CHAPTER 6 – A Face From the Past
Mila stared at the photograph.
Two girls. Same eyes. Same dimples. Same heart-shaped face.
One was her.
The other was... not.
Or wasn't supposed to be.
"I don't understand," she whispered, eyes still on the image. "Who is she?"
Mrs. Calhoun folded her arms. "Her name was Liora. My daughter."
Mila's heart dropped.
Zayn stepped forward, voice tight. "It's not what you think—"
"She died five years ago," the woman cut in. "And now you've found her double."
"I'm not anyone's replacement," Mila snapped. "I didn't even know her."
Mrs. Calhoun raised a brow. "That's what makes it terrifying."
Zayn reached for Mila again, this time his voice gentler. "I didn't find you to replace her. I didn't even know you existed. But when I saw you… something woke up in me."
Mila was still trying to breathe.
Liora. A dead girl. A ghost with her face.
She backed up, clutching the photograph like it might burn her.
"Why me?" she asked.
Mrs. Calhoun narrowed her eyes. "That's what we're all wondering."
Zayn turned to her. "You think I planned this?"
"I think your grief makes you dangerous."
That stung — for all of them.
Mila looked at Zayn. "Did you really believe I could fix you?"
"No," he said softly. "But I hoped you might help me remember who I was… before I broke."
The room fell silent.
And then Mila whispered, "I need time."
Zayn nodded once, the pain in his eyes unmistakable.
She walked out, the bell over the café door jingling softly behind her.
But as she stepped into the sunlight, one thought echoed in her chest:
> Why do I feel like I'm part of a story I never signed up for?
--
As Mila walked away… Zayn pulled out a second photo — one she hadn't seen yet.
→ What truth is Zayn still hiding? And how much more can Mila take?
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💌 Some secrets aren't meant to be uncovered. But Mila's
already in too deep.
👉 Chapter 7 is where everything begins to unravel…