"Love Substitutes: The Twin Game" Chapter 4
Her gaze fell upon the tablet, where Caspian's logged-in social media page had not been closed.
His special notification was set to Natalia.
In Natalia's latest update, the real Christian was leaning down, using a cotton swab to gently treat her fingers, his expression filled with absolute tenderness.
The caption read: "It was just a minor burn, but a certain someone got so anxious that he specially flew me across several countries to find skin specialists. I really don't know what to do with him. I guess I'll never be able to leave him for the rest of my life~"
Thinking of the hurried departure of the man who had just left, Seraphina found it thoroughly ironic.
She didn't wait for Caspian's return and handled the discharge procedures by herself to leave the hospital.
Upon arriving home.
The first thing she did was pack up all of Caspian's belongings.
This house had been the bridal gift he gave when he married her.
And she wasn't so foolish as to demand nothing during a divorce.
So on the day of their separation, the only ones packing up and leaving would be these untrustworthy men.
Chapter 6
Just as she was nearly finished packing, a call came from the magazine office.
"Sera, before you go abroad, there is one last wedding photoshoot booking. The client insists on having you as their photographer, calling for you by name..."
"Send me the address."
After receiving the address, Seraphina grabbed her camera and walked out the door.
On an autumn day at Aspen Mountain, the pure white snow-capped peaks and the vibrant autumn colors blanketing the mountains reflected off one another beautifully.
Seraphina stared at the breathtaking scenery, losing herself in thought for a moment.
Back then, her wedding photos with Christian had also been shot here.
But she quickly suppressed the sudden bitterness rising in her chest, adjusting herself into work mode as she walked toward the shooting location.
"Miss Seraphina, what a coincidence. I didn't expect the photographer for our wedding photos to be you."
Seraphina looked over toward the voice and saw Natalia dressed in a pure white wedding gown, with Christian standing beside her in a black suit.
When Christian saw Seraphina, his deep, dark eyes froze slightly, but he quickly looked away.
Natalia handed over her phone with a bright smile.
"We took something similar at St. Moritz before. Please reference this style, Miss Seraphina, and capture a romantic atmosphere."
Seraphina looked at the phone screen.
In the photo, the snow-covered mountains reflected the light of the sky.
Snowflakes fell between the two of them, looking exactly like a quiet and gentle frame from a movie.
However, when she caught sight of the date displayed in the corner, Seraphina's breath suddenly caught.
September 25, 2023.
That was precisely the day she and Christian were supposed to be taking their wedding photos.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yet the real Christian had been keeping Natalia company, admiring the snow at St. Moritz.
A wave of bitterness rushed up from her throat, and Seraphina's eyelashes trembled slightly.
"Sister-in-law, let's begin," Christian suddenly spoke.
Seraphina looked at the man who was still deceiving her, offering a sarcastic smile. "Alright."
This marriage would end very soon. Whether the man taking wedding photos with Natalia right now was Caspian or Christian made no difference to her anymore.
The shoot concluded as twilight began to fall.
Christian went ahead to get the car.
Seraphina packed up her equipment and prepared to leave when Natalia suddenly walked up to her.
"Miss Seraphina, it must be painful, right? You've really worked hard."
Seraphina frowned. "What do you mean?"
Natalia smiled, then pulled a credit card out of her bag and handed it to her.
"Stop playing dumb. You figured out long ago that Christian swapped identities with Cas for my sake."
"Cas also wronged himself by acting as Christian to live with you as a married couple for three years, all for my happiness. Think of this money as your compensation fee for serving Cas all these years."
"Neither Christian nor Cas likes you. Clinging to the empty shell of Mrs. Vanderbilt makes you look no different from a stray dog."
"If you're smart, take the money and leave the Vanderbilt family as soon as possible."
As the harsh words rained down one after another, Seraphina clenched her hands, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
"Whether I leave the Vanderbilt family or not is my own choice."
"If you truly have the ability, then have Christian divorce me using his actual identity as the head of the Vanderbilt family!"
With that, she ignored Natalia's frozen expression, turned around, and walked away.
As she walked halfway down, the sky suddenly opened up with rain.
Protecting her camera, she sprinted all the way, her dress completely soaked by the time she reached the foot of the mountain.
The cold fabric clung to her skin, sending waves of chill through her.
Just as she was trapped in an awkward situation, a black sedan slowly came to a halt.
Following that, a young gentleman stepped out of the car, took off his coat, and offered it to her.
"Miss, the rain is too heavy. If you don't mind, you can take a ride in my car back to the city."
