Theo smirked behind his father. "She thinks she deserves her own identity when she's just a stand-in."
Caleb turned to his son. "Go downstairs, Theo. I need to talk to Emma alone."
Theo left, not without a final victorious glance over his shoulder.
"Fix this," Caleb demanded, gesturing to my hair. "Dye it back blonde before dinner. Wear the blue dress Olivia wore to her last birthday. Don't make this day any harder for him."
He slammed the door behind him, leaving me trembling.
I never intended to be in this situation. When Olivia died, Theo had stopped speaking entirely. The therapists said he might never recover from the trauma of losing his mother so violently. Then I visited, Olivia’s identical twin, the aunt he barely knew...and he'd spoken his first words in months.
What started as occasional visits became a desperate plea from Caleb. The therapists suggested that having her around might help Theo process his grief. Caleb had suggested a permanent solution: marriage to give Theo the stability.
Since then, I'd been acting as Olivia. I wore her clothes, styled my hair like hers. When I didn't mirror her perfectly, it became a problem.
Last month, I'd accidentally hummed a song she had never liked while cooking dinner. Theo had spilled boiling water on my hand, leaving a scar that still hadn't healed.
The week before, I'd forgotten which side Olivia parted her hair. Theo had cut chunks out of my hair while I slept.
The only thing that remained truly mine were my eyes, green where hers had been blue. Last month, Caleb had ordered contact lenses to fix even that difference.
After cleaning the wax from my hair, I headed to the bathroom for a proper shower. When I turned on the water and stepped in, pain engulfed my body. I screamed with my skin already turning an angry red.
The bathroom door opened. Theo stood there, watching me with that same emotionless stare.
"Bleach works better than hair dye, doesn't it?" he said flatly. "Maybe now you'll remember who you're supposed to be."
He slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside. I pounded against it, the chemical burning deeper into my skin with every second.
"Help! Someone please!"
I collapsed against the wall, coughing and struggling to breathe through the chemical cloud.