For three years, I was Silas Vance’s best-kept secret. His gorgeous, compliant little songbird in a gilded cage. The day I found out I was pregnant, I went to surprise him at his private club. But before I could open the door, I overheard a conversation between him and his identical twin brother, Elias. "Sias, I've been posing as you, playing house with your little bird for a while now," Elias said, his tone casual but dangerous. "If she finds out, she’s going to bolt." Silas sounded utterly indifferent. "Let her. She knows where her bread is buttered; she won't leave. Besides, it’s not like this is the first time we’ve swapped." He paused, his voice turning cold. "Just tell me you didn't get her pregnant. That would be disgusting." Right then, a strange text message appeared floating in front of my eyes, like a chat frame from a livestream: 【Lmao, this dumb side-character thinks being pregnant is a good thing. She has no idea Silas hasn't touched her in a year. Elias is the one who got her knocked up.】 【Silas only has eyes for the main female lead. Even if the side-character is pregnant with his twin’s baby, Silas will make sure she and the kid both vanish.】 I didn't scream. I didn't cause a scene. I went back to the penthouse and kept playing the part of Elias’s perfect, oblivious little bird. But behind their backs, I quietly scheduled an abortion. I bought a one-way international plane ticket. The day they caught me at the clinic, ready to end the pregnancy, Elias went absolutely primal. He grabbed Silas by the throat, pinning him against the wall. "Who gave you permission to touch her?" he roared, his eyes insane with rage. 01 The day I found out, it was pouring rain in the city. Ignoring the weather, I rushed to the exclusive downtown lounge where Silas usually hung out. By the time I arrived, my hair was damp, and water was dripping from my coat. Just as I reached for the handle of his private VIP suite, I heard Silas’s voice through the door. It was cold, detached. "You done playing? When are we swapping back?" His twin brother, Elias, laughed. "Not yet. I’m having too much fun." Silas frowned. "You didn't actually touch her, did you? You know the rules." Elias hesitated for a fraction of a second. Then, a slow, dark smirk spread across his face. "Relax. I didn't. Probably." He picked up his glass of whiskey. "But honestly, even if I did, why would you care?" Silas paused, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Obviously I care. It’s filthy." The private room erupted in whistles and catcalls from their trust-fund friends. "Elias, you crazy bastard. You’re actually willing to sloppy-second your brother’s trash?" "Can you blame him? Look at Ava’s face. Hell, with a body like that, who wouldn't want a turn?" "Seriously, that ass is intoxicating. She's practically begging for it." "It’s just funny that Silas is the one acting like a saint, refusing to touch her." Sitting next to Silas was Chloe Sterling, the ice queen of the Hamptons and Silas’s childhood sweetheart. He’d worshipped her since they were kids. Chloe let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Honestly, Ava is like a public restroom. Everyone gets a turn." The room rolled with laughter. I recognized some of the other faces in there. One of them asked, "Whose idea was this switch, anyway? It’s wild." Chloe lifted an eyebrow, looking smug. "They’re too boring to come up with something this good. It was me." She looked directly at Silas. "Ava probably dreams about Silas having a secret twin. You should thank me. Without me, none of you would get to experience something this thrilling." Silas smiled at her, an expression of pure adoration. "You’re right, honey. You’re always the smartest person in the room." Someone else chimed in. "I heard Silas is actually going through with a wedding to Ava next week. Is that legit?" Silas chuckled, a cruel sound. "Of course not. The little lower-class girl wants a ring. I’m just humoring her for now." Chloe sat up straighter, a gleam of malice in her eyes. "Imagine this: next week, at the 'wedding,' right when she thinks she’s officially made it, you guys tell her the truth. Tell her that for a whole year, you’ve been passing her back and forth." Chloe smirked, anticipating the moment. "Imagine the look on her face when you push her into the abyss right as she’s hugging happiness. Wouldn't that be a blast?" Silas gave a helpless laugh, stroking