The man's gaze was open and honest, his demeanor proper and gentlemanly.
Seraphina was about to decline when her wrist was violently grabbed by a large hand.
Turning around, she collided directly with Christian's eyes, which were dangerously dark and menacing.
His voice was low and raspy, thick with suppressed fury. "Sera... Sister-in-law, are you intentionally soaking in the rain because you want to humiliate my brother?"
Seraphina was momentarily stunned, but she quickly understood the meaning behind his words.
ADVERTISEMENT
For Christian to be so infuriated meant he was worried she might step out on his brother, and he was jealous.
Seraphina wrenched her hand free from his grip, the corners of her lips curving into a cold sneer.
"Caspian, even if I am doing this intentionally, the one who should be jealous is your brother! It has absolutely nothing to do with you!"
Chapter 7
"What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? I—"
The words caught in Christian's throat, and he quickly changed his tune. "Since my brother isn't here, I can't just stand by and do nothing when I see this. Get in the car, I'll take you back."
Seraphina ignored him completely, turning around to slide straight into the passenger seat of the stranger's car.
An hour later.
Seraphina pushed open the villa door, finding Caspian home, which was a rare surprise.
Seeing her return, he immediately got up and rushed over, his face filled with anxious concern.
"Sera, where did you go? The hospital said you discharged yourself. I was worried to death when I didn't see you at home."
Christian and Caspian—one was an incredible actor, and the other was a master pretender.
Drenched from the rain and with a heavy, throbbing headache, Seraphina brushed him off casually. "I caught a bit of a chill, I want to take a bath first."
With that, she went upstairs.
Behind her, Caspian's puzzled voice drifted up.
"Sera, you packed away my clothes. Are you trying to buy me new season outfits? I don't want those stiff, formal ones, you know."
Seraphina paused in her tracks.
The one who preferred stiff, serious formal wear was Christian.
The corners of her lips twitched into a faint smile. "Don't worry, it won't happen again."
She then submerged herself in the hot water, letting it wash away the exhaustion that clung to her entire body.
Half an hour later, she stepped out of the bathroom.
Caspian was no longer in the room, but a glass of warm water and a sticky note had been left on the nightstand.
[Sera, an urgent matter came up at the company, I have to step out for a bit.]
Seraphina glanced at it and paid it no further attention.
She opened her laptop and emailed the photographs she had taken to her assistant.
The assistant replied almost instantly: [Sera, the director wants you to fly to the UK for your studies in three days. Can you manage the schedule on your end?]
Just as Seraphina was about to check the progress of the divorce proceedings, her phone vibrated.
[Ms. Shen, your divorce decree with Mr. Vanderbilt has been generated. It can be collected after 9:00 AM this coming Monday, in 3 days.]
Letting out a long breath, she typed a reply to her assistant: [No problem, I'll leave on time.]
Afterward, Seraphina took some fever medication and drifted into a deep sleep.
The next day.
When Seraphina came downstairs, she once again witnessed the scene of Christian and Caspian competing to feed Natalia at the dining table.
As she stepped down, Caspian immediately set aside what he was holding and quickly walked over to grasp her hand.
ADVERTISEMENT
You May Also Like
-
CompletedChapter 11
The Groom Was the Only Thing I Changed
A week before her wedding, Audrey Bennett discovers that her fiancé and her best friend have secretly changed the destination—and bet on how long it would take her to notice. Then he takes the engagement ring off Audrey’s hand and gives it to her friend as the prize. After ten years of explaining away humiliation, Audrey stops asking to be chosen. She ends the engagement, accepts the career opportunity she nearly gave up, and keeps the wedding reservation she paid for in Ireland. There, an old friend offers her something unfamiliar: help without conditions, affection without pressure, and the freedom to say no. Preston expects an angry bride to arrive in Iceland. Audrey has plans of her own. A romance about betrayal, an unforgettable wedding reversal, and learning that love should never require you to surrender your dignity.Billionaire|Human Nature|Love After Marriage|Fake Relationship|OE11.8k words5 6 -
CompletedChapter 11
The Wife He Planned to Leave
Audrey Bennett came to her best friend’s wedding as a bridesmaid. Before the night was over, she was standing beside the groom. Nathaniel Blackwell is wealthy, guarded, and convinced every relationship comes with a price. When his fiancée disappears, his family proposes a replacement. Audrey agrees on her own terms: her job, her independence, and the right to leave. Their marriage has separate bedrooms, carefully negotiated rules, and a plan to part after one year. It should be simple. Until Audrey discovers suspicious payments at work—and realizes her new husband’s family would rather question her motives than examine the money. Now her best friend is keeping secrets, her livelihood is threatened, and the man who planned their separation is finding reasons to knock on her door. But wanting Audrey is the easy part. Can Nathaniel learn to love her without deciding her life for her?Love After Marriage|Sweet Romance|Fake Relationship|HE14.0k words5 3 -
