The chill that ran down my spine was matched only by the shock that was yet to come. Just as I began to process her words, Kate signaled one of her guards over. He emerged carrying a large, battered bag. With deliberate care, Kate opened it—and I nearly lost my breath. Inside was the decomposing corpse of a woman who bore an eerie, almost exact resemblance to myself. My stomach churned as the reality set in.
“You… you bought her?” I stammered, unable to reconcile the sight with the friend I once knew.
Kate’s expression remained unreadable. “She was the perfect double. With her, I could fake your death and fool everyone about it. It’s all part of the plan, Zoey.”
The plan that had cost me everything. I felt a surge of disappointment and anguish. We had been partners in crime since we were kids—inseparable in our mischief and dreams. But somewhere along the way, after she married into wealth and luxury of a business investor to James's company, something had changed in Kate. She had become someone unrecognizable, consumed by ambition and greed. I never imagined she would stoop so low as to manipulate James—and, by extension, me—in such a twisted way.