Chapter 3 - THE GHOST IN THE MIRROR
Three days passed. Valerie was kept in a golden cage—a luxurious guest suite on the top floor of the Buchanan estate. She wasn't allowed to leave, but she wasn't treated like a prisoner either. Designer clothes were delivered to her room, replacing her stained blue uniform.
When Valerie looked at herself in the full-length mirror, dressed in a soft cream silk dress, she gasped. Without the dirt and the exhaustion, she didn't look like Valerie the cleaner anymore. She looked like a queen. She looked exactly like the portrait of Elena hanging in the grand library downstairs.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. The door pushed open, and two little heads peeked in.
"Mommy?" Vanessa whispered.
Valerie's heart melted. Over the last few days, the twins had sneaked into her room whenever their nanny was distracted. Despite Franklin's warnings, the girls were utterly convinced she was their mother.
"Hey, sweethearts," Valerie smiled, kneeling down as the two girls ran into her arms. The warmth of their small bodies felt so right, filling a hollow ache in her chest she hadn't realized was there.
"Daddy says you lost your memory," Ashley said, looking up with big, serious eyes. "Like the fish in the movie. But we know it’s you. You have the same star on your wrist."
Valerie frowned. "A star?"
Ashley pointed to Valerie’s left wrist. There was a tiny, faint, star-shaped scar near her vein. Valerie had always assumed it was a childhood injury, though her mother, Maria, had never given her a straight answer about how she got it.
Suddenly, the door opened wider, and Franklin walked in. He paused, watching Valerie hold his daughters. A look of profound sorrow and longing crossed his face before he masked it with his usual stoic expression.
"Girls, go with the nanny. It’s time for your French lesson," Franklin said gently.
The twins groaned but kissed Valerie’s cheeks before running out. Once they were gone, the silence in the room became heavy.
"You look beautiful," Franklin said quietly, his eyes lingering on the silk dress. "Elena wore that exact brand."
"I’m still Valerie," she insisted, though her voice lacked its original conviction. The scar, the DNA, the flashes of memories—she was beginning to doubt her own sanity. "Why are you keeping me here, Franklin? If you think I’m a fraud, hand me to the police."
"Because I don't think you're a fraud," Franklin said, stepping closer. He pulled a small, velvet box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a stunning emerald ring surrounded by diamonds. "This was Elena’s engagement ring. It was recovered from the ocean debris five years ago. Look inside the band."
Valerie took the ring. With trembling fingers, she held it up to the light. Engraved inside were the words: Forever, my star. F.B.
My star. Valerie stared at the star-shaped scar on her wrist. Her breath hitched.
"Five years ago, Elena found out that someone was stealing massive amounts of money from our charity foundation," Franklin explained, his voice tight with suppressed rage. "She told me she had proof and was flying to Miami to confront the bank manager. Her plane crashed two hours after takeoff. The pilot, the co-pilot... everyone died. Except, it seems, her."
"If I survived... how did I end up in a hospital in New Jersey with a mother who swears I’m her daughter?" Valerie asked, tears welling in her eyes.
"That's what we're going to find out tonight," Franklin said, his eyes darkening. "Tonight is the Buchanan Annual Gala. The entire board, all our investors, and the press will be there. Julian has arranged a vote to oust me as CEO, claiming my obsession with a 'fake wife' makes me mentally unfit to lead."
Valerie gasped. "He's trying to take your company?"
"Yes. But we are going to walk into that gala together. If you are Elena, whoever did this to you will panic when they see you alive. And a panicked man makes mistakes." Franklin held out his hand to her. "Will you trust me, Valerie? Or whoever you are?"
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Valerie looked at his hand. He was a billionaire, a man from a world she hated, a world that made people like her invisible. But looking into his eyes, she saw a man who was deeply hurting, a man who loved his family fiercely.
She placed her hand in his. "Let’s go find out who I am."