CompletedChapter 11
The Fiancée He Named Before Dawn
Tessa Ward only meant to rest for five minutes after an eighteen-hour shift. Instead, she wakes in Nico Bellini’s private bedroom, wearing his shirt, just as his grandmother and two guards walk in. When photographs of Tessa enter the wrong hands, Nico announces that she is his fiancée without asking her. By noon, Tessa has lost her job. By the next day, someone is using the supposed engagement to question her family’s connection to Harbor Light, a charitable fund tied to the Bellinis. Tessa refuses to let Nico’s protection become another decision made for her. Following the photographs, old account records, and the truth her mother kept hidden for twenty-seven years, she discovers that the fund’s secrets reach into the present. Nico can help her find the records. He cannot choose what she does with them—or whether she will ever trust him enough to stay.Mafia|Love After Marriage12.7k words5 17 -
CompletedChapter 11
The Protocol That Knew Our Names
Eli Mercer’s phone gives him an impossible command: kiss his best friend, Rowan Vale, before midnight—or lose something important. He laughs it off. Then Rowan nearly falls to his death. The next message is worse. Each task pushes them closer, unlocks fragments of a shared past, and exposes the secret hiding beneath Rowan’s powerful family name. As an old experiment begins to turn their feelings into evidence, Eli must decide whether what he wants is real—or whether a machine has been choosing for them all along.Dark Secrets|Contract Relationship|OE10.8k words5 36 -
CompletedChapter 11
The Wedding Toast That Buried Them
Four weeks before her wedding, family-law attorney Emma Hart sees her fiancé kissing her younger sister outside a roadside motel. Instead of confronting them, she preserves the evidence, protects her assets, and waits. Then her sister takes the microphone at the wedding and announces that she is carrying the groom’s baby. But when Emma’s mother demands forgiveness, she awakens a twenty-two-year-old secret powerful enough to destroy far more than one marriage.Human Nature|Glow-Up11.2k words5 35 -
CompletedChapter 11
The Wife He Never Saw
For three years, Willa Hart Vale has lived in the shadow of Celeste Rowan, the first love her husband believes died in a plane crash. Adrian chooses Celeste’s grieving family for every holiday, every emergency, and every moment that should belong to his wife. Then Willa is diagnosed with Stage IIIA breast cancer. She tells Adrian three times. He hears her—and still chooses Celeste’s memorial over Willa’s surgery. But Willa has stopped begging to be seen. Before entering the operating room alone, she files for divorce, removes Adrian from her medical decisions, protects her parents and her work, and schedules one final email. At noon, Adrian will learn the truth about the wife he ignored. And when the woman he mourned suddenly returns alive, he will discover that some choices cannot be undone.Human Nature|Glow-Up|Second Chance11.6k words5 11 -
CompletedChapter 15
Off Script with My Rival
Elliot Hayes takes the lead role in a queer romance series for one simple reason: he needs the money. He expects difficult scenes, long nights and enough kissing to make every future family gathering uncomfortable. What he does not expect is Roman Hale—Hollywood's untouchable golden boy, his former college roommate and the rival Elliot has spent eight years trying to forget. Their first staged kiss feels far too real. Their carefully choreographed intimacy leaves Elliot questioning reactions he can no longer dismiss as acting.Healing Romance|Glow-Up|Possessive Love|Redemption Arc|Sweet Romance|HE14.7k words5 34 -
CompletedChapter 11
He Chose Her Lie Over My Father’s Life
Claire's powerful prosecutor husband buried the evidence that could have saved her innocent father—all to protect his first love's family. After her father dies and her brother is used as leverage, Claire stops asking to be believed. She preserves the proof, files for divorce, and disappears to London. But when the lies begin to collapse, Caleb learns too late that the wife he destroyed may hold the one recording capable of bringing down everyone he protected.Glow-Up12.2k words5 30 -
CompletedChapter 11
The Son They Buried Came Back
The Hale family told the world their youngest son was dead. Six years later, Evan Caldwell returns at their charity gala—alive, famous, and carrying proof that his parents used his body to save their favorite child. As the family fights to silence him, Evan turns a stolen childhood, a forged medical record, and a buried ICU recording into a reckoning no amount of money can stop.Human Nature|Glow-Up12.1k words5 32