Chloe’s hair. "You’re vicious. So childish." Chloe pouted. "Vicious or not, you’ve always given me whatever I wanted since we were kids." Then she paused, glancing at Elias. "Just make sure you’re careful. Don't go getting her pregnant by accident." Her voice turned elitist. "Girls from the gutter get real clingy once they have a kid." Silas’s brow furrowed slightly. "Don't even joke about that. Like I said, we’ve never touched her." Chloe tilted her head, pressing the issue. "But what if she is pregnant? Hypothetically?" Silas smiled, looking completely unbothered. "Then we kick her to the curb. Right, Eli?" Elias seemed to be in a daze, staring into his drink. He heard Silas call his name and snapped back to reality. "Yeah. Right." Floating Text: 【Lmao, Elias is actually lying. He didn't touch her? He's been sleeping with her behind his brother’s back for months. He’s totally wrecked her.】 【This side-character thinks she’s pregnant with Silas’s baby, but Silas has never touched her. It’s Elias’s kid.】 【In the end, Silas only wants the main lead. Once they find out about the pregnancy, they’re going to make sure she and the baby disappear completely.】 【Omg, I love this dynamic. Silas is saving himself for the main female lead, and Elias is just using the side-character for practice. This is the quality content I sign up for!】 I looked down at the pregnancy test in my hand. Two bold, red lines. I had run through the rain to get here, desperate to tell Silas the news. I really was pregnant. Looking at it now, there was no point in telling him. None at all. 02 That same afternoon, I booked an appointment at an out-of-state abortion clinic. I also bought a one-way plane ticket for next week. Coincidentally, it was the same day as the "wedding." I figured I could extract a little more cash from my "sugar daddy" over the next few days for my relocation fund. Since they wanted to humiliate me at the altar and show the world what a fool I was... Then why shouldn't I pre-empt them? I’d stand them up, run away, and turn their little scripted drama into a complete farce. Besides, over the years I’d spent as a professional gilded bird, I had saved up a decent chunk of change. The rate of my savings had actually doubled recently. I used to wonder why "Silas" always seemed to forget he had already sent me money, depositing cash into my account over and over again. Mystery solved. It wasn't Silas forgetting. One deposit was from Silas, and the other was from his twin, Elias. I gently patted my little nest egg. Money was my only true comfort. I had first crossed paths with Silas Vance back in college. Chloe Sterling had been my roommate. She loved cruel pranks, specifically ones designed to destroy people’s futures. During our freshman year, she had encouraged one of her rich friends to pursue a quiet, hardworking girl from a poor background. The guy showered her with roses, luxury goods, and expensive bags. The poor girl had never seen that kind of courtship. Within weeks, she was head over heels in love. Right before final exams, Chloe had her friend dump the girl brutally. The shock was too much, and the girl, who usually had great grades, completely failed her finals. As soon as exams were over, she jumped off a building. She’s still in a vegetative state. Chloe, meanwhile, just continued with college, acting like nothing had happened. She was my roommate, and she set her sights on me. I worked three jobs back then just to survive. Between my gambling-addicted father, my mother who died young, and my sick grandmother, I was the classic "beautiful, broken scholarship student." This time, I was the new main character in her twisted game. Silas Vance was her hand-picked male lead. He was the campus god—a brilliant, stony-faced legacy student whose candid photos went viral on social media, racking up millions of views. He was also the heir apparent to the Vance Group conglomerate. His future was blindingly bright. She tasked Silas with "seducing" me, making me his girlfriend. According to Chloe’s script, Silas would ruin me with luxury. He’d make me dependent on him. And once I was completely accustomed to that high life, he’d dump me, leaving me to utterly collapse under the weight of the massive loss. Silas was indeed good to me. He bought me countless gifts. He pretended to have deep empathy for my tragic backstory. He forbid me from working my three jobs, and he came up with a new surprise