1 I was twenty-eight and single. My parents were desperate, so they called in my married brother, Lucas, to share his secret to finding a wife. “It was pure luck,” he laughed. “No one would believe Victoria and I were pen pals in the 21st century.” Useless advice. I went back to my minimum-wage grind until I cleaned the attic that weekend. Deep in a dusty closet, I found a heavy box of letters Lucas and Victoria wrote as teens. He used the pen name Atlas; she was Aurora. The handwriting was bold and free-spirited. I froze. Atlas was my pen name. Trembling, I dumped the box. Every letter signed Atlas was in my exact handwriting, mixed with Aurora’s sweet replies. Papers fluttered to the floor as my knees buckled. Victoria was my old pen pal? But she didn’t just disappear? When I turned eighteen, right after my birthday, her letters abruptly stopped. I kept writing to her, week after week, but my words vanished into the void. She never disappeared. She just started writing to my older brother instead. I stared closely at the letters signed by Atlas. The tone, the phrasing, the cadence… it was exactly how I wrote. But the handwriting… Lucas had always possessed a terrifying talent for mimicking my script perfectly. Did Lucas… No. It was impossible. I shook my head violently, trying to clear the paranoid thoughts. Outside, the crunch of tires on the gravel driveway snapped me back to reality. I frantically gathered the scattered letters, shoving them back into the bottom of the wooden chest. But because they had spilled everywhere, they were completely out of order. It took me longer than I wanted. Just as I slammed the lid shut, the front door downstairs clicked open. “Guess what I got my amazing husband to celebrate ten years of knowing each other?” It was Victoria’s voice. I stayed frozen in the shadows of the upstairs hallway, listening. Lucas paused, pretending to think. “A new ring?” “Nope.” I heard the soft click of a velvet box opening. Victoria laughed softly. A vintage Rolex was resting inside, customized with a brilliant aquamarine stone set into the dial. It was a rare piece I had recently read about from a Sotheby’s auction. Lucas gasped, taking the box with wide eyes. “Oh my god, babe! It is gorgeous! But what is the occasion for something this crazy?” Victoria’s smile faltered. “Did you forget our promise?” Lucas blinked at her, completely confused. “In our very first year of writing to each other,” Victoria said softly, “you told me that if we stayed in each other’s lives for a decade, I had to gift you a watch with an aquamarine stone. Do you… do you really not remember?” “Of course I do!” Lucas recovered instantly, pulling her into a tight embrace with a loud laugh. “I was just messing with you, babe!” Victoria gently pushed the watch box onto the console table, her tone slightly deflated. “I think someone actually forgot. It feels like I am the only one who remembers the little things from back then.” “I did not forget! Stop making things up! I am sorry, babe. Come here.” Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her neck. Victoria’s feigned annoyance melted away instantly. A genuine, loving smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Then she looked up, saw me standing at the top of the stairs, and quickly pushed Lucas away. “Simon is here.” Lucas looked up, clearly startled. I stood there, my fists clenched so tightly behind my back that my nails dug into my palms. “Hey, Simon,” Lucas smiled smoothly. Victoria waved me down. “Come look at the gift I picked out for your brother. What do you think?” Looking at that beautifully crafted watch, the words died in my throat. Every single detail was perfect. It was exactly how I had pictured it when I wrote that sentence in my bedroom ten years ago. It was just the wrong man wearing it. “Simon, what is wrong?” Victoria asked, her brow furrowing. “Are you feeling sick?” I shook my head silently. “Well, we did not forget about you. Here, your brother picked out a custom engraved gold pendant for you. For good luck.” A heavy velvet pouch was pushed into my hands. No matter what I wanted to scream in that moment, it was not the time or the place. I took the pouch. I muttered a quiet thank you, turned around, and practically ran back up the stairs. In my panic, I didn’t notice the sharp, suspicious glare Lucas shot at my back. I locked myself in my room for the rest of the day. I pulled out a small, hidden shoebox from under my bed. It was filled with old, yellowed stationery. Letters from Aurora. The letters I had sent after these never received a reply. [You have not written to me in weeks. Did something happen?] [I put twenty bucks in this envelope. I saved up for a while. If your stepmom locks you out of the kitchen again, go buy yourself some pizza.] [It has been three months. If you do not reply soon, I am actually going to be mad. Did you finally get a smartphone? My WhatsApp is…] [I am moving to New York for college! If you still want to write to me, my new address is…] [There is a hundred bucks in here. I actually have a real job now! Please make sure you are eating enough.] I couldn’t read any more. I gathered every single letter, crumpled them up, and threw them straight into my trash can. That evening at dinner, the clinking of silverware stopped when Lucas suddenly spoke up. “Simon. Have you been