The Brother's Wife Chapter 8

That night, back at the house—because James wanted to make the transition smooth, he'd insisted we complete the handoff at home—Claire watched me with confusion.

"Still upset about your brother?" she asked softly, sitting beside me on the bed.

I pulled my hand away from hers.

"What would you do," I heard myself ask, "if you found out I wasn't who you thought I was?"

Her brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." I turned away. "Forget it."

But she wouldn't let it go. She took my hand again, holding it between both of hers. "Ryan, I told you. Even if someone looked exactly like you, I would know the difference. You can't fake ten years of marriage."

The words should have comforted me. Instead, they felt like a knife twisting deeper.

Because tomorrow, I would leave. And James would stay. And Claire would believe she still had her husband, when really, he'd been an impostor all along.