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Putting together timelines in my head is difficult. They learned the truth after Dad locked ‘Erin’ in the asylum. After they escaped. After they…

“Before you found out I was alive, you were still fucking my sister!” I explode. “You stalked her around town, crashed her ball, and left her creepy gifts. What’s wrong with you?!”

I spring to my feet and turn on him. Aiden steps forward, but I shove him hard in the chest.

“I admit, we handled it badly. At the beginning, we only ever wanted to use her to take your father down. Seducing her was part of the plan to win her trust,” Aiden tries to justify himself.

“Then, she started to act more like you, and maybe it felt like you were still with us in some strange, fucked-up way…” He sighs.

“We fucked up, okay? But we really thought you were dead. How could we not after Eli…”

“After Eli, what?” I ask sharply as his voice trails off.

“He didn’t mean to hurt her,” Aiden says. “Look, your dad drugged him, he?—”

“Eli did it?” I want to vomit. “ He killed Erin?”

“Acacia killed her!” Aiden growls. “Eli was under his control. He couldn’t fight it.”

“Now it makes sense,” I say. “All his ranting and raving over the last few months. He’s fucking crazy! You all are!”

Aiden reaches out, but I slap his hand away. “Sarah…”

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I snarl, crossing my arms. “Did my dad drug you? Is that why you seduced her, or is that all on you?”

“Acacia brought her—you—to the asylum. He gave us an opportunity, and we wanted to get close to her,” he says. “As soon as we found out the truth, we started working with Doctor Warner to bring you back, so we can finally be together again. You don’t understand?—”

“You’re twisted!” I spit. “Shit, Lex even made me—Erin—believe he was taking my virginity. How was that helping get my memories back, huh?”

“Lex did what?” Aiden asks. His eyes glaze, and his jaw hardens. “When?”

“A few days ago,” I say, waving my hand dismissively. “Why do the details matter? He creeped into this cell, pinned me against the wall, and fucked me right here. Did you all have a good laugh about it after?”

“We made a deal that none of us would do that,” he whispers. “Not until you knew the truth.”

“Well, Lex broke your little pact.” I narrow my eyes. “But that’s not a surprise, because that’s all you seem to do.”

“You have to believe me,” Aiden pleads. “We thought you were dead. Erin was… she wasn’t you… but she was the closest we were going to get. She could help us get you justice!”

“By stalking her and taking over her life? Fuck you, Aiden!” I scream. My inner rage fully takes over now. “You’re as bad as my father. Your lies, your twisted games. You’re sick—all three of you! I always thought Dad was wrong about you, but he wasn’t. You belong here. In Sunnycrest.”

His head jerks as if I slapped him. “Little Ghost…”

“Don’t!” I snarl, jabbing my finger into his chest. “That’s your nickname for her, not me! Did you like her more? Perfect Erin, the better twin, the one who can do no wrong. See? You’re just like him!”

“No… Sarah… I…”

“Stop, Aiden.” I turn away, unable to listen to any more lame excuses. “Leave. Now.”

“But—”

“Go!” I yell.

He sighs deeply, realizing there’s no point in arguing. He pauses at the door. “Before I go…” He throws my diary onto the floor. “This belongs to you.”

“Just fucking go,” I whisper, using all my willpower to hold back tears. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. “And don’t come back.”

He doesn’t argue. He clicks the door closed quietly behind him. As soon as he’s gone, I sink to my knees.

What now? Erin’s dead, my brain’s fucked, and the three people I thought I could trust have shown me their true colors. I thought I loved them, and this is how they treat me? Like I meant nothing to them? Like I’m replaceable! They told Erin they were monsters, and they were right.

If I had the energy to move, I’d smash my fist through the wall. Instead, I scream as loud as I can. It’s freeing. My bloodcurdling screech bounces off the bricks as I release all my pent-up emotions, fury, bitterness, sadness, guilt…

I scream until my throat burns and goes hoarse, until I’m unable to make another sound.

How could he do this?

How could they do this?

How is anyone supposed to come to terms with the fact they’ve returned from the dead alongside the revelation that their twin sister is gone forever?

It’s fucked up. Beyond fucked up. This kind of thing wouldn’t be out of place in a B-rated sci-fi movie, but it’s real life.

My life. And I don’t know how I’m going to move forward.

“It’s okay, Sarah.” Erin’s voice comes out of my mouth. Her words. Her intonations. It’s her. “You’re not alone.”

This is more than a figment of my imagination. It’s like she’s really here.

“Erin?” I ask, my voice shaking. “Is it really you?”

I can hear her in my head while my mouth moves.

“I’m still here,” she says. “And I’m not going anywhere. I’m part of you now. A part of you that’ll always be here.”

I feel myself slipping away as she comes to the surface.

If she bursts out, I feel like I’ll disappear again, so I cling to my sense of self, stopping her from overpowering me.

It’s a delicate balance and a battle for control.

She needs to speak and be heard—and I want to hear her—but I can’t lose myself again…

“What did he do to us?” I ask.

“He merged our minds,” she says. “He wanted to bring me back to life by transferring my consciousness to your body.”

“This can’t be happening,” I say. “I must really be going crazy after everything that’s happened…” I go to hit myself in the head, then my arm suddenly stops, as if someone else has taken over.

“No!” Erin says. “Stop!”

“It’s my fault you’re dead,” I say. “If we hadn’t swapped places?—”

“You didn’t know what was going to happen,” she says. Even when suspended in a liminal state, she’s rational. “We had no idea how far Dad was going to go, and what he’s done. The guys have shown us that.”

“They did terrible things to you, Erin,” I say. “It’s my fault they came into your life.”

“I’m glad they did,” she says. “They showed me the truth. They taught me to be fearless, more like you, or maybe that was you coming out… I don’t know. Either way, I know who Dad really is now. We know the truth.”

“What now?” I ask. Erin’s always been the smart one. I’m spontaneous and reckless, always thinking with my heart over my head. “I don’t know what to do next.”

“We show the world who he really is,” she says.

I’m a broken shell, cracked into a thousand tiny pieces. Pieces that will be impossible to put together. Yet, despite the blurry haze of not knowing who I am, a new calmness comes over me as my next steps firm up.

I may not know a lot, but the one thing I know for sure is that I can’t let my father know my memories have been restored. He’s been able to erase them once before, and I’ve somehow retained my sanity. I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive another round of his twisted experiments.

“You’re right,” I say. Of course she is. “We have to make him pay.”

“And you can’t do it alone,” Erin says.

“I’m not alone,” I say. “I have you.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” she replies.

“But they…” My eyes fill with angry tears. “They hurt you. They hurt us.”

“But they love us too,” she says gently. “You need them, Sarah.”