazel.” My fingers dug into my palm. When I decided to take Fiona’s place at the wedding, I was secretly pleased. After all, I’d been in love with Declan for fifteen years. The Taylor Family has a rule: one can only marry once in a lifetime, and breaking it means expulsion from the family. I thought I was finally going to spend my life with the one I loved. On our wedding night, I couldn’t wait to confess my feelings. But he coldly pushed me away and left. The next day, he brought a series of outfits, all in Fiona’s style. “From today on, pretend to be your sister until she returns.” At that moment, I felt utterly ridiculous. The phone rang. “You’re back? Where are you now?” His voice was breathless with excitement. “Okay, wait for me.” He hurried out, and soon the sound of an engine starting downstairs could be heard. He sped off. A few hours later, I saw a picture posted by Fiona on Twitter. “After all the detours, you’re still the best.” The next day, he brought Fiona home and casually instructed me, “Pack your things and move to the secondary bedroom.” I didn’t respond and pushed the suitcase I packed last night towards the door. But he suddenly stopped me, frowning. “I meant for you to move to the secondary bedroom. Hazel just came back and isn’t familiar with the Taylor Family. You must help her adjust.” “You’ve occupied the position of Mrs. Taylor for three years. You owe Hazel this.” Fiona whispered in my ear, “Dad said if you don’t behave, he won’t give you any money.” Declan hesitated a bit, saying, “If you don’t want to leave the master bedroom…” I didn’t let him finish and spoke up. “No need, I’ll stay in the empty nanny room on the first floor.” Declan looked surprised, trying to find a hint of insincerity on my face. But all he saw was calmness. He got angry and said: “If you don’t want to live in the secondary bedroom, go to the basement.” “Then it’ll be inconvenient for my younger sister to live on the same floor as us.” Fiona said with a shy smile as she pulled Declan into the room. Soon, the sound of their kissing filled the air. I silently went down to the basement, feeling a bit desolate. Declan had always been restrained. In the early days, I deliberately tried to provoke him, but he was like a monk. I’ll never forget that night when he came home drunk and kissed me urgently. But in the end, he didn’t touch me. From then on, he moved into the master bedroom, venting every night. It’s laughable that I once thought him using me to solve his needs was a sign of things getting better. What a fool I was.
I never thought there would come a day when Declan, a workaholic, would take a ten-day vacation. Turns out, love and indifference are worlds apart. The upstairs door was shut tight. Breakfast and lunch were delivered to the door by Aunt. I sat on the sofa, scrolling through my phone, looking at Finland travel spots. “Adeline, give the longevity painting you made to Hazel. The birthday banquet is in two days, and she doesn’t have time to prepare a gift.” They appeared at the top of the stairs, looking down on me. Fiona’s eyes were red as she spoke softly, “You must have worked on it for a long time, right? You surely don’t want to part with it.” I hadn’t said anything when Declan casually said, “It’s just a worthless trinket.” Indeed, it wasn’t worth much. The fabric and thread together didn’t cost more than three hundred dollars, but it was a gift I had stitched by hand for a whole year. “It’s in the Carter Family Gallery. You can get it yourselves.” I couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. I only knew that in two days, the birthday banquet would be my day to leave. As long as the gift reached Grandfather’s hands, I’d be content. But my compliance seemed to annoy Declan. He quickly walked over, grabbing my wrist, a restlessness in his eyes. “You’re being so cooperative, what are you planning? What method are you going to use against Hazel?” “I haven’t forgotten all the things you’ve done before!” I looked down at the ground. Memories of why my reputation had been so bad over the years flashed through my mind. Before college, not many could tell Fiona and me apart. We often switched places. During a piano competition, I took her place. Just because a judge praised “Fiona” for her significant improvement, she pushed me down after the event, stomping on my fingers until they nearly broke. Declan happened to witness this. He carried me home on his back. Mom and Dad said it was “Adeline” who did it to “Fiona.” They always favored Fiona, and I was born later, during a difficult childbirth that almost cost my mother’s life. They labeled me a “disaster star.” Even if they could tell us apart, they’d tell others I was the one who caused trouble. Even when my fingers were broken and healing, they took Fiona on a world tour. Only Declan would visit me daily. From that point, I had no more expectations for my parents. I thought Declan would be different, but they all liked Fiona in the end. Since that’s the case, I decided I didn’t need any of them. “Because I signed the longevity painting under Fiona’s name. I can’t go, so if the gift reaches Grandfather, I’ll be very satisfied.” He sneered, “Grandfather isn’t here, who are you pretending to be filial for?” He threw my hand away forcefully, and I lost my balance, falling to the ground. He paused for a moment, then said condescendingly: “If you want to attend the birthday banquet, you can dress as a server and hide in a corner. But make sure you wear a mask, and don’t let anyone…” “Ah!” Fiona screamed, and Declan didn’t care about me anymore. He gently picked up her sprained foot and went upstairs. I got up from the ground by myself. I received the new identity information that had just been sent and bought a ticket for the day after tomorrow. I sent a screenshot to a longtime online friend in Finland: “I’ll arrive that day, remember to pick me up.” The reply came quickly: “Yay! I’ll jot it down!” I hung up and was about to put down my phone when Fiona sent a GIF of Declan kneeling on one knee, massaging her ankle, his eyes full of unspoken tenderness. “Declan is so considerate.” She sent a happy emoji, “He said that during the years I was gone, he only treated you as a ‘real’ doll, never touching you.” “Having the same face as mine was useless. Even men I don’t want, don’t want you.” “Just like the gifts from mom and dad when we were kids. If I didn’t want them, you wouldn’t get them either.” I didn’t reply, and a few minutes later, she came downstairs. The door was pushed open forcefully. She wore my custom dress, looking at me with disdain. “Aren’t you curious why I let you stay?” She suddenly took out a small knife. Looking at her malicious face, fear rose from the depths of my heart, and I instinctively took a step back. “What are you going to do!” “What am I going to do? Of course, I’m going to ruin your face.” She slashed my face hard with the knife. Pain surged through me as my skin was instantly cut open. Blood flowed down my cheek. Fiona’s delicate features twisted with delight. “Adeline, I’ve always hated your face. Before you leave, I must ruin it.” “Remember, you don’t deserve this face.” As I fainted, I heard Declan’s familiar voice. “Hazel, where are you? The driver is here.” Fiona responded sweetly, “Declan, my sister refused to go shopping with me. She’s upset that I’m back. It’s all my fault…” She tried to block Declan at the door but was a step too late. Seeing the knife wound on my face, Declan frowned. “What happened to your face?” Fiona sighed, “My sister wants me to leave. I refused, and she threatened to kill herself.” “It was the same three years ago, but this time, I won’t part with you again.” Declan, furious, kicked me and sneered coldly: “How could someone be as scheming as you!” “Stop dreaming, Adeline.”
