Chapter 1

Ethan had his twin brother, Lucas, pretend to be him and accompany me eleven times. I never called him out on it.

Even though I have face blindness, I could always smell the cigarette smoke on Lucas. I could also hear the slight difference in his accent.

Yet, when Lucas fed me cake, I opened my mouth.

When Lucas put his hand on my thigh at the movie theater, I didn’t flinch.

Actually, I knew. I knew Ethan was taking advantage of my face blindness to let Lucas date me in his place.

A month ago, I walked past his bedroom and heard Ethan on the phone with Lucas:

"The doctor said Lily only has three months left. I promised her I'd let her experience a complete romance before she dies."

"Chloe has face blindness. I'll give you my clothes, and she won't be able to tell the difference."

"Her parents have also agreed to help keep the secret. Nothing will go wrong."

They all felt Lily was dying, so of course, I was expected to just hand my boyfriend over to her.

The only reason I tolerated it was because I only had one session left in my face-blindness therapy.

And the best medical team was under the control of the Miller family.

Until that late night, when I was being followed down a dark alley, I called Ethan in a panic.

"Ethan, someone is following me. Can you please come pick me up..."

"Don't be scared. Send me your location. I’m on my way."

Twenty minutes later, his familiar car pulled up in front of the convenience store.

But the person who stepped out was still Lucas.

Only this time, I recognized him the second I saw his face.

My face blindness was completely cured.

I still said nothing. I just quietly got into the car.

But that very night, I filed the paperwork to transfer to our Seattle branch.

I would leave in seven days.

Lucas left that night, saying he had a business dinner. Ethan came back the next morning.

They switched places so seamlessly, thinking I was completely in the dark.

I was sitting at the dining table having breakfast when Ethan walked through the door.

Before, I could only identify him by his voice and his cologne.

But this time, I saw his face with absolute clarity.

His brow, the bridge of his nose, and the tiny mole near the corner of his right eye. Honestly, he was incredibly handsome.

I had looked at his photos for years and touched his face countless times.

But today was the first time I actually saw him.

I stared at him for a few seconds, then hesitated and called out:

"Lucas?"

Ethan stopped dead in his tracks.

"Chloe, it's me. Ethan."

I quickly lowered my head, acting just as flustered as I used to when I made a mistake.

"I'm sorry. I got it wrong again. I'm so useless..."

Ethan didn't say anything, but his brow furrowed slightly.

In the past, whenever I mistook him for someone else, he would be upset for a long time.

Once at the mall, I followed Lucas for dozens of yards before realizing he wasn't Ethan.

When I came back, Ethan’s face was red with frustration.

"You silly girl," he had said, pinching my cheek. "You can mistake anyone else in the world, but you have to recognize your own boyfriend."

After that, he started using the same cologne, wore the same watch, and only wore black or white jackets.

"I will never change my style. That way, one day, you'll be able to find me even in a massive crowd."

Now, I finally could. But this wasn't what he wanted anymore.

Ethan sat down next to me and stroked my hair.

"Don't walk home alone so late anymore. It's too dangerous, especially with your condition."

"Okay."

"Were you terrified last night?"

My nose suddenly felt a bit stung.

When I was hiding in that alley last night, I was truly terrified.

That creepy man had lingered at the entrance of the alley three times. The first person I thought of was still Ethan.

When he said "I'm on my way," I even thought to myself that I could forgive everything else.

As long as he was the one who showed up this time...

But he didn't. He sent Lucas again.

"I was okay. After all, you came, didn't you?"

A few moments later, his phone rang.

Ethan glanced at the screen, walked out to the balcony, and closed the door before answering.

Through the glass door, I could only see him say a few words. His frown deepened.

When he walked back inside, he was already grabbing his car keys.

"Something came up at the office. I have to go out."

I didn't ask any questions. Instead, Ethan paused by the door.

"How come you didn't ask me when I'd be back today?"

"I used to be immature. Now I know you're busy. I'm fine."

He stared at me for two seconds before saying, "I'll bring you some strawberry cheesecake tonight."

But I hated strawberry cheesecake. It was way too sweet.

To remember my preferences, Ethan had once made a detailed note on his phone:

Chloe: No cilantro, no organ meats, hates sweet food.

When did he start getting it wrong?

I didn't know. I only knew that Lily loved strawberry cheesecake.

I guess in their eyes, since I couldn't even recognize faces, it didn’t matter if they got my tastes a little mixed up.

That afternoon, Lily suddenly sent me nine photos on Instagram.

"Chloe, do these look pretty?"

A field of flowers. Matching couple outfits. And a side profile of a man bending down to adjust the hem of her dress.

I zoomed in on the photo. I could clearly see Ethan's face.

He was looking down, gently fixing Lily's bridal veil.

He looked just as focused as he did years ago when he knelt on the ground to tie my shoelaces.

So, this was his "emergency at the office."

I stared at the photos for a long time, and finally, I just replied with a generic heart emoji.

Everyone around me kept telling me Lily had a boyfriend, taking advantage of my face blindness to hide that it was Ethan.

Lily probably thought that even if she showed me Ethan's face directly, I wouldn't recognize him.

But I had heard every single word of that phone call between Ethan and Lucas.

My transfer to Seattle had already been approved.

I had six days left before I departed.