Updated Feb 20, 2026 • ~6 min read
LUCIA
Cafe Allegro was crowded. I scanned the room, looking for someone who might be Vera. A woman in the corner raised her hand—Asian, late twenties, with sharp eyes that missed nothing.
I slid into the booth across from her. “Vera?”
“Lucia.” She studied my face. “Wow. You really are identical.”
“You’ve seen Carmen recently?”
“Recently? No. But I lived with her until she disappeared.”
I leaned forward. “What happened? Why did she leave?”
Vera glanced around nervously. “She saw something she wasn’t supposed to.”
“The murder. I know.”
Vera’s eyes widened. “How do you—”
“FBI called me. Told me Carmen was in witness protection.”
Vera relaxed slightly. “Then you know she can’t come back.”
My heart sank. “There has to be a way to contact her.”
“There isn’t. That’s the point of witness protection.”
“But I need to talk to her. It’s important.”
“Why?”
I hesitated. Should I tell this stranger the truth?
“Her ex-fiancé found me. He thought I was her. And I… I didn’t correct him.”
Vera stared at me. “You’re pretending to be Carmen?”
“Not on purpose! At first I was just going to let him down easy. Give him closure. But then—”
“You fell for him.”
I nodded miserably. “I’m a horrible person.”
Vera laughed. Actually laughed. “You know what? Carmen would probably think this is hilarious.”
“What?”
“She felt terrible about leaving West. Cried for weeks. Said he deserved better. Deserved someone who could actually stay.”
My throat tightened. “She loved him?”
“She did. But not enough to risk dying for him.”
The words hit me like a punch. “Did she ever try to contact him? After?”
“No. The FBI forbid it. Too dangerous.”
“What about you? Can you contact her?”
Vera was quiet for a long moment. “I have an email address. For emergencies only. But I can’t promise she’ll respond.”
“Please. I need to talk to her.”
Vera pulled out her phone and wrote something on a napkin. “Send one email. Make it count. And Lucia?”
“Yeah?”
“Figure out what you’re going to do. Because this lie has an expiration date.”
I took the napkin with shaking hands. “I know.”
WESTLEY
Mira from work cornered me at my desk. “So,” she said, perching on the edge. “I hear Carmen’s back.”
News travels fast apparently. “Yeah.”
“That’s great, West. Really.”
But her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Mira had a crush on me for two years. Everyone knew it.
“Thanks, Mira.”
“You seem happy.”
“I am.”
“Just be careful, okay?”
I looked up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She left you once. What’s to stop her from doing it again?”
Anger flared in my chest. “That’s not—”
“I’m not trying to be a bitch. I’m just looking out for you.”
“I don’t need looking out for.”
She raised her hands in surrender. “Okay. Message received.” She walked away.
But her words stayed with me. What’s to stop her from doing it again? Nothing. Except trust. And I was choosing to trust her.
LUCIA
I sat in front of my laptop for three hours before I finally typed the email.
Dear Carmen,
You don’t know me, but I’m your sister. Your twin. Lucia.
I need to talk to you urgently. It’s about Westley Archer.
He found me. He thought I was you. And I made a terrible mistake—I didn’t correct him.
Now I’m in too deep and I don’t know how to fix it.
Please. If you get this, contact me.
I need your help.
—Lucia
I read it seventeen times, then hit send before I lost my nerve. Now I wait.
WESTLEY
I took Carmen to Kerry Park. We stood at the overlook, the Seattle skyline spread out before us.
“I used to come here after you left,” I said. “Just to think.”
She took my hand. “What did you think about?”
“You. Where you were. If you were okay. If you were coming back.”
“And now?”
“Now I think about how lucky I am that you did.”
She leaned her head on my shoulder. “West, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Do you ever wish you could go back? Start over? Do things differently?”
I turned to face her. “Are you asking if I regret proposing?”
“Maybe.”
“I don’t. The only thing I regret is that we lost five years.”
She was crying. “Why are you crying?”
“Because you’re so good. And I don’t deserve you.”
“Hey.” I wiped her tears. “Don’t talk like that.”
“It’s true.”
“It’s not. Carmen, you made a mistake. You ran. But you came back. That takes courage.”
If only he knew. I wasn’t brave. I was a coward hiding behind someone else’s face.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too.”
He kissed me. And for just a moment, I let myself pretend this was real. That I was Carmen. That I belonged here. That this wouldn’t all come crashing down.
LUCIA
My phone buzzed. Email notification. My hands shook as I opened it.
From: [redacted]@protonmail.com
Subject: Re: Urgent
Lucia,
I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe West found you.
You need to tell him the truth. NOW.
I know it’s scary. I know you probably have feelings for him. But he deserves to know.
And Lucia—you’re putting yourself in danger. If the wrong people start looking into “Carmen Santos” being back in Seattle, they might find you instead of me.
Please. End this before someone gets hurt.
I wish I could help more, but I can’t risk contact beyond this email.
Be safe. Be smart.
—C
I read it again. And again. She was right. I knew she was right. I had to tell West.
Tomorrow. I’ll tell him tomorrow.
But tomorrow came and I didn’t say anything. And the day after that. And the day after that. Because I was selfish, and I was scared, and I was running out of time.
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