107

107
Carolina had just stepped out of the shower, the bathroom still foggy with steam, when she heard the soft knock on her front door. She paused, water still dripping from her curls, and called out cautiously, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Katherine,” came the muffled voice from the other side.

Instantly, Carolina’s heart leaped. She hurried to the door, a towel wrapped around her, and her skin still damp. Swinging it open, she saw Katherine standing there, tired but determined, with an odd glint in her eyes. Carolina didn’t hesitate. She pulled her into a hug, warm and tight.

“You’re back!” she said, grinning, stepping aside to let her in. “When did you come back?”

Katherine stepped inside and dropped her bag near the couch. “Today. Earlier today.”

Carolina closed the door behind her. “I missed you, wow… I missed you so much. Hope you had the time of your life. Hope you enjoyed yourself.” She paused mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing with playful suspicion. “In fact, what am I saying? Come and sit down and tell me everything.”

They both dropped onto the couch, curling like sisters about to spill secrets over wine and snacks. But Katherine didn’t smile. She looked serious.

“First of all,” she said slowly, “I have something to tell you. And… something to apologize for.”

Carolina blinked. “What are you talking about? Why do you need to apologize to me?”

Katherine dropped her gaze. “I lied to you. And I’m really sorry.”

“Lied?” Carolina leaned forward. “Lied about what?”

“I told you I was going on a vacation. That was a lie,” Katherine admitted, voice low. “I didn’t go for a vacation. I went to Manhattan to see Kingsley.”

Carolina’s mouth parted. “Wait, what? Did you go to Manhattan to see Kingsley? What are you saying?” Her voice was rising. “Why would you go and see him after everything?”

Katherine exhaled, struggling to find the right words. “I just… I needed closure. I couldn’t live with not knowing after everything he did. After all the promises he made. After everything he did to win me back, he just… left. Again. No explanation. No goodbye. I needed to understand why. I had to go. I had to see it for myself.”

Carolina stared at her, processing. “So… did you get the closure you needed?”

Katherine hesitated. “Not exactly. I found something else. Something crazier. Something scary. And you’re not going to believe me.”

“Try me,” Carolina said.

“The Kingsley I saw,” Katherine said slowly, her voice trembling slightly, “that wasn’t him. That wasn’t my Kingsley.”

Carolina frowned, confused. “What do you mean? Of course, he’s changed. When he came back to you, he was being someone else, trying to win you back. Then he ghosted you because he never meant it. That’s the version you saw again. He was playing you, Katie.”

“No, Carolina, you’re not hearing me,” Katherine insisted. “That man, he looks like Kingsley, but he’s not Kingsley. I went up close to him. I looked him in the eyes. Those weren’t his eyes. I touched him. It didn’t feel like him. The way he talked, his voice… It’s not the same. Something is wrong. That was not Kingsley.”

Carolina leaned back, eyebrows furrowed. “Wait. Are you actually saying that wasn’t Kingsley? Like, what? Are you saying he’s a clone or something? A body double? Katie, he looks exactly like him.”

“I know what I’m saying sounds insane,” Katherine said quietly. “But I know Kingsley. That wasn’t him. I felt it.”

Carolina rubbed her temples. “Katherine… I know you’re still hurt. You loved this man. And maybe now, seeing him treat you coldly again, maybe it’s your mind trying to protect you. Maybe it’s easier to think it wasn’t really him than to accept how cruel he’s become. I mean, with everything—your accident, your recovery—”

Katherine suddenly stood. “What are you trying to say? That I’ve lost my mind? That my head injury make me delusional?”

“No, no, Katie, I didn’t mean it like that!” Carolina stood too, reaching for her. “I’m sorry. Please, forgive me. I’m just scared. I’m just looking out for you, okay?”

Katherine’s expression softened. “I know. But I’m sure about this. I need you to trust me. That man is not Kingsley.”

Carolina looked into her friend’s eyes and saw the fire there, the clarity. This wasn’t a breakdown. This wasn’t grief. This was the purpose.

“So,” Carolina said gently, “what do you want to do now?”

Carolina sat frozen, staring at Katherine like she’d grown two heads.

“You have a plan?” she repeated cautiously, towel still draped over her shoulders.

Katherine leaned in, her voice low, trembling with urgency. “Yes. And I need you. You’re the only one who can help me execute it.”

Carolina raised an eyebrow, half skeptical, half intrigued. “Okay… what’s the plan?”

Katherine hesitated, then took a breath. “I want you to go to Kingsley’s house and apply for a maid job there.”

Carolina blinked slowly as if trying to process whether this was a joke. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m serious,” Katherine said quickly. “I want you to apply for a housekeeping job there. A live-in, preferably.”

Carolina recoiled slightly, hands in the air. “What is this ‘Mission Impossible’ kind of madness? Katherine, be serious.”