for me every day. But I’m a hoarder. A survivor. Whatever money Silas gave me, I hoarded. The jewelry he bought me? I never wore it. I sold it online for a premium to other legacy students. I was terrified of being poor again. I didn't think I deserved nice things. Money was the only thing that felt real. Hoarding it was the only thing that gave me a sense of security. And I wasn't stupid. I could feel it. Silas seemed to be acting. Whenever he held my hand, I couldn't miss the flicker of mockery deep in his eyes. I didn't know why he hated me but was still pretending to love me. But he was definitely rich, and he was definitely a fool with his money. I needed to hoard as much as possible while the opportunity was there. We acted like a normal couple. Dating, hugging, kissing. During the winter, I even hand-knit him a scarf as a gift. The day my grandmother fell critically ill, I finally broke down. I asked Silas for a "birthday gift"—a massive sum to cover her medical bills. I remember Silas froze for a second. Then he smiled. I hadn't forgotten the spark of sadistic triumph in his eyes. Like a venomous snake finally baring its fangs. He assumed I had finally been broken, corrupted, and was now just as greedy as everyone else. Everything was going according to plan. Silas broke up with me the very next day. Chloe Sterling waited to watch me crumble. She expected the "poor girl" to fall apart, lose my mind, scream, cry, and make a pathetic scene begging Silas to take me back. But she found me exactly the same as before. I went back to working my jobs, back to classes, back to my mundane routine. Actually, I was a little better off. I dropped from three jobs down to two. Instead of eating plain ramen, I could afford to add a small sausage and an egg. And maybe a nice iced coffee after dinner. I even gained three pounds. I didn't waste time begging to get back together. I didn't cry for him. In fact, the day we broke up, I deleted his number and blocked him on everything. None of it went according to her script. Chloe exploded with rage. She thought the game was boring because I wouldn't break. After that, she made my life in the dorm a living hell. Stomping on my shoes. Putting thumbtacks in them. Pouring cold water on my bed in the middle of winter. Later, my dad got deep into debt with some high-stakes gamblers—debts that the Vance family ended up controlling. To pay off his debts, he effectively sold me to Silas. That’s how I accidentally became Silas’s gilded bird. Actually, I had been starting to think about building a real future with him recently. Silas had always been cold and distant. He had never once touched me over the years. But starting this past January, he suddenly started wanting to kiss me. One night, he came home drunk. I was helping him onto the sofa, bringing him some tea to help him sober up. He suddenly grabbed my waist, pulled me onto his lap, and gently kissed me. I rarely kissed anyone; I almost passed out from shock. He gave a low laugh against my lips. "So this is what it tastes like. Sweet." "Next time we kiss, remember to breathe." That night, he initiated me into intimacy. After that, he got creative. He loved trying new, aggressive, thrilling things. He hated using protection. He loved dragging things out, even when the house staff was around. I could only bite my lip and try to endure. The more I struggled, the more he seemed to enjoy it. He developed a strange obsession: when we were intimate at night, he’d insist on me saying his name over and over again. "What’s my name?" "Silas. You’re Silas." "Wrong. Say it again." "What’s wrong with you, Silas, wait..." I could see the wildness in his eyes. The more I screamed his name, the more savage he became. He was strange during intimacy, like a psychotic dog that needed its fur stroked the right way to keep from snapping. But he was also sweet. He’d kiss me, bring me breakfast in bed, and make me soup when my stomach hurt. On my birthday, he set off an incredible firework display over the river. As the massive fireworks exploded in the sky, he stroked my hair and whispered, "Babe, let's make a real life together." And when I had nightmares, he’d wake me up, carefully pulling me into his arms and saying, "Don't be scared, my sweet girl. I’m here." Slowly, I began to think I might actually be falling for him. A few months ago, he pinned me to the bed again, refusing to use protection. I asked