I Married the Twin He Hid From Me

Start Reading

When I opened my eyes, I found myself right back in the chaotic moments before my wedding.

Julian and his identical twin brother, Perry, were standing directly in front of me, both dressed in the exact same bespoke tuxedo, their hair styled identically.

Chloe, can you tell which one of us is me? Julian asked, his voice teasing.

In my previous life, I had picked Julian out instantly. He had smiled, taken my hand, and walked me down the aisle, vowing in front of all our family and friends that he would love me forever.

After the wedding, he treated me like absolute royalty. I honestly believed I had found true happiness.

That is, until Monica, a girl from Julian's college, died when her cruise ship was hit by a freak tsunami. Everything shattered.

He lost his mind. He dragged me to the roof of a high-rise and threw me off, screaming like a madman, "If you had just picked the wrong brother at the wedding, I could have gone with Monica to travel the world! She wouldn't be dead!"

"Chloe, why did you have to recognize me that day!" His voice was choked with pure despair and venomous resentment.

This time, without a single second of hesitation, I threw myself directly into Perry's arms, my voice sickeningly sweet. "How could I ever not recognize you!"

I heard Julian let out a quiet sigh of relief beside us. But he didn't notice how tightly Perry's arms wrapped around my waist, nor did he see the raw, burning ambition hidden deep in his twin's eyes.

...

"You guessed right."

Perry's eyes darkened instantly, his grip on my waist tightening possessively.

"Chloe, the ceremony is starting soon," Julian urged from the sidelines.

"You two head out first. I need to change out of these clothes," Julian added, shooting a triumphant, conspiratorial look at his brother.

I pretended not to notice a thing, linking my arm through Perry's and stepping out of the bridal suite.

The moment we pushed the door open, we practically bumped right into Monica.

Her gaze swept past me and locked onto Perry's face. After a few seconds of intense scrutiny, a flicker of sheer, unmistakable glee danced in her eyes.

"Chloe, wishing you and Julian a very happy marriage!"

She placed heavy, deliberate emphasis on "Julian," her congratulations laced with thick, biting mockery.

Monica was sneering at me for picking the wrong groom.

In my previous life, she had run away from the suite in tears. When I asked about it, Julian brushed it off, claiming Monica was just emotionally unstable due to some career setbacks.

I trusted him implicitly. I didn't give it a second thought.

It wasn't until Julian hurled me off that building that I finally learned the truth. He and Monica had made a sick bet.

If I failed to pick him out on our wedding day, he would assume Perry's identity and spend the next three months traveling the world with Monica, a grand romantic gesture to make up for the fact that they couldn't be together permanently.

After the three months were up, he planned to switch back with Perry and pretend absolutely nothing had happened.

In this life, I decided to give them exactly what they wanted.

I looked at the undisguised triumph in Monica's eyes and flashed her a blinding, radiant smile.

"And I wish you everything you've ever wanted."

Without giving her a chance to process that, I pulled Perry toward the grand ballroom.

The orchestral music swelled, signaling the start of the ceremony.

My name and Julian's were emblazoned in massive gold letters across the screens behind the altar.

But Julian and Monica were sitting in the dimly lit audience, leaning against each other intimately as if no one else was in the room.

It was as if this wedding had absolutely nothing to do with him.

The ceremony flowed flawlessly until the final, crucial moment. The officiant smiled warmly at the crowd.

"Now, the bride and groom may embrace and share their first kiss."

I leaned into Perry's chest and tilted my head, my eyes sweeping over the crowd.

A memory struck me. In my past life, when Julian pulled me in for this embrace, he had secretly kissed my earlobe and whispered, "Chloe, I finally get to marry you."

Right now, he was in the audience, holding another woman.

When my gaze locked onto his, Julian instinctively dropped Monica's hand.

But as his eyes shifted to the man standing beside me, the reality that they had swapped identities finally hit him. He rubbed his nose, looking suddenly guilty and uncomfortable.

Monica stared down at her empty hand, her expression turning incredibly dark.

Suddenly, she stood up and shouted toward the stage.

