Seven Years a Shadow: The Stand-In's Escape novel Chapter 4

Lucas didn't respond immediately.

His gaze was heavy, suffocating. 

"Charlotte, you're a smart woman."

"I've met countless women in my life, but no one has ever handled things as flawlessly as you." 

"For seven years, you've never disappointed me. Not once." 

"So tell me, is this just you playing hard to get?"

"Or are you holding out for a better deal?" 

I froze. 

Lucas was one of the most sought-after men in the city.

Countless women would kill for a place by his side. 

And yet, here he was, treating me like I was somehow different. 

"I don't like greedy women," he continued, voice cold.

"You have one day to think it over."

"Either you stay and keep being the perfect Mrs. Miller… or you walk away with nothing." 

He didn't wait for my answer.

Just turned and left. 

I sat down on the bed, my gaze drifting around the bedroom. 

The massive wedding portrait on the wall—Isabella and Lucas. 

The walk-in closet, arranged exactly how Isabella had once kept it. 

Isabella's things were long gone, stored away in the Miller family's main estate. 

But her presence was everywhere. 

Even me—I was just a stand-in, someone who looked like her. 

I got up and started packing. 

Seven years in this house, and yet it only took a few hours to erase any trace of me. 

The clothes, the jewelry… all in Isabella's style.

They had never felt like mine, and I wasn't about to take them with me. 

The only thing of value I had was the necklace from last night's charity auction. 

Seven years ago, I dropped out of school and came here alone. 

Lucas and I had a grand engagement party, but no one knew the truth—that it was just a way to soothe his guilt. 

On their wedding day, Isabella had collapsed from a heart condition before the ceremony could be completed.

The whole event had ended in chaos. 

So with me standing in for her, Lucas finally got to finish that wedding. 

I sold the engagement necklace, turning it into a donation for charity.

A final closure for these past seven years. 

Tomorrow, I'd be on a plane, leaving the Miller family behind. 

The next morning, Mrs. Taylor showed up at my door. 

She sat across from me, disappointment written all over her face. 

"Charlotte, I really thought you were a sensible girl," she sighed. 

"Lucas has treated you well all these years. And yet, it's still not enough for you?" 

"You think just because you look like Isabella, you can replace her?" 

"Your dad didn't invite me. I wouldn't dare show up unannounced and stir up trouble." 

Noah clung to her hand, puffing his chest out.

"In the Miller house, only my dad and I call the shots."

"What anyone else says doesn't matter." 

Then he paused, suddenly shooting me a sharp glare. 

"Did that awful woman bully you?" 

Anna let out a soft laugh.

"What, are you gonna start a fight with your mom over me?" 

"She doesn't deserve that title." 

Noah's gaze was filled with open disdain, his words cutting without a second thought. 

"She's just my dad's plaything."

"Women like her? He has plenty." 

Even though I had long since stopped expecting anything from him, the words still stung. 

I'd spent seven years raising Noah, pouring my heart and soul into him. 

There was a time, when he was younger, he used to look up at me with absolute trust, whispering, 

"Aunt Charlotte, will you stay with me forever?"

"Other kids have a mom and dad, but I don't have a mom. But I have you." 

And now, the person who wanted me gone the most—was him. 

Anna smirked, pulling Noah closer as she threw out a seemingly innocent remark laced with provocation.