writing letters to my wife?” My head snapped up. My parents and Victoria looked at Lucas in total confusion. With a loud slap, Lucas threw a stack of crumpled, yellowed letters onto the dining table. They were the ones I had thrown away, mixed with a few unsent drafts I had written to Aurora years ago. Victoria froze the second she saw them. “These… these are my old letters. But I sent these to you, Lucas. Why does Simon have them?” “Simon!” Lucas slammed his hands on the table, glaring at me. “Do you have any idea how sick this is? She is your brother’s wife! Just because you cannot find a woman of your own, you steal my old pen name, forge my handwriting, and try to creep on my wife?!” Victoria picked up the letters with trembling hands. She looked at me with a mixture of shock and profound disgust. “No wonder I felt like your tone was a bit weird for a few months back then. It was you.” “I didn’t!” I tried to speak, but my father violently threw his chopsticks against the porcelain bowls. “Simon! We told you to go out and find a girl! We did not tell you to become a shameless degenerate! Hitting on Victoria? Have you lost your mind?!” “I am not! I just…” Lucas’s furious shouting completely drowned out my defense. Victoria quickly wrapped her arms around Lucas, pulling him close and whispering soft words to calm him down. Then she turned her cold gaze to me. “Simon. I am married to your brother. There is absolutely zero possibility of anything ever happening between us. Do not ever try a stunt like this again.” Without another word, she helped Lucas out of the dining room. Her eyes were filled with nothing but pure concern for her husband. My parents were so disgusted they abandoned their dinner entirely. Within seconds, I was the only one left in the room. The yellowed letters lay scattered across the mahogany table. They felt like they were mocking my absolute helplessness across the span of a decade. “That is not what happened!” I suddenly grabbed the letters and sprinted up the stairs. “Victoria, the truth is I…” I stopped dead right outside their bedroom door. Lucas had his face buried in Victoria’s shoulder. Her beautiful, usually composed eyes were filled with undeniable heartbreak for him. “Shh, it is okay. Do not be upset.” As she comforted him, her own eyes grew red. She reached up and gently wiped a tear from my brother’s cheek. Seeing that absolute, raw devotion… every single word I wanted to say died in my throat. What would telling her the truth accomplish now? I was looking at a wife who loved her husband with every fiber of her being. Even if she found out the origin of their relationship was a stolen identity… would a decade of real, lived-in love just vanish into thin air? I turned around and walked away. As I passed the hallway trash can, I dropped the letters back in. The atmosphere at the breakfast table the next morning was suffocating. I broke the silence. “Dad, Mom. Set me up on a blind date.” My mother choked on her coffee. They knew exactly how much I despised arranged setups. Victoria looked up from her plate, her eyes locking onto mine. “I want to get married,” I said flatly. My mother wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Well, it is about time you came to your senses.” “Yeah.” I looked down at my food. Lucas reached over and patted my shoulder with a forgiving smile. “Simon, I am sorry about yesterday. I lost my temper and did not consider your feelings. I apologize.” “But I am so glad you finally figured things out. Do not worry, I will personally vet the candidates. No more weirdos.” I gave a stiff nod. When I casually glanced up, I caught Victoria staring at me. There was an emotion in her eyes I couldn’t quite decipher. I looked away and kept eating in silence. They found a match for me incredibly fast. Her name was Sloane. We were the exact same age. She was a self-made entrepreneur with a net worth pushing nine figures. I was genuinely shocked my parents managed to pull a candidate like her. And I was even more shocked that someone making minimum wage like me was even allowed in the same room as her. But I didn’t care. As long as I was actively dating, the toxic tension in the house would slowly evaporate. But the night before I was supposed to meet Sloane, Victoria sought me out. I was sitting in the living room with the lights off. Victoria quietly sat down on the sofa next to me. “Have you really thought this through? Are you sure you want to rush into marriage?” I blinked, then nodded. “Look, do not hold a grudge over what happened the other day. I did not mean to be so harsh.” “I am over it, Victoria.” Her gaze lingered on my face for a long, uncomfortable moment. Finally, she nodded. “If she treats you poorly, you come tell me. I am family. I will always have your back.” I paused, looking at her in surprise. She stared right back, her eyes swirling with that same complicated emotion I couldn’t read. Having no other response, I just nodded. “Thank you.” We went back to our respective rooms. But a few minutes later, when I stepped out to grab a glass of water, I heard Victoria’s voice echoing softly from the balcony. She was on the phone. “Yes, he kept his distance tonight. You can go ahead and marry him.” “Of course I am watching out for you. You are my best friend. I would never hand you over to a man with impure