The Twin’s Second Life

Chapter 1 – The Choice

My mother worked as a housekeeper for the Whitmores, a family so wealthy their mansion overlooked the Hudson like a fortress of glass and marble. She scrubbed their floors, polished their silver, and tended to their every demand.

One evening, Mrs. Whitmore called us in. She wore pearls that glowed under the chandelier. “Claire, Emily,” she said, “Ethan needs a study companion at Whitmore Academy. Tuition, books, allowance—everything will be covered. Which of you wants this chance?”

My heart raced. Whitmore Academy was a world away from the public school I attended—a world of privilege, power, and futures guaranteed.

In the first life, Emily had jumped up immediately. “Me! Me, Mom. Claire’s the older sister. She should be responsible. Let me have this.” She had clung to my arm, smiling sweetly, but her eyes dared me to object.

I hadn’t. I gave in. And it ruined her.

But this time, as Mrs. Whitmore’s question hung in the air, Emily sat frozen. Her silence told me she remembered too.

“I’ll go,” I said firmly.

Emily lowered her gaze, lips pressed together. She did not protest.

Chapter 2 – The Mansion

The Whitmore mansion was a palace. I was given a room larger than our old apartment. But Ethan Whitmore—the heir—was far less welcoming.

At fifteen, he already had the cold arrogance of a prince. When he first saw me, he wrinkled his nose.
“Did you even shower before coming here?”

I remembered how Emily had once cried for days over words like that, ashamed of her skin. But I simply smiled.
“The water was out last night. Don’t worry, I’ll shower now.”

He frowned, unsatisfied.

At dinner, his gaze followed every bite I took until he finally snapped.
“Are you a pig? All you do is eat.”

I calmly placed down my fork. “We’re teenagers. Eating helps us grow taller. Are you worried you won’t catch up?”

The butler stifled a cough. Ethan turned red, slammed his fork down, and barked for me to get out.

I left gracefully, my heart steady. He would not break me this time.

Chapter 3 – The Academy

Whitmore Academy glittered with chandeliers and marble halls, but beneath the polish, it was a battlefield of privilege.

When the teacher introduced me, laughter erupted.
“She looks like she came from the fields.”
“Careful, don’t sit too close—she might smell.”

Emily had once frozen under that cruelty. I didn’t. My eyes swept the class until the room grew silent.
“My name is Claire Turner. Nice to meet you.”

The teacher seated me beside Adrian Cole, another notorious heir with a reputation for violence. He shoved the desk away with a crash.

I smiled. “Go ahead, kick it again if you want. Just don’t try kicking me.”

His eyes narrowed. He grabbed my collar, but I shrieked, “Ethan! Help!”

Ethan didn’t even look up from his book as he drawled, “Adrian, even dogs have owners. Don’t touch what’s mine.”

Adrian froze. The class went silent. And just like that, the prey had teeth.

Chapter 4 – Shadows of the Past

I endured cruel pranks—water dumped over me, dead mice in my locker, whispers of “maid’s daughter.” But I never let them see me flinch.

At night, I reread the diary Emily had left behind in the first life. I saw the words she’d written before she died: The night Ethan laughed while they made me crawl… that was the night my soul broke.

Not this time.

Emily, too, was different. She no longer fought for the Whitmores’ approval. Instead, she poured herself into music, writing songs that brimmed with the light she once lost.

The two of us were walking two separate paths—but for the first time, both of us were surviving.

Chapter 5 – Across Oceans

Years passed. Ethan was sent to study in New York, and I followed. He mocked me less, relied on me more. At first, it was small: “Claire, grab my notes.” Then it became: “Claire, what do you think of this deal?”

He grew restless, caught between his family’s expectations and his own defiance. One night, he muttered, “Do you know how long I’ve been holding back?”

I forced a laugh. “You’re overthinking. I shower every day, remember?”

He stared at me, speechless.

Emily, meanwhile, shone. She placed third in a national music competition. Her voice—once drowned in cruelty—now carried hope. She hugged me afterward, tears bright in her eyes.
“This life is different, Claire. I can feel it.”

And it was.

Chapter 6 – Enemies Return

Vanessa Barlow, Ethan’s childhood sweetheart, returned from abroad, dazzling, ruthless, smiling sweetly while her eyes burned with disdain. She called me “sweet Claire” in front of Ethan, then wiped her hands after touching mine.

She was society’s darling, Ethan’s “perfect match.” But she saw the way he looked at me when he thought no one noticed.

Her jealousy turned to schemes. I was accused of stealing jewelry. My desk was searched. A golden bracelet was “found” inside.

Everyone looked at me with disgust—except Ethan. “Check the fingerprints,” I said coolly.

When the results proved I hadn’t touched it, Adrian smirked. “The only thing she steals is food from the cafeteria.”

I replied, “At least I don’t starve myself for attention.”

The class burst into whispers. Vanessa’s face hardened. Ethan—Ethan laughed.

Chapter 7 – Breaking Chains

The Whitmores pushed Ethan to marry Vanessa. He resisted, stormed out of dinners. In his office, he turned to me, anger sharp in his voice.

“You’re like a block of wood. Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”

I met his gaze. “I’m not wood. I’m gold. You just don’t know how to treasure it.”

He went silent, stunned.

But I knew how this story ended. In the first life, Emily had been crushed. I would not let myself be bound the same way.

When Ethan finally agreed to the engagement, I resigned quietly.

Emily squeezed my hand. “We’re free now. You saved me, Claire. That’s enough.”

Epilogue

In the first life, Emily had died alone, broken.

In this one, she stood tall on stage, music pouring from her soul. And I—no longer a victim—walked away from the Whitmores with my head high, scars and all.

Fate had given me a second chance.
And I had made sure neither of us would ever suffer again.