Loving Him Under My Sisters Name

After marrying Silas West, the worlds most idolized rock star, I became the most envied civilian wife on the internet.

Silas was the ultimate anomaly in the industry. He avoided scandals, never chased clout, and lived entirely for his music. His chart-topping single, January Embers, was a hauntingly beautiful ballad he wrote for me. It played in every coffee shop and car radio from coast to coast.

In a recent Rolling Stone interview, he said:

"My heart has only ever beat for one person: Rose."

But there was a secret I kept buried deep, one I would never dare tell him.

Rose... was actually my sisters name.

Backstage at the Staples Center.

I was staring, lost in thought, at the new lead guitarist.

"See something you like?"

Silas appeared behind me out of nowhere, his voice a low, melodic vibration. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. "Is he better looking than me?"

"Impossible," I said, tilting my head back to smile at him. "He doesn't even have a tenth of your charm."

Silass expression remained mock-stern. "Only a tenth?"

I softened my voice, leaning into him. "Hes not even a shadow of a single hair on my husbands head. Satisfied?"

That finally coaxed a smirk from him. He picked up a strawberry from a nearby fruit platter and held it to my lips. "Since youre being so sweet... Ill have to give you your real reward tonight. All night."

I felt the heat rush to my cheeks instantly.

Just then, his assistant rolled in a small cart with a cake. The topper read: TO ROSE.

I froze. He had been in rehearsals for ten hours straight, yet he still remembered.

"Happy birthday, baby."

Silass eyes held a galaxy of tenderness. I stared at the flickering candles, at the man who loved a woman who didn't technically exist, and closed my eyes to make a wish.

When the lights came up, Silas reached out and wiped a smudge of frosting from the corner of my mouth with his thumb, then naturally licked it off.

"Oh, come on!" the bassist groaned from across the room. "West, the cake is for everyone, but I guess the frosting on Roses face is your private reserve?"

Silas just arched an eyebrow and pulled me closer into his side.

The room erupted in laughter. Outside, the muffled roar of forty thousand fans chanting his name vibrated through the floorboards.

As Silas turned to head toward the stage, he ruffled my hair, leaving it a mess. My manager, sitting across from me, couldn't help but chime in.

"To think, the man whos notoriously impossible to handlethe Silas Westis actually just a golden retriever for you. Honestly, Rose, I don't think anyone else on this planet could have tamed him."

I forced a smile, my heart heavy.

When no one was looking, I quietly took the TO ROSE topper and dropped it into the trash can.

They didn't understand.

Rose was my sister. And I was just a ghost inhabiting her life.

My sister, Bianca, was the legitimate heiress of the Sterling corporate empire.

I, Tess, was the familys dirty secretthe illegitimate daughter kept in a drafty apartment on the outskirts of the city.

We weren't from the same mother, but we looked enough alike to be twins. My father had forced me to spend years mimicking Biancas cadence, her posture, her every move. At first, it was just to fill in for her at boring charity events or press junkets she didn't want to attend. But then, they pushed me in front of Silas West.

The reason was as absurd as it was cruel.

Years ago, when Silas was first asked about his "dream girl" in an interview, he had mentioned how much he admired Biancas poise. At the time, my sister was having a public spat with her billionaire boyfriend, Preston Whitlock. To spite Preston, she flirted with Silas through the media, causing a firestorm of speculation.

But a week later, she and Preston made up.

The Sterling Groups stock had skyrocketed during that brief "romance." My father wasn't about to let that profit margin slip away. He ordered me to keep the flame alive, sending me on dates with Silas in her place.

And that was how, by a series of tragic accidents, I ended up married to the man.

Silas was a god among men. He was devastatingly handsome, with a sharp, arrogant edge that softened only for me. In an industry full of players, he was a ghost; he had never been in a serious relationship before us.

I felt like I had won the lottery, but the ticket was stolen.

