Chapter 1 Zaria is missing
Zella
“Zaria is missing.”
The words did not make sense at first. My mother was crying, my father could not look at me, and Uncle Silas… he looked like a man deciding who would die next. That was when I knew whatever was happening was not just family business. It was something worse. I stood in the middle of the living room, my fingers still wrapped around my bag, my heart beating too fast for me to think clearly.
“Missing?” I asked.
No one answered right away. The silence said more than anything else. My mother let out a broken sound and covered her face. My father turned toward the window like he could not stand to look at me. Uncle Silas did not move. He just watched. Something cold moved through my chest.
“Say something,” I said, my voice cracking now. “What do you mean she is missing?”
“She disappeared,” my father said quietly. “No call. No message. Nothing.” The room suddenly became cold. Zaria… gone? My twin.
We share the same face, but that is where it ends. She lived a life I was never part of, growing up with Uncle Silas, surrounded by power and money, while I stayed here with my parents, living something simple and quiet. We barely spoke, and when we did, it never felt like we were sisters. Still, she is my blood.
“How long?” I asked.
My mother slowly lowered her hands, her eyes swollen and red.
“Two months.”
The words hit hard.
“Two months?” I repeated. “And you are just telling me now?”
My father finally looked at me, guilt heavy in his eyes.
“We thought she would come back.”
Something about that answer felt wrong. Am I not part of this family? For my mom to call me to come home at once and ended the call, I knew something was not right. We need to look for her. It doesn't mean we don't communicate as sisters, that doesn't mean I wouldn't put my heart in searching for her. Zaria is not just anyone. She is married into the Cristopher family, one of the most powerful families in this country. To the public, she is Uncle Silas’s only daughter. No one knows I exist. No one knows she has a twin. If people find out she has disappeared, everything will fall apart.
“Steven,” Uncle Silas said, his voice calm, but beneath were hidden authority. “Do not forget the promise you made.”
I frowned and looked at my father. “What promise?”
My father’s jaw tightened. “Silas, not now.”
“You chose to marry Arielle,” Uncle Silas continued, as if he had not spoken. “The woman sent to kill me. I let her live because you begged me to. You promised that one day, when I ask for something, you will give it to me.”
My stomach turned. I had never heard any of this before.
“What do you want?” my father asked.
“I want Zella to take Zaria’s place.”
For a moment, everything stopped.
“What?” The word came out before I could think clearly.
My mother suddenly dropped to her knees.
“Please,” she cried. “Do not do this. Not her. Not again.”
I rushed forward and grabbed her arm, trying to pull her up, but she pushed me away.
“Kill me instead,” she said through her tears. “I will not let you ruin her life.”
“Ruin?” Uncle Silas let out a tired laugh. “Everything was ruined a long time ago.”
“Enough,” my father snapped.
“You think this is a choice?” Uncle Silas shot back. “If Zaria does not return, we all die.”
The room fell quiet again. I felt it then, the weight of something I hadn't gotten right.
“Explain,” my father said.
Uncle Silas glanced at me before speaking.
“Zaria left behind a child. A four year old boy. Rowan’s son.”
My chest tightened.
“And Rowan?” my father asked.
“You know what kind of man he is,” Uncle Silas said. “If he finds out his wife ran away, he will not ask questions. He will destroy everything, starting with us.”
My mother shook her head over and over.
“Then why Zella?” she cried. “Why my daughter?”
“Because no one knows she exists,” Uncle Silas said. “Because she has the same face. And because we do not have another option.”
I felt like I could not breathe.
“You want her to live with that man?” my father asked. “That monster?”
“Zaria chose that life,” Uncle Silas replied. “Zella did not. But she is the only one who can fix this.”
“No,” my father said firmly. “Find another way.”
“There is no other way.”
Then Uncle Silas added quietly, “Rowan gave me three days.”
That was it. Three days.
“If I do not bring her back,” he continued, “he will destroy everything we built. The company will fall, thousands will lose their jobs, and he will kill me for making his son cry.”
My heart started beating faster.
My father stepped forward. “That is not our problem. I will not let Zella take her place.”
Before anyone could say another word, he suddenly pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it at his own head.
“Papa!” I screamed. “Do not do this!”
My chest tightened so hard it hurt.
“If you pull that trigger,” I said, my voice shaking now, “I will follow you. I mean it.”
He froze. Slowly, his hand dropped. Fear fell on me as everywhere became quiet again. Uncle Silas looked at all of us, his expression wasn't kind.
“Then you will all be buried with me.”
Those words settled deep, leaving no space for hope. I closed my eyes for a moment. This is not just about Zaria. This is about my family's survival. If everyone should be alive because of me, I don't have to think about it.
“I will do it.”
“No!” my mother cried instantly.
“I will take her place.”
She shook her head, grabbing my hand tightly.
“Do not say that. Please do not say that.”
I held her hands, forcing myself to stay steady.
“I love you,” I said. “I can not let anything happen to you. Or Papa.”
My voice stayed calm, even though everything inside me felt like it was breaking.
“I will do this until she comes back.”
My mother broke down completely. My father pulled me into his arms, holding me like I was already gone. I stared past him, my thoughts already moving ahead. I do not know what kind of man Rowan is. I do not know what kind of life Zaria lived. But I know one thing. From this moment on, I am no longer Zella. I am her, the run away twin sister. And if I make one mistake, I will not be the only one who pays for it.
