Chapter 1

For twenty years, I lived a lie as the fake heiress.

The night the real daughter returned, Caleb claimed me. The man who never saw me, now refused to look away.

His obsession. My cage.

Then a car crash wiped his memory clean.

Now, he doesn't know my name.

This is my only chance to escape.

Nora's POV

A cashier's check for five million dollars. A deed to a villa in the south of France.

My parents-or rather, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison-sat across from me, their expressions unnaturally stiff.

"Nora, take it," Mrs. Harrison's voice was brittle. "Chloe is back. Go abroad. And don't come back."

I looked down at the absurd string of zeros on the check.

Twenty years ago, a hospital mix-up swapped me, a child from nowhere, into the Harrison family as their heiress. For two decades, I lived a life of wealth that was never mine.

Then, a month ago, they found their real daughter, Chloe.

Overnight, I fell from grace. Now I was just the awkward reminder in their home, the impostor who stole a life.

This was the price of our bond.

Yet, I felt nothing.

I wanted to escape anyway.

Caleb Harrison, who had treated me like air since we were children, changed the night my identity was exposed.

He tore away his mask of indifference, unleashing a raw, possessive fury that left me sobbing and pleading for mercy, over and over.

My voice grew hoarse, but he cupped my chin, his breath searing my skin. "Nora," he said, his voice low. "I've held back long enough."

In that moment, I finally understood.

All those years of distance? A lie.

Soon after, he announced our engagement.

Mr. Harrison was so enraged he had a heart attack. Lying in his hospital bed, he cursed Caleb. But Caleb merely summoned his lawyer and forced his father to sign over his shares, effectively stripping the old man of all power in the Harrison Group.

Chloe slashed her wrists in a suicide attempt. Caleb froze all her assets.He warned that if she didn't behave, she would be sent back to the slums. That silenced her for good.

I couldn't breathe in this prison of a relationship and began planning my escape.

The first time, I hid in the trunk of a supply truck. It didn't even reach the estate gates before being stopped.

The second time, I climbed down from the second-floor balcony in the dead of night, only to find a line of bodyguards waiting below, watching me in silence.

The closest I ever came to freedom was with Julian's help. I boarded a train bound for the next state. Just as liberty seemed within reach, men in black suits cleared the entire carriage. Caleb descended like a god of wrath, his eyes glacial.

He didn't rage that time. After bringing me back to the estate, he fastened a slender platinum chain around my ankle, its other end secured to the bedpost.

I was a bird with clipped wings.

Then, half a month ago, he left for a neighboring city to handle an urgent merger.

The negotiations dragged on for eighteen brutal hours. His team urged him to rest, but he insisted on driving back that same night.

All because I'd whispered over the phone, "It's storming outside. I'm scared."

He drove through torrential rain, dead with exhaustion. On the highway, his car slammed into an overturned semi-truck. The vehicle was obliterated.

When he woke, his memory was gone. The accident had erased it all-the obsession, the possession, the madness.

Now, he didn't even know my name.

This was my only chance to escape.

"Okay." I reached out, my fingertips brushing the check, cold as ice. "I'll leave within a month."

The Harrisons visibly exhaled in relief.

Just then, the front door of the villa was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind swept in.

Caleb's imposing frame filled the doorway. Beside him stood Chloe, her eyes bright and sharp.

Mr. and Mrs. Harrison's faces went pale.

"Caleb, Chloe,"Mrs. Harrison said, her smile strained as she gestured quickly toward me. "This is our new housekeeper. She was just about to start her duties."

Caleb's gaze swept over the check on the table, his brow furrowing for a second before it locked on me.

"Stop."

One word. Cold and sharp. An invisible chain that froze me where I stood.

I lifted my head slowly and met a pair of dark, depthless eyes.

There was no trace of the old obsession or madness in them now, only a chilling indifference.

Caleb strode over to me. His long fingers caught my chin, forcing my face up to his.

"Who are you dressed like that for?" His lips thinned in disgust. "Playing the innocent angel? Who exactly are you trying to seduce?"

My body trembled.

This simple white dress had once been his favorite on me.

He used to say it made me look pure, like an angel untouched by the world.

Now, all he saw was cunning. Deceit.

Good.

Perhaps this way, I could finally get away.

"Don't wear this again," Caleb said, releasing me as if touching something filthy. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his fingers deliberately. "Put on a maid's uniform."

"Caleb, why bother with the maid?" Chloe linked her arm through his, giving me a dismissive glance. "I've seen her kind before, scheming to climb above their station. She's nothing but trouble. Lock her in the basement until she learns her place."

The bodyguards nearby hesitated.

Everyone knew that before Caleb's amnesia, I was his untouchable obsession.

His doting on me had reached a pathological level.

"What are you waiting for? Did I say something wrong?" Chloe frowned when the bodyguards didn't move.

Caleb lost his patience, and the disgust in his eyes deepened as he looked at me.

"Get her out of my sight."

The bodyguards realized the situation had changed and moved forward to surround me. My last shred of hope shattered.

He really didn't remember anything.

My arms were seized, and I was dragged towards the basement.

I'd been afraid of the dark since childhood.

A massive fear engulfed me, but I didn't struggle. I just bit down hard on my lip, letting myself be pulled into that darkness.

The basement door opened, and a damp, chilling air assaulted me.

Chloe followed inside. The moment the bodyguards threw me onto the ground, she quickly stepped forward, raising her hand and delivering a resounding slap across my face.

SMACK!

"Liar!" Chloe's voice was sharp. "After stealing twenty years from me, you have the gall to chase my brother? Who do you think you are?"

My cheek stung fiercely, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of my mouth, yet I felt no pain.

Chloe leaned in, her breath a cold whisper against my ear. "Oh, and Caleb's engaged to Vanessa Vance. A perfect match. And you? You're just the trash he threw out."

With that, she straightened up and ordered the bodyguards, "Lock the door and turn off the lights."

The heavy iron door slammed shut, and the last sliver of light vanished.

The world plunged into absolute darkness and cold.

I curled up on the ground, crying silently, my tears quickly soaking my dress.

I told myself to endure, just a little longer. Soon, I could leave.

Fear, cold, and hunger clawed at me without mercy. As I sank into unconsciousness, I thought I heard frantic pounding on the door and a voice calling my name.