During the first few months of the marriage, I lived in a state of constant terror, waiting for the moment hed realize I wasn't the girl he thought I was. But slowly, I let my guard down. He was too good to me. He loved me with a ferocity that made me feel that, even if the truth came out tomorrow and he ended up hating me, it would have been worth it just to have known this version of him.

My only wish was for Bianca and Preston to stay locked in their toxic, high-society bubble forever. If they stayed together, I could stay with Silas. I could keep being "Rose."

The concert reached the encore. The jumbotron cut to the VIP section.

The camera was supposed to land on me, but for a split second, it lingered on a couple a few rows back.

In the midst of the deafening music, my sisters boyfriend, Preston, was passionately kissing a woman I didn't recognize.

The giant screen magnified every detail.

The way Prestons hand gripped the back of the womans neck. The unmistakable shimmer of a massive pink diamond on her ring finger.

I remembered that diamond. It was the rare stone Bianca had been obsessed with for months. Shed seen it in a Christie's catalog and talked about nothing else.

My world went black.

Knowing Biancas temper, if she found out Preston was keeping a woman on the sideand giving her that diamondshe would burn the whole world down.

The camera finally found me, and I quickly looked down, pretending to reach for a tissue. But in that last second, I caught Prestons reflection in the screen. He looked stunned, realizing hed been caught.

I spent the rest of the night in a haze of anxiety.

On the ride home in the darkened SUV, I clung to Silas, burying my face in his neck and refusing to let go. I was terrified that if I loosened my grip, this stolen dream would finally shatter.

The night was intense.

I was more desperate, more active than I had ever been, and it pushed Silas to a point of near-losing control.

"I have to be in the studio all day tomorrow," he murmured against my skin, his voice thick with sleep and satisfaction. "Im going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too," I whispered.

"You say it like you're already gone," Silas said, his eyes searching mine in the dark. "Say you'll be here when I get back."

"I'll be here."

He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind my ear, then handed me a black card from the nightstand. "If you get bored, go buy something pretty. Anything you want."

I didn't care about shopping. I planned to stay home and learn how to cook his favorite mealhoney-balsamic glazed ribsthe way my mother used to make them. I wanted to give him something that was truly mine.

But the next day, it wasn't a text from Silas that arrived. It was a call from my sister.

Prestons affair hadn't stayed a secret for long. Bianca demanded I meet her at the family estate immediately.

I hadn't seen her since the wedding. She looked haggard, her usual polish cracked.

"Hes cheating," she spat the moment I walked in.

"Who?" I played dumb.

"Preston. Hes been sleeping with some new assistant for three months."

I didn't understand how she found out. I had made sure the concert footage was scrubbed from the internet, and Preston wasn't stupid enough to tell her.

Seeing my confusion, she laughed bitterly. "You remember that pink diamond? The one from the magazine? I finally decided to buy it for myself as a birthday gift. The jeweler told me it had already been sold... to Preston."

She took a shaky breath. "I tracked the delivery address. It wasn't our house. It wasn't the office. It was some condo Id never heard of. I went there. I saw them."

Her eyes suddenly snapped to mine, sharp and predatory.

"Ive changed my mind, Tess. I want it back."

My breath hitched. "What?"

"I thought I had it all figured out," she said, her words like a chisel hitting stone. "Silas was a star, sure, but hes an orphan. No family connections, no old money, too much risk. Preston was stable. He was one of us. We grew up together."

She sighed, pacing the room. "I always liked the bad boys, the ones I thought I could tame. I thought fifteen years of history meant something."

She stopped and looked me dead in the eye. "I was wrong. Preston is a pig. Silas, on the other hand... hes become the biggest name in the world, and he treats you like a queen. I want my place back."

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach.

"Tess, that life belongs to me. It's time to switch."

I stood there, trembling. "But weve been married for a year. He... he knows me."

Bianca laughed, a cold, hollow sound. "Does he? He fell for me. Youre just the stand-in. A body double."