"A hug is so boring! Let's see a real kiss from the newlyweds!"

Her outburst ignited the crowd. The guests immediately started cheering and chanting.

"Kiss! Kiss!"

"You're married now, don't be shy!"

Julian stopped breathing. He shot to his feet, violently yanking Monica back down into her chair, and roared at the crowd.

"They don't like PDA! Stop pressuring them!"

A month ago, when going over the itinerary with the planner, Julian had specifically insisted on skipping the kiss.

Looking back, he had already been laying the groundwork for Perry to take his place at the altar.

Thinking of this, I reached up, grabbed Perry by his silk tie, pulled him down, and stood on my tiptoes.

I kissed him deeply.

"Chloe!"

Julian violently kicked his chair back, vaulting himself onto the stage in one fluid motion.

Under the shocked gasps of hundreds of guests, he practically tore me away from Perry, screaming in my face.

"Chloe! Have you lost your mind?! How could you kiss him?!"

I blinked at him, the picture of wounded innocence.

"I'm kissing my own husband at my own wedding. How is that crazy? And why are you so angry about it?"

Perry grabbed my hand, smoothly pulling me behind his broad back.

"'Perry,' I know it's hard to watch your brother get married, but Chloe is your sister-in-law now. Show some respect."

As he spoke, he casually swiped his thumb across his lower lip, wiping away a smear of my lipstick, looking as if he were savoring the taste.

Julian's eyes went completely bloodshot with rage.

"You need to remember who..."

Before he could finish his threat, Monica rushed onto the stage and forcefully grabbed his arm.

"Stop it!"

She leaned close to his ear, hissing through her teeth.

"Julian, whatever your problem is, deal with it backstage! Can't you see the press and the entire city are watching you?!"

Julian finally looked out at the audience.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes were glued to him. The media crews hired by Sterling Corporation had every camera lens zoomed in on his face.

The sheer stupidity and impulsiveness of his actions finally dawned on him.

If the press found out that the heir to the Sterling empire had forced his twin brother to stand in for his political marriage to the Davis family, the resulting scandal would obliterate the company's stock.

Seeing Julian finally regain some sanity, Monica quickly stepped to the microphone to run damage control.

"I apologize, everyone! 'Perry' is just overwhelmed with emotion seeing his brother tie the knot. He had a bit too much champagne to celebrate."

"Please, enjoy the reception! Don't mind this little brotherly spat."

The MC, a seasoned professional, immediately seized the opportunity to defuse the tension.

"It seems the Sterling brothers share an incredibly deep bond! Moving on, let's welcome the phenomenal pop star, Lexi, to sing a special blessing for our beautiful newlyweds!"

Before Julian stepped off the stage, he shot Perry a look of pure, venomous hatred.

"You're dead, kid. Just wait."

Perry maintained his calm, polite smile, but his eyes were absolute glaciers.

While the grand ballroom outside was filled with music and laughter, the private bridal suite was a warzone.

Julian hurled his crystal champagne flute directly at Perry's feet. A shard of shattered glass bounced up, slicing a thin red line across Perry's cheek.

"Perry! I told you to stand in for the ceremony! I didn't tell you to actually act like her husband!"

"Chloe doesn't know the truth, but you damn well do!"

"When she kissed you, why didn't you push her away?! You were actually enjoying it, weren't you?!"

Perry slowly raised a hand, wiping the drop of blood from his cheek.

"Push her away? And have tomorrow's headlines scream that the Sterling heir is disgusted by the Davis family bride?"

"Or maybe you'd prefer 'Sterling Heir Publicly Rejects Arranged Marriage at the Altar'?"

Julian stared at the cold mockery in his brother's eyes. He lunged forward, grabbing Perry by the lapels of his tuxedo, his voice shaking with suppressed fury.

"Don't think I don't know exactly what game you're playing!"

"I should have known you didn't agree to help me and Monica out of the goodness of your heart. You never got over Chloe!"

"But don't delude yourself into thinking you can swoop in and steal her!"