intentions.” “Look, I do not care if he still harbors those disgusting fantasies in his head. As long as he keeps them buried and behaves, it is fine.” “Just marry him quickly. I am sick of looking at his face in this house.” “Victoria!” I couldn’t take it anymore. I shoved the balcony door open. “I am not a creep! I never did anything to you!” Victoria whipped around, her eyes widening in pure shock. Through the phone speaker, I heard Sloane’s confused voice. “What is going on over there?” “Nothing.” Victoria instantly hung up. She stepped forward and tried to shove me back inside. “What is wrong with you? I thought you went to sleep.” “I am not the disgusting creep you keep telling everyone I am! Lucas was never your pen pal! It was me! I never hit on you! I never lied to you!” Victoria’s brow furrowed deeply. “What are you talking about?” “I am telling you,” I breathed heavily, “I am Atlas…” Her expression darkened into a scowl. “Victoria, I…” Smack. A sharp, stinging slap landed squarely across my cheek. The door to my parents’ master bedroom swung open instantly. Lucas’s bedroom door down the hall clicked open right after. “What is all that shouting?” “Victoria? Simon? Why are you two out here in the dark?” I held my burning cheek, staring at her in absolute disbelief. “You are completely hopeless,” Victoria sneered, looking at me like I was trash. Lucas rushed over. Seeing the bright red handprint on my face, his expression twisted into pure disgust. “Simon, do not tell me you tried to…” I gritted my teeth. “How can you treat me like this?!” Lucas shoved me hard against the wall. “I literally begged Victoria to set you up with her wealthy best friend, and you still cannot keep your hands off my wife?! Are you that pathetic? You only want women who belong to someone else?!” “I didn’t do anything!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “I never lied! Who is the real Atlas, Lucas?! You know exactly what you did! You have absolutely no right to judge me!” “You…” Lucas froze, his face draining of color. A second later, a heavy hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. My father’s thick, calloused palm cracked across my jaw so hard I saw stars. I collapsed onto the hardwood floor. “Have you no shame?!” my father roared, his face purple with rage. “That is your brother’s wife!” Victoria stood over me, looking down from her pedestal. She pulled Lucas protectively behind her. “Lock him in the basement for a few days,” she said coldly. “Let him think about what he has done.” The family’s private security guards stepped forward immediately. They grabbed me by the arms and dragged me toward the cellar doors. I thrashed wildly. “I am not lying! I am Atlas! Let me go!” Lucas let out a theatrical, choking sob, burying his face in his hands. But right before they shoved me down the dark concrete stairs, I saw Lucas peek through his fingers. He locked eyes with me. There were no tears. Only a cold, lethal threat. I do not remember much of those two days in the dark. At first, I was consumed by a burning rage. Then, total physical exhaustion. By the end, my heart was just dead. On the third afternoon, Victoria unlocked the heavy cellar door. “My husband and I have discussed this.” She emphasized the word husband heavily. “We are willing to keep this little incident a secret from your fiancée. But you are going to sign a non-disclosure agreement.” She dropped a legal document onto the dusty floor in front of me. She looked down at me with eyes made of ice. “From this day forward, you and I have absolutely no connection whatsoever.” I slowly lifted my head. “If you ever cross the line again,” she warned, “I will not care that we are family. I will destroy you.” I stared into her cold, merciless eyes. I picked up the pen with trembling fingers. I signed my name on the dotted line and pressed my thumbprint in red ink. Victoria carefully folded the contract and tucked it into her designer blazer. I was finally allowed out of that suffocating basement. The afternoon sun was blinding. I didn’t care about the pen pal mystery anymore. I didn’t care who Victoria thought she was writing to. Victoria kept her word. During my dates with Sloane, she never said another bad word about me to her best friend. And against all odds, Sloane actually fell for me. I didn’t fully understand why, but my parents were absolutely thrilled and pushed for an immediate engagement. They had two sons. One married the formidable CEO Victoria. The other was marrying the self-made tycoon Sloane. Love didn’t matter. The prestige was enough for them. I had only one condition: after the wedding, I was moving out of the family estate permanently. They agreed without a second thought. The wedding was fast-tracked. That weekend, I was getting married. When the fleet of wedding cars pulled up to Sloane’s private estate, she was sitting in the back of a Rolls-Royce, wearing a breathtaking white gown. She smiled brightly and reached her hand out to me. I didn’t hesitate. I took her hand. Just as I leaned in to lift her out of the car, a frantic voice shattered the romantic atmosphere. “Stop! This is a mistake!” Victoria violently shoved her way through the crowd of groomsmen and photographers. She stood in front of Sloane, completely out of breath. “He cannot marry you.”
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