him, "What if I get pregnant?" He kissed me. "Then we have the baby. I’ll support you both." The marriage proposal was his idea. That night, after everything was finished, he lay over me and whispered: "Babe, let's stop being just lovers. Let's be husband and wife." Looking back now, I realized that from the very first time we slept together, that man wasn't Silas. It was Elias. And the proposal was just a new, twisted game. This baby... I really had wanted to have it. But now? There was no point. None at all. 03 I had five days left before my flight. I had gotten very good at telling the two Vance brothers apart. Silas was cold, dark, and never smiled. A total workaholic. Elias was affectionate, clingy, and had a mole right on his V-line. I saw it every time we were intimate. I didn't know if Silas had a mole in the same spot, as he had never touched me. This morning, I walked downstairs and saw Silas sitting in the dining room, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and reading a newspaper. "Ava," he said, his tone icy and indifferent. "Dress nicely today. We have a guest coming." Ah, first thing in the morning, reading the paper, wearing the glasses, and the cold attitude. This was the real Silas. The livestream chat frame exploded with excitement: 【Omg yes, today is the official meeting with Elias! I’m so excited.】 【This side-character is practically Elias’s personal toy. He knows every sensitive spot on her body, and she has to pretend she doesn't even know him. That must be so humiliating.】 【People from the gutter are all the same. They’ll endure anything for money. Our main girl is so much better. A true heroine who never needs a man.】 【This meeting is just setting the stage for the public humiliation at the birthday party. I can't wait!】 【Our main girl is so smart and sharp. I love her so much.】 I went back upstairs to change. By midday, Elias arrived, and he had Chloe Sterling on his arm. Seeing Elias, who looked exactly like Silas, I pretended to freeze in well-acted shock. Silas introduced him. "This is my twin brother, Elias. He’s been handling our international operations and just got back." Elias smiled at me, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you." I took his hand. "Nice to meet you, too." I gave a shallow smile. "I had no idea you two looked so identical." Elias’s expression didn't change at all. He looked warm and harmless. "There’s a lot you don't know." Honestly, I had to give it to him. He was a great actor. We had slept together countless times, and here he was, pretending we were strangers. Chloe Sterling laughed. "Well, I don't need an introduction. Ava and I were college roommates." She reached out and grabbed my arm. "I heard you’re getting married. Silas and I already talked about it; I’m going to be your maid of honor." Before I could respond, the chef came in to announce that lunch was served. At the table, Chloe sat between Silas and Elias. She rested her chin on her hand, looking at me with a sweet smile. "Ava, have you noticed if Silas has been acting any differently recently?" I knew why she was asking. She wanted to see me act confused, to laugh at me behind my back. So I gave her exactly what she wanted. I put down my fork and nodded. "Yeah. He’s actually changed a lot over the past year." For a second, the entire world seemed to hit pause. Both of the Vance brothers froze. I suddenly let out a small laugh, my cheeks turning slightly pink. "He’s been so much sweeter to me. I think I’m falling in love with him all over again." Silas shot a glare at Elias. Elias looked distinctly uncomfortable. During the meal, Elias automatically took the shell off a garlic butter shrimp and placed it in my bowl. "Babe, garlic shrimp, shelled. Your favorite." The next second, the table went dead silent. He realized his mistake instantly, but he didn't miss a beat. "My brother always calls you that. It slipped out. Sorry." I nodded. "You’re actually a nice guy." Silas shot a warning glare at Elias. I ignored them both, picked up the shrimp, and chewed. I felt a wave of nausea. Gross. Fishy. I needed to puke. I covered my mouth and ran to the bathroom. When I came back out, Chloe Sterling was giving me a very meaningful look. "You’re not having morning sickness, are you?" Silas and Elias both stared at me. I forced a laugh. "No. I just ate something that didn't agree with me. Puking is fine. It helps me lose weight." Silas put down his fork, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Any thinner and you’ll just be a bag of bones. It would硌手 (hurt my hands)." 