Chapter 16: You are lying. I do not like lies

Zella

I moved away from Abel because I did not want trouble. I had already dealt with enough, and today I needed quiet more than anything. That was why I came to the garden. It had always been the only place where my mind could slow down. But my mind would not listen.

Memories kept coming in pieces, never complete, never clear. I could see myself walking through campus, rushing between classes, tired but alive. Then everything would stop there. The next thing I knew, there was a hospital. A bed. A body that would not move.

Mine. Or hers.

I pressed my fingers against my head as the pressure built again. It felt like something inside me was trying to break through, but I could not reach it. I did not know how I had gotten sick. I did not know what had happened during that year. And the worst part was this. I did not know if those memories belonged to me. Or to Zaria.

If we were really twins, then maybe that bond people talked about was not just a story. Maybe I was seeing things I was not meant to see. Maybe I was living inside two lives at once.

“I need to find her,” I whispered to myself.

I leaned back and closed my eyes, hoping the headache would pass, but instead the image came again. A hospital room. A weak body lying there, breathing slowly, barely holding on.

I opened my eyes fast.

“This is not a dream… but is that me, or Zaria?”

The question would not leave me alone. It circled in my head until I felt sick from it.

Emalia’s hand touched my shoulder. “Madam, what is wrong?”

“I feel like something happened in my past, but I can not remember it,” I said, and this time my voice carried the frustration I had been holding back.

She handed me water. “Drink first.”

I forced myself to calm down and drank slowly, even though my thoughts were still racing.

“Has Dante come back?” I asked.

“Not yet. Madam Clara took him to Mr. Rowan’s office.”

The moment I heard her name, something inside me rose fast and sharp.

Clara.

She always found a way to stay close to Rowan, and now she was using my son to do it. If I were Zaria, I would have dragged her out without caring who was watching. But I am not Zaria. Or maybe I am supposed to be.

That thought settled into something colder, more controlled. Everyone believes I am his wife. Then I will act like it.

“Emalia, Rowan did not forbid me from going to his office, right?”

“He has already gone home, according to his assistant.”

“Good,” I said, already standing. “I will go there and bring my son back myself.”

I did not rush. I took my time dressing, choosing a dark blue gown that fit perfectly. I styled my hair, applied red lipstick, and placed the lenses over my eyes. When I looked at my reflection, Zaria stared back at me.

It wasn’t me. Hmmm… her. Good. Let Clara deal with that.

When I arrived at the office, I walked straight to the receptionist.

“I want to see Mr. Rowan Cristopher.”

“I am sorry, Madam. You are not allowed to meet him in the office.”

The words did not make sense at first.

“Do you know who I am?” I asked.

“You are Mrs. Zaria, Mr. Rowan’s wife.”

“Then explain to me why I am not allowed to see my own husband.”

“That order came from Mr. Rowan himself.”

For a moment, I could not move. It was not just anger. It was something more than that. He did not want me there. I turned before anyone could focus on my face. “We are leaving, Emalia.”

“Should I call him?”

“No.”

If he did not want me there, then I would not beg. But my thoughts would not stay quiet. Maybe he was with Clara. Maybe he did not want me to ruin whatever they were doing together. That thought stayed with me, and I hated how much it affected me. Then I heard a voice.

“Mama!”

I turned, and everything inside me changed at once.

Dante was in Rowan’s arms, smiling as he reached for me. Clara stood beside him, her lips curved like she had already won.

I stayed where I was. I watched. Rowan frowned. “Why did you come here without telling me?”

“Why should I tell you? You go out without telling me,” I said.

“Do I have to report to you now?” he asked.

Clara smiled beside him, enjoying every second.

I stepped closer and reached for Dante. He leaned toward me, but Rowan did not let him go.

“Let me carry him,” I said.

“He will get tired. I will carry him.”

Clara moved closer to him. “We were about to go out together. Do you not miss going out with me?”

I slipped my arm around Rowan’s. “Are you choosing me or her?”

His laugh drew attention from everyone nearby.

“Who do you think I will choose?” he said.

“Rowan,” I said.

He pulled me closer. “Let us go.”

Clara called his name, but he did not hesitate.

“Go home, Clara.”

That was all he gave her and I felt it. The shift, the change.

Clara

I kept my smile in place. I had learned how to do that a long time ago. No matter what I felt, no matter what I wanted to say, I never let it show where it could be used against me. But inside, I was burning.

He chose her. Right in front of me. After everything, after all the time I spent building my place beside him, he turned away like I meant nothing. The same woman he used to reject without hesitation. I had seen it myself. I had watched her get dragged out of this same building before. She had never mattered to him.

So what changed? Why was he looking at her like that now? Why was he smiling? My fingers curled slightly at my side, hidden from view. I wanted to walk up to her and tear that calm look off her face. I wanted to remind her where she stood. But I did not move. Not here, not where everyone could see.

“Rowan,” I called, hoping he would stop, hoping he would at least look back at me the way he used to. He turned, but his expression did not change.

“Go home, Clara.”

That was it. No explanation. No hesitation. Just dismissal. I held my expression together until they were gone, until no one was watching closely enough to notice the shift in my eyes.

She took something that belonged to me and I would not let that stand.

Rowan

I watched her carefully as she sat beside me in the car, holding Dante like he mattered more than anything else. The difference was clear now. She was not Zaria and not even close. Zaria had never looked at Dante that way. She had never cared enough to put him first. This woman did it without thinking.

I almost smiled. She was trying to hide it, but she did not realize how much she had already revealed.

“Where do you want to go?” she asked him.

“Mall,” he answered.

I picked up my phone. “Clear Mall G. I am coming with my family.”

She frowned. “Is that necessary?”

“You should understand something,” I said, turning to her. “People want me dead. That includes anyone close to me.”

Her reaction was immediate. She tried to control it, but I saw it. Fear. It was a real fear. I leaned closer, lowering my voice near her ear. “As long as I am here, you will be fine.”

She looked away. “I am not afraid.”

I almost laughed. She was lying. And I enjoyed watching her do it.

At the mall, I let her stay with Dante while I handled work, but my attention kept returning to her. I watched how she moved, how she focused on him, how natural it looked. Zaria had never done that. That alone told me everything I needed to know. When Dante finished the ride, I walked over.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“I am fine.”

“You are lying. I do not like lies.”

I told Emalia to bring her water and stayed beside her.

“Why did you go on that ride if you are afraid?”

“I did not want to disappoint him.”

That answer confirmed it again. I sat beside her and guided her closer. She did not resist. She leaned into me without thinking.

“Do you want to go home?” I asked.

“Not yet. Dante still wants to play.” I kept looking at her.

“Why do you suddenly care about him? You used to ignore him.”

She hesitated, then said, “He is my son. I should have known that earlier.”

That was enough. I knew. I knew exactly who she was. And I decided in that moment that I would not let her go.

If Zaria returned, it would not matter. This woman would stay. With me. She covered her mouth suddenly. “I feel sick.”

“Then do not hold it in,” I said.

She tried to move away, but I caught her arm and guided her toward the nearest bin.

“Do not look,” she said.

“I am not leaving.”

She threw up, her body shaking, and I stayed right there beside her. I did not care about anything else. Not my clothes. Not the people around us. Just her. Because now that I h

ad seen the truth, I was not letting her walk away from me. It will not be now, it will never be.