“Even if you drive Hazel away again for three years, ten years, twenty years, it will only make me hate you more.” I looked at him in disbelief. Clearly, it was Fiona who disappeared the day before the wedding, leaving only a note. “Mom, Dad, I don’t want to get married now. I’m young and want to see the world.” But my parents didn’t want to offend the powerful Taylor Family or lose the opportunity. They forced me into the wedding dress. I tried to speak up, but anger overwhelmed me, and I collapsed backward. As I fell, I instinctively looked at Declan, not far away, at his hesitant feet. But Fiona held onto Declan’s arm, leading him outside, “She’s at it again, ignore her. Teach her a lesson. She’s always been like this, pretending to be sick to get her way.” Fiona Carter vanished the day before her wedding, leaving behind only a note. “Dear Parents, I don’t want to get married right now. I’m still young and want to explore the world.” However, my Parents were reluctant to offend the influential Taylor Family or let such a lucrative opportunity slip away. They pressured me into the wedding dress. I wanted to explain, but I was so overwhelmed that I fainted. As I lay there, I instinctively glanced at Declan Taylor standing nearby and noticed his hesitance. Fiona Carter, meanwhile, wrapped her arm around Declan Taylor’s and headed toward the door, saying, “She’s at it again. Just ignore her. Maybe this will teach her a lesson. She’s always been like this, pretending to be sick to get her way.” She playfully urged, “Let’s hurry, we have a lot of shopping to do today.” When I woke up, I had no idea how much time had passed. The room was dim. I checked my phone. The Fake Friends Group chat had blown up with over 99 messages. “Declan Taylor ordered a million-dollar custom dress for his wife.” “Declan Taylor bought a diamond ring worth tens of millions.” People in the group kept tagging me. “I heard the mall music couldn’t even keep up today. Mr. Taylor sure knows how to spoil his wife. How much did he spend this afternoon!!” “Fiona, I remember Mr. Taylor never went shopping with you before. What’s your secret? Share it with us.” I looked at the photos of him being kind and attentive. He was personally carrying a Victoria’s Secret bag. I chuckled bitterly, but it hurt my wounded face, making me wince in pain. Training? Who needs that? The problem was the wrong person. I had the Nanny bandage me up, took my belongings, and left the Villa. Back at my home, I overheard my father and mother talking. “Isn’t giving Adeline Carter a billion too much?” Father took a sip of his drink: “Hazel Carter is going to ruin Adeline’s face.” Mother exclaimed, “Ah… really?” Father sighed, “Consider this billion as compensation for Adeline Carter.” Mother said coldly, “Even so, it’s too much. What does she want in exchange for a new identity? Ungrateful child.” I forced a smile, but my body trembled uncontrollably. I couldn’t hold back and burst into the room, shouting: “Why are you doing this to me? Am I not your child?” Mother stood up with confidence: “Your body and skin come from your parents. I can take what I want.” “Your life was given by me, it’s just a face.” My mind buzzed with shock, and my hands clenched into fists. I stood there, feeling utterly helpless. “Enough, stop causing trouble,” Father ordered coldly, “I’ve already instructed the secretary to transfer a billion to your account. Leave. Declan Taylor was meant to marry your sister.” I looked up and laughed through my tears. These were my Parents. After checking into the Hotel, Declan Taylor unexpectedly sent a birthday banquet invitation. “You can come as the Carter Family Second Daughter, but behave yourself. Don’t cause trouble for Hazel Carter.” The invitation showed my seat was on the very edge of the room. There was even Security nearby. Was this constant vigilance? I laughed at myself, deleted the chat, and removed Declan Taylor. The next day, I booked an early flight. Before canceling my phone number, I sent Grandfather an early birthday wish. The next moment. Grandfather sent a long message: “When Declan visited today, I sensed something was wrong. Whatever decision you make, Grandfather wishes you all the best.” My eyes burned, and tears fell uncontrollably. I canceled my number and removed the SIM card. It seems you’ve provided a placeholder or an incomplete text following “———-此处为截断点———-“. Could you please share the actual text you would like translated? As the plane ascended, I watched the city beneath me shrink into the distance, knowing I’d never lay eyes on it again.
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