Her words tore open the box of memories Id tried so hard to bury.

I thought of the glass case in Silass study. Inside was an old, cheap hair clip that Bianca had thrown away years ago. I thought of his new album title, The B-Sides. I had tried to convince myself it was just a musical term, but I knew Biancas middle name started with B.

And then there were the lyrics to January Embers: The way you looked in the falling snow, a grace I'll never let go.

Silas and I had never seen the snow together.

Id also found an old book of poetry in his nightstand with a letter tucked inside. The opening line was: To my golden girl. I hadn't had the heart to read the rest.

He had always been in love with the radiant, untouchable Bianca. Every ounce of tenderness he showed me, every soft touch, was meant for the girl he thought I was.

Bianca watched the color drain from my face and softened her tone, though her eyes remained like ice. "You feel guilty, don't you? Living a lie? Be a good girl and give it back. You can go deal with Preston for a whilekeep him distracted while I settle back in with Silas. Ill make sure you're compensated."

"No," I whispered. "I won't do it."

"No?" Biancas voice rose. "Tess, lets be real. Your mothers medical bills? The dialysis, the imported meds? My father paid for all of it. Your mother was a homewrecker, and we still kept you both fed. You owe us. You know your place. Don't make me remind you of it."

Every bit of defiance I had was crushed under the weight of the truth. Silas didn't love me. He loved a phantom.

I lowered my head, my voice cracking. "Fine. Well switch."

I brought Bianca back to the villa late that night. Before I left, I tried to give her the details.

"He cant have dairy for two hours before a recording session. It messes with his vocal cords."

"The water in his thermos should never be over 120 degrees."

"His stomach is sensitive; don't let him drink black coffee on an empty stomach."

"And he hates sleeping in total darkness. Always leave the dim light in the hallway on..."

"Ugh, shut up!" Bianca snapped. "Are you his wife or his nanny? Does he not have people for this?"

She checked her reflection in the hallway mirror. "He needs a woman, Tess, not a maid. Trust me, I won't need to do any of that to keep him obsessed with me."

She was so confident.

As we reached the front door, I saw Silas coming out of the house. I instinctively ducked behind a stone pillar, watching from the shadows.

He ran toward her, a bright, genuine smile on his face. He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. Bianca buried her face in his chest, hugging him tight.

Silas froze for a second, a look of mild surprise on his face. But then he softened, resting his chin on her head.

"Back so soon? And empty-handed?"

I had told Bianca about the shopping trip he'd suggested. She played it cool. "I'll go tomorrow, babe. I just wanted to come home to you. Why don't you hold onto the card for now?"

Silas looked at her, his expression unreadable for a moment. "Thats the first time youve called me 'babe.'"

Bianca lowered her gaze, acting shy. "Is it? Sorry. I won't do it again if you don't like it."

Silas immediately tightened his grip. "No, I like it. Keep doing it. I love hearing it from you."

Bianca said something else, her voice a flirtatious purr, and Silass laugh drifted through the night air. They walked into the house together, arm in arm.

My heart hit rock bottom.

The fake could never compare to the original. Bianca was clearly better at being the woman he wanted than I ever was. I had been greedy, wanting every bit of sweetness he offered, but I was never the intended recipient.

I didn't even get to say goodbye.

That night, back at my fathers house, I didn't sleep. My mind was a loop of every moment Id spent with Silas over the past year. I cried until my pillow was soaked, finally drifting into a fitful sleep at dawn.

The next morning, a loud, aggressive knocking at the door woke me.

I opened it to find Preston Whitlock, looking like hed been on a three-day bender.

"What do you want?" I stood in the doorway, blocking him.

"I fired the assistant," he said, his voice raspy.

I expected him to beg for forgiveness, to plead for Bianca to take him back. But his next words caught me off guard.

"Bianca... lets just call it. Were done."

Done? He was breaking up with her? He wasn't here to crawl back to his "golden girl"?

