Six Months Later
The sun streamed gently through the soft, ivory curtains of the Winters' bedroom, casting a golden glow on the couple curled beneath the duvet.
Ruby stirred first, her fingers brushing across the crisp linen sheets as she rolled over to face the man who had somehow become her entire world in just six months.
Stefan Winters, the man who was supposed to be her sister's husband.
He lay on his side, breathing softly, his arm draped over her waist in a protective hold. His hair was tousled, and his lips were parted slightly, like he'd been in the middle of whispering her name in his dreams. Even now, knowing he couldn't see her, Ruby's heart swelled with a bittersweet ache.
For six months, she had lived this lie. Woken up next to a man who thought she was someone else. A man who deserved the truth.
Her hand rose to his cheek, gently brushing back a strand of his hair, as she looked into his calm face.
"I have to tell him," she whispered to herself.