04 After lunch, Silas and Elias both drove Chloe Sterling home. They didn't come back until very late. As soon as "he" walked in, he went straight to the shower. At this point, I wasn't entirely sure if it was Silas or Elias. I saw "his" phone sitting on the nightstand. I decided to check it. The chat frame started trashing me: 【What does this side-character think she’s doing? She thinks she can check her billionaire boyfriend’s phone? She has zero self-awareness.】 【Don't worry, she can't guess the passcode.】 【The passcode is Chloe’s birthday. This dumbass is gonna be guessing until the sun comes down.】 Ah, thank you. Since Chloe and I were roommates, she made sure everyone knew when her birthday was. It was impossible to forget. I typed in Chloe’s birthday. The phone unlocked instantly. I opened iMessage and found the chat between the twins. Silas: 【We’re swapping back in two days.】 Elias: 【No. I’m having too much fun.】 Silas: 【She mentioned today that 'Silas' has been very sweet to her recently. You aren't actually catching feelings for her, are you?】 Elias took a long time to reply. 【No. Of course not.】 【Didn't you say the sweeter you are to her, the harder she’ll fall, and the more devastating the heartbreak will be when the dream shatters?】 【I’ve spent almost the entire last year with her. I need to make sure she doesn't suspect anything in these final days.】 Silas: 【Understood.】 【You sure you didn't touch her?】 Elias: 【No. What, are you jealous?】 Silas: 【No. I just don't want someone else’s toys messing up my property.】 【I’m warning you, have your fun, but don't cross the line. That’s the rule.】 So the one in the shower was Elias. Ten minutes later, Elias walked out of the bathroom. I was on my own phone, playing a game, acting like I hadn't seen him. Elias gently took my wrist. "Babe, I told you about getting those long acrylics. Look what they did to my back." I said, "Then call the cops." Elias froze, then low-laughed. "Babe, you’re too cute." He cupped my face and leaned down to kiss me. His hand started moving down, trying to reach under my top. I pushed him away. "My stomach hurts today." Hearing that, Elias’s brow furrowed. "Stomach hurts? Your gastritis again?" I shook my head. "No." He put his hand on my lower stomach. "Let me rub it." I swatted his hand away. "Don't." Elias’s hand froze. After a long pause, he gave a cold laugh. "Fine. Suffer then. See if I care." We didn't speak for a long time. That night, my lower stomach kept hurting. I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep, curled into a ball. I don't know what time it was, but I felt Elias sigh. He pulled me into his arms, gently rubbing my back, his voice thick with sleep. "Don't hurt, my sweet girl. Don't hurt..." When I was very young, my mom used to rub my back the same way. That memory felt so distant, like a dream. Now, Elias was doing the same thing. I felt an intense wave of disgust and mockery. 05 In the morning, when I woke up, Elias was already up. He was standing by the bed, scrolling through my phone, and he looked furious. Seeing me wake up, he glared at me, smiling like a psychotic demon. "Babe... tell me the truth. Are you hiding something from me?" I yawned. "What could I possibly hide from you?" His face went dark. He gave a cold laugh. "You’re not gonna tell me?" "Fine. Then tell me this..." He shoved my phone into my face, practically tapping my nose with it. "Why is a reproductive health clinic sending you a text about pre-op instructions for an abortion?" His voice grew colder and colder. "Babe, I don't recall you telling me you were pregnant." In that moment, I froze. My heart hammered against my ribs. But I forced myself to calm down. "Oh, relax. You’re making a scene out of nothing." "I probably clicked some ad on a sketchy website and it signed me up for a spam list." "If I were really pregnant, I’d tell you immediately. I’d use it to trap you forever." Elias lifted an eyebrow. "You browse sketchy websites?" I nodded. "It’s good to expand one's knowledge." He lifted my chin. "The positions I teach you every night aren't enough? You need external research? I’m getting jealous." He pulled me into his arms. "Tell me... what positions did you learn?" I said, "I don't know. I didn't memorize them." He gave a genuine laugh at that. "Stupid. I guess I’ll have to keep teaching you personally." He looked at me. "Ava, four more days, and we’ll be married. "On our wedding day, I’m going to make you the happiest bride in the entire world. Okay?" I didn't answer. Because we weren't getting married. And we had no future. 