The Heiress Impostor

CHAPTER 2: Seeking a doppelganger

Ethan hasn't thought of that but it's necessary. He had to put himself together As he made a call to the hotel manager, his voice strained and formal. “My daughter, Avery, just fainted in her room. What kind of cleaning chemicals are you using for cleaning? Are there any new fragrances or anything unusual?” He asked, grasping at straws, searching for any reasonable explanation or anything that could make sense of this tragedy.

The manager stuttered, assuring him that they used only the highest quality products. Ethan wasn’t convinced. “I need to see the security footage for room 423,” he demanded. “And I mean all of it. If anything happened to my daughter because of negligence on your part, you’ll be held responsible.”

The footage was sent to him 20 minutes later. Ethan and Dr Miller watched the footage, Ethan's heart pounding with anticipation as the watch. Avery entered her room. Two hours passed. Then, Mr Ethan entered. Nothing else. No one else came in or went out.

The mystery deepened. But how? Why his daughter? The only thing that can give Ethan an answer to his question is the autopsy. But he feared the answers might be much more hurtful than he thought. Dr. Miller was the first to break the silence after watching the footage, his voice was low and reassuring. “I’ll take it up from here Ethan. I'll call The ambulance to take her to a private facility, far away to avoid any unwanted attention. The autopsy will be meticulously performed, and I’ll handle this personally and oversee everything. You can count on me, Ethan. We’ll find out what happened to Avery.” Ethan could only nod

After a few minutes, the ambulance arrived and took Avery's lifeless body into the vehicle with Ethan and Dr Miller following them but they were careful of their actions to avoid suspicion.

Dr Miller walked towards Ethan and placed his hand on his shoulder, as a comforting gesture in the face of unimaginable grief. “This is hard for you and I know, Ethan. There are no words that can truly ease your pain. But you’re not in this alone. I’m here for you and for whatever you need.”

Ethan nodded, his eyes filled with unspeakable sorrow. “Thank you, Dr. Miller. Thank you for your time and understanding.”

Dr. Miller gently squeezed his shoulder. “Take care of yourself, Ethan. And remember, it’s okay to grieve. Don’t try to carry this burden alone, I'm just a call away.” With those words, he turned, entered his car and left.

Ethan stood alone watching the ambulance and Dr Miller drove out of the hotel, the silence amplifying the barrenness in his heart. The weight this reality pressed down on him, overwhelming him. He walked back into his daughter's room, the room he entered just hours ago with excitement in his face has become a tomb.

He melted into the edge of the bed, his body trembling with silent sobs. He hadn’t allowed himself to cry until this moment. Alone in the darkness, the control was lost. He wept for his only child, his beautiful, vibrant Avery Kyle is gone too soon. He wept for Sophia, thinking of the struggle they went through in the past before Avery arrived. He wept for himself, for the life that had been totally shattered.

He cried uncountably until his eyes were swollen and his throat was sore. He cried until he was emotionally exhausted and physically drained. Just then a thought, a distraught and improbable thought, flashed through his mind.

He remembered the young lady he saw at the Belvedere Residence when he went to visit his childhood friend who had just arrived in the state two weeks ago. The lady walked into the room to carry out her daily routine. Ethan was bewildered by the exact duplicate of his daughter standing before him.

He got up and rubbed his eyes, this seemed like a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

Maybe he needs this girl to console himself, he needs her to act like his daughter but Could this be possible? Could this unknown lady be his solution? No, The idea is audacious, even insane. But does he have another choice? He can't bring himself to tell Sophia the truth. right now. He couldn’t bear to see his wife heartbroken, he wouldn't want to witness the light in her eyes fade away.

He knew this was a long shot, more like a desperate gamble. But he had to try anyway. He had to find this lady. He had to convince her to help him with whatever it takes. He had to protect his fragile wife, even if it meant living a lie. He stood up, his mind made up. He would do whatever it takes, no matter what it cost. He would find this young lady, and he would convince her to become Avery, his heiress and make her an offer she wouldn't be able to reject.

Ethan took a glance at his wrist watch. It was 3:10 pm. He said to himself, “I don't know how she'll take this but I need to give it a try.” He entered the bathroom and splashed some water on his face then reached for the towel to dab his face, even though he's grieving, he doesn't need to show it now, he's a man and men hide their pains he thought to himself trying to shake off the sense of listlessness that clutched to him like a shroud. As he walked out of the room like nothing happened, walking down the hallway his footsteps barely audible, he heard the hushed whispers of the Elysium Inn staff. “Mr. Wellington's daughter had fainted earlier today. We hope it’s nothing serious because this place would go down with it…”

The other responded “Well, you can't be so sure. Who knows what she has gotten herself into? He can't just assume that we caused it without a medical check up right?”

Ethan stood for a while and looked towards their direction. They were so engrossed with this conversation that they didn't notice that he was there, he deliberately cleared his throat to call their attention, his gaze met theirs, they quickly looked away, bowing slightly, with their heart pounding in their chest, pretending to be busy with work. He could practically read the look on their faces: “rich folks are always dramatic.” He gave a small, almost undetectable shake of his head and continued walking out till he was out of sight.

Heading towards the garage, the first car he sighted was Avery's. He stood for a few seconds and stared at the car, his mind as blank as a white paper. He averted his gaze from Avery's car and moved towards his car, controlling the car with the Remote. He swung the door open and entered. The leather seat felt like a small measure of comfort.

His destination was a two-hours and fifteen-minutes journey from his present location, a distance of approximately 112.5 miles. Thrina’s face kept appearing in his mind as he drove, her gentle smile, the uncanny resemblance to Avery. It was as though they were identical twins