Chapter 1
Five years into our marriage, my husband died suddenly from an asthma attack, leaving my son
and me alone and struggling.
My parents and friends pitied me for becoming a widow so young, and all urged me to remarry quickly for my son’s sake.
But I firmly refused, insisting on honoring my husband’s memory by remaining single.
However, on the day of the third anniversary of his death, I accidentally overheard my father–in–law
angrily confronting my brother–in–law:
“Your brother was the one with asthma and died! Yet you faked your own death only to take care of your sister–in–law. Was it worth it??“.
“For three years, Aria has lived as a widow for you, raising Jayden all alone. Yes, you gave your niece a family, but have you ever thought about how Jayden lost his father the day you pretended to
die?”
In that moment, I felt like my blood was flowing backwards. And I finally realized that: the man who
died three years ago wasn’t my husband Knox, but his identical twin brother!
My three years of mourning? It was nothing but a cruel joke!
On that very evening, I calmly called my parents:
“Mom, Dad, I agree to remarry!”
After my husband’s sudden death from an asthma attack, my in–laws could barely look me in the eye because of guilt. So they took care of me everywhere, fearing that I couldn’t bear being a widow and would take their grandson -the last branch of their family tree–to remarry someone else.
Meanwhile, my parents continuously pushed me toward dating again. “You can’t possibly remain a widow forever,” they’d say, already lining up potential matches.
But I was stubborn as hell. I insisted on honoring my husband’s memory, refusing to even consider another relationship.
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Three Years a ‘Widow. Until I Found His Secret!
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Chapter 1
I even reassured my in–laws: “Don’t worry, I promise Jayden will never call another man ‘Dad.“”
For three years, I gritted my teeth through the loneliness, the exhaustion, the crushing weight of
raising a child alone.
Then came the third anniversary of my husband’s death, a day that I never expected that would
change everything.
That day, I accidentally overheard my father–in–law shouting at my brother–in–law:
“Knox! Your brother is the one who had asthma since birth! Your brother is the one who died! Why
the hell did you stage this fake death and steal his identity?”
Knox? That was my husband’s name…
What did he mean by “fake death“?
I stood frozen, unable to process what I was hearing, when the man’s voice responded:
“Dad, Vanessa was pregnant at the time. How could she have handled the truth of her husband’s
death? As for Aria, I’ve given her Jayden. At least she won’t spend the rest of her life childless. That should be enough.”
“From that day on, I decided to take my brother’s place and fulfill his responsibility to care for Vanessa. As for Knox Thorne–let that identity stay buried forever.”
I couldn’t bear to hear more. My extremities went numb, my head pounding like someone had driven steel needles into my skull.
The truth crashed down on me: it wasn’t my husband who had died, but his identical twin brother.
The man who should have been closest to me–my husband–had faked his death and abandoned
our son and me, all to care for someone else’s wife.
My tears finally broke free, streaming down my face uncontrollably.
Back then, Knox had once rescued me from the darkest period of my life. When I was kidnapped and my reputation destroyed, he never judged me. Instead, he dropped to one knee and proposed right then and there, swearing he’d cherish me forever.
After our wedding, he treated me like a queen, never letting me feel even a moment’s unhappiness.
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Three Years a ‘Widow‘… Until I Found His Secret!
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Chapter 1
Everyone in town called him the ultimate romantic. I became the woman others envied and resented in equal measure.
That’s why after his “death,” I committed myself to honoring his memory–even to the point of accepting lifelong widowhood.
Now I finally realized how pathetically naive I’d been.
Knox had always been healthy as a horse–he’d never even caught a common cold. How could he possibly have died from an asthma attack?
So it turns out that he’s been acting all along!
Three years of deception, all to protect his first love.
And what about our son and me? What were we to him?
At this moment, Knox in the room was still talking to the father–in–law about something, but my ears were already filled with tinnitus.
I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle my sobs, then turned and fled in disarray.
14:27