I didn't know whether to feel sorry for Bianca or just exhausted by the whole mess. I stayed silent.

He looked at me, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "What, no screaming? No throwing things?"

When I still didn't speak, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a check. "Here. This should cover... whatever. Lets just make this a clean break."

If I took the check, it meant the breakup was official. If I didn't, Bianca would lose her mind when she found out. I couldn't make this choice.

"Keep it," I said.

Preston went rigid. In his mind, Bianca was a woman defined by her appetite for luxury. She had never turned down a check in her life. This was new.

Suddenly, he grabbed my arm. "Come on. Lets go for a walk. We need to talk about this."

I didn't have the energy to fight him, so I followed him out. We hadn't gone a block when a teenager on a bike came flying down a steep driveway, straight toward Preston.

"Watch out!" I yelled.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him back, but he still tripped, his knee slamming into the concrete steps. His dress slacks tore, and blood began to bloom through the fabric. The kid on the bike didn't even look back; he just sped off.

I knelt down immediately, my brow furrowed. "Are you okay? Can you move it?"

I couldn't just ignore him, even if he was Preston.

Preston looked down at me, his expression shifting from pain to something else. Something intense. "I'm fine. Thanks."

The way he looked at me in that moment was... strange. Like he was seeing me for the first time.

A few days later, I saw on the news that Silas had gone to San Diego for a three-night residency.

Strangely, he hadn't taken Bianca with him. In the past, Silas hated being away from home for more than twenty-four hours. If he had to travel, he always insisted I come along.

My thoughts were interrupted by a call from Bianca. She sounded agitated.

"Tess, what the hell is wrong with him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Silas! He... he hasn't touched me!" she hissed. "Ive tried everything. Hints, lingerie, everything. He just looks at me like Im a stranger and says hes tired."

A tiny, wicked spark of joy lit up in my chest. But I kept my voice flat. "Maybe hes just stressed."

"He was never too stressed for you," she snapped. "Tell me. What did you do? How do you... you know, get him going?"

I didn't do anything. I just existed, and he couldn't keep his hands off me. If I told her that, shed think I was rubbing it in.

"He likes it when things are simple," I lied.

"Simple? I tried simple! Before he left for San Diego, I even bought some of those ridiculous outfits you used to wearthe soft sweaters and the no-makeup look. You know what he said?"

"What?"

"He said I looked like I was wearing a costume. Then he went to sleep on the sofa!"

I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Hes probably just focused on the shows," I managed to say.

There was a long silence on the other end. "Fine," she grumbled. "Anyway, whats happening with Preston?"

I told her Preston wanted to break up.

She let out a string of curses. "Don't you dare agree to it. String him along. And make sure you keep that check he tried to give you. Im not losing both of them."

"Sure," I said, dismissively. I didn't care what happened to Preston. And I had a feeling Preston wasn't going to be as easy to manipulate as she thought.

10

Two weeks later.

Preston asked to meet me at the Grove. He said he had something important to discuss.

I arrived early. The mall was packed, the central plaza buzzing with people. Huge digital screens were flashing an ad for a luxury watch brand.

I suddenly realized why the brand sounded familiar. Silas was their global ambassador. And he was here. Today. For a promotional event.

Panic flared in my chest. I pulled my hat down low and adjusted my face mask. I should leave. I should turn around and run.

But I missed him. The longing was like a physical ache in my bones.

Just one look, I told myself. From a distance.

He took the stage. He looked thinner, his jawline sharper, but under the stage lights, he was still the most captivating thing Id ever seen. I meant to leave after a minute, but I was rooted to the spot.

Then came the "fan interaction" segment.

The host announced they would pick a few random people from the crowd to play a "compatibility game" with Silas. The crowd went wild, everyone screaming and waving.

I turned to push my way out of the throng, but at that exact moment, a spotlight swung across the plaza and stopped dead on me.

I froze. Every eye in the vicinity turned toward me.