“You need to remember something,” Gabriel said, his tone sharp and urgent as we trudged through the damp jungle. The air around us was thick with the scent of earth and decay, and the canopy above let in only shards of sunlight. “Elizalde wants you for a reason, Anastasia. It’s because he thinks you’re someone else.”
I turned to him, confused. “W-What do you mean someone else? I’m his wife, Gabriel. Who else would I be?”
He stopped walking and faced me, his dark eyes filled with something I couldn’t place—regret, maybe? Fear? “Elizalde believes you’re the same person... his missing ex-wife. And before you say anything, I know it sounds insane, but it’s true.”
“What? That’s ridiculous!” I said, shaking my head. “I l-looked like the same as her? F-First, I didn't know that he has an ex-wife. I mean, I've never even met his first wife. He just... lied to me. How could he think that way?”
Gabriel sighed, his shoulders tense. “Because you have a twin.”
I froze. My chest tightened, the breath knocked out of me by his words. “A twin? T-That’s impossible. I don’t have a twin.”
“You do,” he insisted. “Or at least, you had one. That’s why Elizalde is obsessed with hunting you down for you to tell him where she is."
I felt the ground shift beneath me. Memories of my childhood swirled in my mind, blurred and fragmented. Could it be true? Could I have a sister I never knew about?
“And what about you?” I asked, my voice trembling. “H-How do you know all this?”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched, and his gaze dropped to the ground. “Because Elizalde drilled it into us. Every damn day after he saved us from the fire, he reminded us that we owed him everything—and that we need to find his ex-wife that looks exactly the same as you. It was the reason why he befriended your parents. To marry you. He made sure we knew who you were, Anastasia. After a lot of investigations, he proved to us that you too are not just look-alike…you are identical twins.”
I staggered back a step, the weight of his confession sinking in. “So all this time… you’ve known? You’ve known who I am, and you’ve been waiting to… to what? To kill me if I didn't tell you where the damn she is?!"
“I’ve been waiting to make this right,” he said firmly. “To save you. To make up for everything Elizalde’s done to you and your family. But you need to trust me, Ana. Because this is only the beginning.”
The jungle grew darker as the hours dragged on. Gabriel led the way, his movements steady despite the uneven terrain. I followed close behind, my mind spinning with everything he’d revealed.
But just as we reached a small clearing, a rustling sound made us both freeze.
“Stay close,” Gabriel whispered, his hand hovering over the gun at his side.
Before I could respond, masked men emerged from the shadows. There were at least six of them, their faces obscured by black fabric.
“Run!” Gabriel shouted, but it was too late.
Two of them grabbed me, forcing me to the ground, while the others swarmed Gabriel. I screamed as they hit him, their fists and boots slamming into his body again and again.
“Stop it! Please, stop!” I begged, struggling against the hands holding me down.
But they didn’t stop. Gabriel’s body went limp, his face bloodied, and my vision blurred with tears.
Pain exploded in my head as something hard struck me from behind, and the world went dark.
When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the cold. The air was damp, and the stone floor beneath me was unforgiving. I opened my eyes to find myself in a large, dimly lit cell.
Gabriel was lying beside me, his face swollen and bruised. Around us were other guards— two men with hollow eyes.
“G-Gabriel?” I croaked, crawling toward him.
He stirred, groaning as he sat up. “Are you okay?”
“I’m f-fine,” I lied, even though every inch of me ached. “Where are we?”
“A holding cell,” he said grimly. “Elizalde’s men brought us here. Remember that he planned everything. The bomb and this..."
Before I could respond, the cell door creaked open. Two guards entered with a small girl running towards me, smiling at me.
Gabriel’s eyes widened. “Damn,” he whispered, his voice breaking.
“W-Who is that?” I asked, panic rising in my chest.
He didn’t answer. He was too focused on the girl. Meanwhile, the girl held my tied hand tightly as if about to cry.
“Mama, w-we found you, I love you.” she whimpered, her tear-streaked face turning toward me.
SHE HUGGED ME TIGHTLY.
I heard his breath caught. “Just pretend that you're her. S-She's your ace." he whispered. His jaw clenched tightly.
I nodded. “H-Hello baby,” I said, my voice filled with equal nervous and frighten.
The men began to close in on us, their expressions hostile. One of them cracked his knuckles, his gaze fixed on Gabriel.
“Looks like you’ve got nowhere to run now,” the man sneered.
Before they could attack, the sound of heavy boots echoed down the corridor. The cell door swung open again, and my heart dropped when I saw who stepped inside.
Elizalde Winston.
The room fell silent, his lips curling into a cruel smile. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.
“STOP! Don't you see my daughter was in here too? Who let her be in here, huh? ” he said to his guards authoritatively.
He walks towards us, gripping her daughter's arm, stepping back away from me. He crouched, gazing at his daughter. “Koleen, what are you doing here? It's late, you should take some—"
It was the first time I heard his voice turned into a caring one. Now, I knew it! I had to use the child to know the truth.
“W-Why did you put Mum in jail, P-Papa? Don't you love her anymore? We found her now." her voice shaken, making Elizalde hug her tightly.
After a few minutes, the guards rushed towards them to get the child who's now having tantrums. I just gaze at her as they walked away from us.
He pulled back, looking at me and his smile widening. “Did you really think you two could run from me? I planned this. WHAT A DRAMA."
I glared at him, my fear giving way to anger. “W-Why are you doing this?”
Elizalde chuckled, his eyes glinting with malice. “Oh, Anastasia. You really don’t know, do you?”
He leaned in closer, his voice a cold whisper. “You’re not the one I want. You’re just the bait. Your twin sister is the one I need—and with you, I’ll finally bring her back," he whispered. “You're just lucky ‘cause my daughter sneaked here and saw you. And with that, you need to pretend that you're her Mommy, got it?"