“I am serious,” Katherine replied, her voice firm now, almost trembling. “While I was in Manhattan, I found out Beth recently fired a few domestic staff. She’s hiring new ones urgently. If you go now, you’ll get it. You have the right look, you’re quick and discreet, and you’ll blend in. And you’re smart. If anyone can get close to the truth, it’s you.”

Carolina shook her head in disbelief. “You’re asking me to leave my stable job to go undercover in your ex-husband’s house as a maid, so you can spy on him?”

“I know it sounds crazy. I know I’m asking for too much,” Katherine admitted, eyes glistening. “But I swear to you, something shady is happening in that house. I can’t go myself, they know me. But you? They don’t know you. You can get inside.”

Carolina folded her arms, pacing a little. “Katie, I have a job. A life. Bills. Responsibilities. You’re asking me to walk away from everything. For what? A hunch?”

“It’s not just a hunch,” Katherine said. “I felt it. That wasn’t Kingsley. I don’t know who or what that is, but I’m telling you something is seriously wrong. I need to know where Kingsley is. I need someone I can trust.”

“And you want that someone to be me,” Carolina said, a little breathless.

Katherine nodded. Then she reached into her bag, pulled out her phone, and turned it to show Carolina a message. “I already put the Lamborghini up for sale. The buyer’s legit, and they’re already finalizing payment.”

Carolina’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re selling your Lamborghini?”

Katherine nodded again, fierce now. “And when that money comes through, it’s yours. All of it. Just for your time, your risk, your sacrifice. You can quit your job, take a break, and figure things out later. I’ll cover your rent and your bills. I just need answers. You’re the only one I can trust with this.”

Carolina slowly sat down, running both hands through her wet hair. “Katie… this is next-level madness. Like, soap-opera-level madness. You really think something that serious is going on?”

“I know it is,” Katherine whispered. “And I won’t be able to sleep until I find out what’s really happening.”

Carolina looked at her best friend. At the fire in her eyes. At the sheer desperation. She bit her lip, heart pounding.

“Just give me till morning,” she finally said. “Let me think. But if I do this, we go all in. No half-measures.”

Katherine nodded, eyes wet. “That’s all I’m asking.”

Carolina groaned. “God help me, you’re going to get me arrested or something.”

Katherine laughed softly, wiping a tear. “At least we’ll go down together.”

The following day, Carolina stood by the mirror in her apartment, zipping up her overnight bag and checking her reflection with a mix of determination and anxiety. The two-week leave had been approved, not the full month they wanted, but enough time, hopefully, to crack the surface of the mystery Katherine swore she’d uncovered. She’d told her boss that she needed time off to take care of an ailing aunt in Boston. Katherine had even helped her stage a few voice messages from the fake aunt, complete with coughs and trembling, tearful goodbyes.

The clock ticked past 9 p.m. now, and Katherine was sprawled across the couch in Carolina’s apartment, her notebook open, pen in hand, her eyes sharp and alert as she went through the final checklist.

“I need you to remember everything,” Katherine said quietly, tapping the page. “Not just for me, but for Kingsley. Wherever he really is.”

Carolina nodded, sitting beside her. “Okay, go over it again.”

Katherine took a breath. “Inside the house, there’s a security man at the gate named Zuma. Don’t speak too much, just greet him. He’s not friendly unless he’s had his morning tea with two sugars. The head maid, Sophie, she’s the one you need to impress. She’s been there for years. She’s kind but sharp. You need to tell her that you used to work for the LeClerc family in New Jersey, a wealthy, uptight French family. Say you were their house assistant. That’s a lie that’ll impress her.”

Carolina blinked. “And if she asks me for references?”

“She won’t,” Katherine said firmly. “She’s not interested in that, and she won’t even believe someone can lie about that.”

“Got it.” Carolina tucked her legs underneath her and leaned in. “What else?”

“Kingsley,” Katherine said, her voice softening. “The real Kingsley.” Katherine stared into her eyes and told Carolina his schedule, his dos and don’ts, what he likes, and what he is allergic to. “If you see this… this copy of him doing otherwise, that’s already a red flag. Let me know.”

Carolina’s brows furrowed. “And what if Beth finds out who I really am?”

Katherine’s voice turned ice-cold. “She won’t. Just stay away from her. I don’t think she talks to the help anyway, unless she’s scolding them. But if she talks to you, act shy. Humble. Let her feel like she’s above you.”

Carolina looked down at her hands. “You really believe this… this isn’t Kingsley?”

“I don’t believe it.” Katherine met her eyes. “I know it. I looked into his eyes. I held him. The man in that house is wearing his face, but he’s not my husband. Something is wrong. And I need you to help me prove it.”

There was a long pause. Carolina’s throat felt tight. “What if I find out something I can’t unsee?”

Katherine reached over and held her hand. “Then you come back. And we burn the whole lie down together.”