He slowly released his grip, his gaze turning to absolute ice.

"I've transferred you to the European tech acquisition project. It lasts exactly three months. Your flight leaves tonight."

"In three months, everything resets."

"I am the heir to the Sterling empire, and the only man marrying Chloe is me."

I stood right outside the door, hearing every single word.

But Julian had made one massive miscalculation.

Whoever I married became the heir to the Sterling empire.

Years ago, the Sterling patriarch, Julian and Perry's grandfather, had allowed me to choose which of his grandsons I wanted to marry.

The three of us had practically grown up together. I knew perfectly well that both brothers were in love with me.

The event that finally pushed me to choose Julian was a terrifying accident.

When I was eighteen, I was kidnapped by a ruthless corporate rival of my father's.

Right as the kidnapper raised a knife to execute me, Julian burst in, took the blade directly into his own stomach, and saved my life.

The day he was discharged from the hospital, I told the Sterling patriarch that my choice was Julian.

That was the exact day our engagement was announced, and simultaneously, the day Julian was officially named the heir to the Sterling empire.

He saved my life, and in my past life, I repaid that debt with my own blood.

In this life, our ledger is completely clean.

Hearing footsteps approaching the door, I quickly turned and walked down the hallway, pulling out my phone.

"Set up a meeting for me. I need to speak privately with Chairman Sterling."

That night, Perry didn't follow his brother's orders. He didn't board a flight to Europe. He walked straight into our new marital penthouse.

When he opened the door, I was lounging on the velvet sofa, swirling a glass of whiskey.

A flicker of surprise crossed my face, but I smoothly stood up, poured a second glass, and offered it to him.

"Drink?"

Perry took the glass, his intensely heated gaze locked onto the damp residue of whiskey on my lips.

"I'm thirsty for something else..."

His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice low and incredibly gravelly.

"Chloe."

Before I could react, his shadow fell over me. He cupped my face in his large hands and crashed his lips against mine.

Maybe it was the alcohol in my bloodstream.

I didn't push him away. Instead, I leaned into him and kissed him back.

My response seemed to obliterate his remaining self-control.

He became insatiable.

From the living room to the hallway, from the sofa to the mattress. Right up until the point of no return.

He suddenly froze, his muscles taut.

"Chloe, do you know exactly who I am?"

He stroked my cheek, his eyes a storm of agonizingly restrained desire and complex fear.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, arched up, and whispered directly against his ear.

"Perry."

Before the word fully left my mouth, he crashed down on me.

Moonlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting tangled shadows against the wall.

It wasn't until the first faint light of dawn breached the horizon that the room finally grew quiet.

The next morning, the shrill ringing of Perry's phone woke me.

"The project manager in Europe just called me. You never got on that plane."

"Perry! Where the hell are you right now?!"

Julian's enraged roar echoed through the speaker.

Perry pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice lazy and completely unapologetic.

"It was my wedding night. Where do you think I was?"

His voice was still raspy from the night before.

A beat of silence passed before Julian's voice cracked, rising an entire octave.

"Perry! This isn't funny! Get your ass to the airport right now."

"I'm currently on a yacht, and I'm about to lose signal."

Half-asleep and annoyed, I mumbled into the pillows.

"Turn that down, it's too loud."

Dead silence on the other end of the line. When Julian finally spoke, his voice was visibly shaking.

"Was that Chloe?"

"Is she in bed with you? Did you sleep with her?!"

Before Perry could answer, the call dropped abruptly.

Julian had probably lost his satellite connection on the water.

With that chaotic wake-up call, my exhaustion evaporated.

I felt an intense gaze burning into the top of my head.

Remembering the absolute madness of the previous night, a violent flush of heat rushed to my cheeks.

Perry finally broke the silence.

"Chloe, you knew it was me from the very beginning, didn't you?"

I nodded slowly.

"Since we were kids, I have never once confused the two of you."

Even though they shared the exact same face.

One look was all it ever took for me to know exactly who was standing in front of me.

"Then why did you pick me yesterday?"

