SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH MY TWIN BROTHER'S WIFE

Aliana stood in the grand dining room, smoothing the tablecloth once more, her mind racing. Everything was set for what was supposed to be a perfect evening-a celebration of her marriage to Ethan. But when he called to say he couldn't make it, her stomach twisted with a tight knot of panic.

"I'm sorry, Aliana," Ethan had said. "I won't be able to make it tonight. Something urgent came up. But don't worry, I have a plan."

A plan? Aliana's mind whirled. How could he leave me to deal with this alone? She could already feel the weight of the evening pressing down on her-how was she going to explain this to their guests? They'd all come, expecting to celebrate with the couple of the hour, and now... Ethan wasn't going to be there.

She was trying to keep her voice steady when she asked, "Ethan, what plan?"

"I've asked Eden to step in for me," he replied, as if it were a simple fix. "Everything will be fine. Trust me."

But how could she trust him now? She wanted to protest, to ask him why he couldn't make it, why this important night for their marriage had suddenly become something so much more complicated, but the line had gone dead before she could speak.

Guests started arriving, and Aliana plastered a smile on her face. She greeted them, played the gracious hostess, but her mind was still on Ethan. How could he do this to her? She had so many questions, and no answers.

It wasn't until Eden arrived that things took a turn for the more confusing.

Eden.

Her husband's identical twin.

Aliana felt her pulse quicken as she watched him enter. He was wearing a dark suit, his hair styled exactly like Ethan's. He moved with the same grace, spoke with the same calm demeanor-but there was something different about him. Something she couldn't put her finger on.

She was barely holding it together when Eden walked toward her, his deep voice pulling her back into the present.

"Aliana, I'm sorry about Ethan. He really wanted to be here," Eden said, his words warm but distant, much like his brother's would have been. "But I'll do my best to make sure everything goes smoothly tonight."

She forced a smile, nodding. "Thank you, Eden. I appreciate you being here."

Eden smiled back, and for a moment, Aliana felt a wave of relief-until it hit her. She couldn't tell him apart from Ethan. She knew she should be able to, but with every subtle glance, every fleeting moment, she was left questioning-was that Ethan? Or was it Eden?

When Eden spoke, his voice seemed to carry an echo of Ethan's tone, as if it were a perfect replica, and Aliana found herself hesitating, unsure if it was her husband standing before her or his twin. She didn't want to seem rude, but it was disorienting. She had always been able to tell the difference before-Ethan had a certain spark to his eyes, a certain confidence in his posture. But Eden? He was quieter, more subtle in his gestures, yet just as striking.

"Are you alright?" Eden asked softly, his eyes searching hers. Aliana blinked and quickly nodded, trying to gather her scattered thoughts.

"Yeah, of course," she replied, though her voice sounded shaky even to her. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she turned away from him, hoping to regain her composure.

As the evening continued, she couldn't shake the strange sense of déjà vu. Eden's presence felt too much like Ethan's, but at the same time, it was wrong. Every glance he threw her way, every time he laughed or made small talk with the guests, she was struck by how similar he was to Ethan, how easily she kept confusing them in her mind. Was this really Eden?

The tension in her chest grew with every moment she spent in his company. The longer they spent together, the more her confusion deepened. She couldn't help but watch him, and when their eyes met, she felt a flicker of something-something that shouldn't be there.

She excused herself, needing a moment to breathe, and stepped onto the balcony. The cool night air wrapped around her, but it did little to ease her racing thoughts. Ethan's absence tonight was more than just his physical absence-it was the emotional distance, the feeling that she didn't know who was standing beside her anymore.

And then she heard it. His voice.

"Aliana," Eden's voice came from the doorway, and she turned to face him. The way he stood there, looking at her with the same intent gaze as Ethan, made her stomach flip. For a second, she didn't know who was standing in front of her.

He stepped closer, his movements deliberate, yet there was something in the air between them that made her pulse quicken. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice so gentle that it sent a shiver down her spine.

"I..." She didn't know how to respond. She wanted to tell him it was all too much, too confusing, but the words were stuck in her throat. She couldn't make sense of what was happening. She couldn't figure out if this was Ethan she was speaking to-or Eden.

Before she could find her words, Eden took a step closer, his hand brushing her arm in a gesture that felt too familiar. It was so easy, so natural, that it made her feel unsteady.

"I know this isn't how you planned things," he said, his voice lowering. "But you're not alone, Aliana. I'm here for you. We all are."

His words lingered in the space between them, and for a second, Aliana wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that everything would be okay.

But when his eyes met hers again, there was a flicker of something in them-something that she couldn't quite define.

"Thank you," she whispered, but as she spoke, her mind was still in turmoil. Eden's presence was overwhelming, his every gesture reminding her of Ethan-yet different, subtle, and confusing.

The night wore on, and though she tried to focus on her guests, the quiet tension between them never left. Eden continued to move through the evening, filling in for his brother, but with each passing moment, the connection between them deepened. Not just in proximity, but in something else she couldn't quite name.

Aliana didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't stop herself from watching him. Eden had become an enigma, and the more she tried to figure him out, the more he confused her.

And as the evening came to a close, she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that something had changed. That the confusion, the emotional pull between her and Eden, was only the beginning.

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