The Woman With My Face
1452 Words
The room was silent.
Not the normal kind of silence.
The dangerous kind.
The kind that came before something terrible happened.
On the phone screen, the security footage continued to play in a loop.
The woman who looked exactly like me walked calmly out of the apartment where Marco Bellini had just been murdered.
Same hair.
Same height.
Same face.
My stomach twisted violently.
“That’s not me,” I whispered again.
But the words sounded weak.
Useless.
Because every man in the room had just seen the video.
And the woman in it…
Looked exactly like me.
Slowly, dangerously, Lorenzo De Santis stepped closer.
His presence alone seemed to swallow the air in the room.
My pulse thundered.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
The calmness in his voice was somehow worse than anger.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” I said quickly.
Lorenzo didn’t respond.
Instead, he took the phone from his man and replayed the footage again.
Everyone watched.
The hallway camera flickered.
The woman entered Bellini’s apartment.
Two minutes later—
A gunshot.
Then she walked out.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Almost… confident.
Lorenzo paused the video.
Right on the moment the camera captured her face.
My face.
My chest tightened painfully.
“That’s impossible,” one of the men muttered.
“No one looks that identical unless they’re twins.”
“I don’t have a twin!” I blurted out.
My voice cracked slightly.
The men exchanged looks.
Then Lorenzo finally spoke again.
“Maybe you don’t.”
My heart skipped.
“But someone wants us to believe you do.”
He turned the phone off.
The room darkened again under the red lights.
I forced myself to breathe.
Think.
“I told you someone set me up,” I said quietly.
His gaze returned to me.
Sharp.
Calculating.
“Yes.”
Relief flickered through me
Until he added slowly,
“But that doesn’t make you innocent.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“If someone wanted to frame you…”
He stepped even closer.
Close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
“…then they knew you would come here tonight.”
A cold realization crept into my chest.
“They knew I’d walk into your club.”
“Yes.”
“They knew I’d say Romano’s name.”
“Yes.”
“They knew the police would come.”
“Yes.”
The weight of it hit me all at once.
Someone had planned every step.
Every move.
Like a carefully arranged game.
“But why?” I whispered.
Lorenzo studied my face.
For a moment, something darker flickered in his expression.
Something almost… intrigued.
“That,” he said quietly,
“Is what I intend to find out.”
Before I could respond, one of his men stepped forward again.
“Boss.”
Lorenzo didn’t look away from me.
“What?”
“If the police saw that footage…”
My stomach tightened.
“They’ll think she’s the killer.”
“And?”
“They’ll come looking for her.”
Silence fell again.
Then Lorenzo’s hand suddenly reached for mine.
The unexpected contact made me freeze.
His fingers wrapped around my hand.
Firm.
Possessive.
And then
He lifted it slightly.
The diamond ring sparkled under the dim lights.
“If the police come looking for her,” he said calmly…
“They’ll be looking for my wife.”
My breath caught.
“You’re still doing that?” I whispered.
His gaze slid slowly down my face.
“What?”
“Pretending.”
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes.
“Who said I’m pretending?”
My heart skipped.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
The room seemed to shrink around us.
“You barely know me,” I said.
“That hasn’t stopped me before.”
My cheeks flushed despite the tension.
“You can’t just decide someone belongs to you.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“I can.”
The confidence in his voice sent a strange shiver through me.
Before I could argue again, another man spoke up.
“Boss, there’s another problem.”
Lorenzo sighed softly.
“Tonight seems full of those.”
“The police aren’t the only ones who saw the footage.”
My stomach twisted.
“What do you mean?”
The man looked uneasy.
“It’s already spreading.”
Lorenzo’s expression hardened.
“Where?”
“Online.”
My breath caught.
“No…”
The man nodded grimly.
“The video was leaked.”
Panic surged through me.
“If people see that”
“They will.”
My heart raced faster.
“Everyone will think I’m a murderer!”
“Yes.”
My legs felt weak.
“This can’t be happening.”
But Lorenzo didn’t look surprised.
Instead, he looked… thoughtful.
Which was somehow worse.
After a long moment, he turned to one of his guards.
“Bring the car.”
The man nodded and rushed out.
My eyes widened.
“Wait.”
Lorenzo glanced down at me.
“Something wrong?”
“You’re not serious.”
“About?”
“Taking me with you!”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Did you think you were leaving?”
“Yes!”
The men in the room laughed quietly.
My frustration flared.
“You can’t keep me here!”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t do anything!”
His expression softened slightly.
“I believe you.”
Hope sparked inside me.
“Then let me go.”
The hope died instantly.
“No.”
My shoulders sagged.
“Why?”
His thumb brushed slowly across the diamond ring again.
The gesture was slow.
Deliberate.
Dangerously intimate.
“Because whoever framed you,” he said quietly…
“…went to extraordinary lengths.”
I swallowed.
“And?”
“And that means you’re valuable.”
“I’m not!”
He leaned closer again.
His voice dropped to a low whisper near my ear.
“Oh, cara…”
My breath caught.
“You’re very valuable.”
The warmth of his breath against my neck sent an unwanted shiver down my spine.
“Why?” I whispered.
His answer came softly.
“Because whoever wants you dead…”
His fingers tightened slightly around mine.
“…is someone powerful enough to challenge me.”
My stomach twisted.
“And you want to use me as bait.”
He didn’t deny it.
“Something like that.”
Anger flared in my chest.
“That’s insane!”
“It’s effective.”
Before I could argue further, the guard returned.
“The car is ready.”
Lorenzo nodded.
Then he turned back to me.
“Come.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“You don’t really have a choice.”
“I’ll scream.”
“You won’t.”
“And why are you so sure?”
His gaze dropped slowly to my lips.
Then back to my eyes.
“Because deep down…”
His voice softened into something dangerously close to a promise.
“…you’re curious.”
My breath hitched.
Curious?
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
He leaned closer again.
Too close.
“You walked into a mafia club alone tonight.”
“That was a mistake!”
“Maybe.”
His hand slid gently down my arm.
“But now you’re standing here…”
His fingers tightened slightly around my wrist again.
“…wearing my ring.”
The heat from his touch spread through my skin like fire.
Before I could respond, the door to the club burst open again.
Another guard rushed inside.
Even more panicked than the others.
“Boss!”
Lorenzo frowned slightly.
“What now?”
The guard looked directly at me.
Then back at Lorenzo.
“You need to see this.”
He held up his phone.
Lorenzo took it.
His expression darkened instantly.
My stomach twisted.
“What is it?” I asked nervously.
For a moment, he didn’t answer.
Then he slowly turned the screen toward me.
My blood ran cold.
It was another video.
This time taken only minutes ago.
Outside the building.
The street camera had captured someone standing across the road.
Watching the club.
A woman.
Tall.
Dark hair.
Wearing the exact same dress I had on tonight.
My hands started shaking.
Because when the woman looked up at the camera…
Her face was identical to mine.
But the worst part wasn’t the resemblance.
The worst part was what she did next.
She smiled.
Then she slowly raised a gun…
And pointed it directly at the club entrance.
Right where we were standing.
My breath stopped.
And outside
A single gunshot rang through the night.
- Writer