Looking at the desperate, fragile hope swimming in his dark eyes, I told him the absolute truth.

"Because the man I wanted to marry was always you."

Perry froze, blinking as if he couldn't comprehend the words, before letting out a low, breathy laugh.

"So Julian thought he was playing you this whole time, but he was actually the one being played."

But by noon, Julian, who was supposed to be halfway across the ocean on a romantic cruise with Monica, suddenly burst through the penthouse doors.

He grabbed Perry by the shoulder and violently shoved him toward the master bathroom.

"Perry, take your clothes off right now! We're switching back!"

Seconds later, Monica stormed into the apartment, completely ignoring the protests of the building's head of security.

She walked right past me as if I were invisible, marching to the bathroom door and pounding her fists against the wood.

"Today is my birthday! You promised you would spend my birthday with me!"

Her voice cracked, thick with dramatic tears.

"This was my only wish last year! We had a deal! Just give me this one last day!"

Exactly one year ago today, I had been in a minor car accident and was rushed to the ER.

Julian told me he was stuck on a business trip overseas and couldn't get a flight back. The truth was, he was throwing Monica a birthday party.

The bathroom door clicked open.

Julian stepped out.

Seeing the crystalline tears clinging to Monica's eyelashes, his face softened instantly. He pulled her tightly against his chest.

"Stop crying. I promise, I'll stay."

Monica buried her face in his shirt, her shoulders trembling delicately.

"I knew you wouldn't abandon me."

Perry leaned against the doorframe, watching them with icy indifference, before walking over to me.

"Chloe."

It was only then that Julian finally realized I had been sitting on the sofa the entire time, quietly observing the whole spectacle.

A flash of genuine conflict crossed his eyes, but he quickly composed himself.

"Since today is Monica's birthday, why don't the four of us go out and celebrate together?"

"'Julian,' Monica is just your old college friend, right? You shouldn't mind."

He shot Perry a look loaded with silent threats.

Perry completely ignored him, turning his gaze down to me.

"What do you think, honey?"

I stood up, looping my arm casually through Perry's, and shook my head.

"We'll pass. We're heading to the courthouse this afternoon to file our marriage certificate."

In my past life, Julian had been terrified of upsetting Monica, so he kept making excuses, calling the certificate a "meaningless piece of paper" to delay making our marriage legally binding.

But Perry was different. He wanted the ink dry and the legal standing absolute.

Julian's eyes widened in sheer panic.

"You're filing the certificate today?!"

His face drained of color, turning a sickly shade of gray. But it only lasted a fraction of a second before he forced a tight, stiff smile.

"Well, if you have paperwork to handle, we won't get in your way."

Right before he left, he subtly slipped his own ID into Perry's jacket pocket.

Making sure I couldn't hear, he leaned in and hissed at his brother.

"I know you're just mad on Chloe's behalf, and that audio clip this morning was just to piss me off."

"But I swear I am not betraying Chloe. I just want to be here for Monica as a friend, to help her check this world tour off her bucket list."

"I swear, after today, we switch back permanently. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to Chloe."

"You file that paperwork for me, and I'll forget this whole stunt you pulled."

The second the door closed behind them, Perry pulled Julian's ID out of his pocket and casually dropped it into the trash can.

Watching him do it, everything clicked into place.

Julian actually believed Perry was just putting on a performance to scare him.

He thought he was so incredibly clever.

He had absolutely no idea that the woman he was supposed to marry, and the empire he was supposed to inherit, were already gone.

At the courthouse, the paperwork was processed with lightning speed.

Forms filled. Signatures signed. Photos submitted.

The heavy steel stamp slammed down.

Two small red booklets were handed to us.

Under the names of the legally bound couple, it read: Chloe Davis and Perry Sterling.

Right on cue, a text from Julian lit up Perry's screen.

"Did you get the certificate done?"

"Send me a picture of it right now."

"You do this for me, and when I officially take over the Sterling empire, I'll make you a full partner. We'll run it together."

Perry snapped two photos of the open certificate and hit send.

A second later.

Julian's phone call ripped through the silence of the car.