06 Silas and Elias were both busy with the "wedding" preparations. I was busy with my own preparations: packing my relocation bags and transferring every asset I had extracted from the Vance family out of my name. I had a good friend living abroad, Maya, who had already booked an appointment for me at a clinic there. She’d also found me an apartment with a great balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows. My funds had arrived. Again, in two separate deposits. That afternoon, Elias took me to try on wedding dresses. He poked my stomach. "Your stomach is a little bloated. Eating too much good stuff lately?" I covered my stomach. "Mind your own business." He laughed. "You’re getting a real attitude now that the wedding is close." He picked up my hand and套 (套 =套 - to put a ring on) a ring on my finger. It was a diamond as big as a bird’s egg. He hugged me. "Finally. You’re going to belong only to me." I let him hold me and gave a shallow "嗯" (Mhm). The livestream chat was not happy: 【I hate this b**ch. She actually thinks he’s going to marry her. You have no self-respect.】 【If she had any dignity, she’d have run as soon as she heard the truth. She really is a gold-digger.】 【You’re right. The novel says she’s a gold-digger. Both guys are rich and hot, so of course she won't run.】 【If she was smart, she’d take the money and run now. Otherwise, Chloe is going to utterly destroy her at the wedding.】 I didn't have the energy to argue with the chat. I was just silently calculating how much money this ring would sell for. 07 Two days left before my flight. I decided to splurge on myself. I went to a club and hired a few male dancers to perform for me. I wanted to know what it felt like to casually pick and choose men for entertainment. One sip of a cocktail and I was coughing. Right then, I heard a familiar voice nearby. Chloe Sterling was at the bar, completely wasted, slurping her words. "Once the wedding is over and we’re done with her, just kick her out. I’m tired of seeing her sandwich herself between you two every day. It’s annoying." Silas didn't give in immediately, which was unusual. He remained silent for a long time before slowly opening his mouth: "We can talk about that later." Chloe froze. She looked at Elias. "Elias, what about you?" Elias avoided her eyes. "She’s so clingy... I mean, she clings to Silas. I’m worried she won't be able to handle being kicked out." Chloe looked pissed. "You guys aren't catching feelings for her, are you?" "Back in college, when you agreed to this whole prank, it was your idea too, wasn't it?" "When the original prank failed because she didn't collapse after the breakup, you two were the ones who were pissed and wanted to find another way to mess with her." "Now we have this perfect opportunity, and you’re going soft. You need to crush her into the gutter." One of their trust-fund friends who was drinking with them tried to smooth things over. "Chloe is right. Maya means everything to you guys. Ava is just a toy. You play with it until it breaks, then you toss it." "You’re really going to let Chloe be unhappy for the sake of that trash?" "Don't forget, when you were kids and played family, Silas, you were always fighting over who got to be Chloe’s husband." "You two would give her the moon if she asked for it. This is a small thing." "If she gets really clingy, Silas, just give her a 'breakup screw.' You haven't touched her for years, just fulfill her one wish and be done with it." The chat erupted: 【What is going on with the Vance brothers? They used to worship Chloe Sterling.】 【Guys... do you think... they might actually have feelings for the side-character?】 【Especially Elias. He’s slept with her so many times. You can't tell me there are no feelings.】 【You guys are delusional. The novel says they find out she’s pregnant and they throw her in a basement and torture her to death.】 I didn't look at the chat. I was holding my breath, waiting for their answer. Finally, Silas spoke in a quiet voice. "Yeah. I understand." In that moment, my heart seemed to miss a beat. Yeah. Of course.
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