Chapter 1
I'm an orphan, and somehow I married into money. On our wedding day, my husband booked the biggest venue in Manhattan just to show everyone how much he loved me. After the wedding, the luxury piled up faster than I could keep track of, and he handed me a card with $200,000 a month to spend.
My best friend Lily, though, married the poorest man around. Life was hard for her; her husband went out to construction sites every day to earn a living. She'd always say, eyes red, "Claire, I wish I were you."
I'd just smile and say nothing.
Later, she actually made a wish on a magic lamp, and swapped our souls.
She cried while she apologized to me. "I'm sorry. I really couldn't stand being crammed into some Brooklyn walk-up with a guy like that. And I sure didn't want to live off the day-old bread and bruised produce Ethan drags home every night." Then, at the end, she smiled. "But Claire, you're an orphan. You were never cut out for a life like this."
With that, she got into the town car and didn't look back.
I stood there, laughing until the tears came.
She didn't know I spent every day on my knees scrubbing floors, and could barely get a meal.
She didn't know Chase saw prostitutes constantly, and that he'd given me HIV a long time ago.
And she really didn't know I couldn't spend a single cent off that $200,000 card.
I wiped my eyes and turned toward the neighborhood she'd fought so hard to escape.
*****
I pushed the door open. On the table sat a bowl of tomato soup, still steaming, a grilled cheese cut in half beside it.
Ethan froze for a second when he saw me. Flustered, he nudged the plate toward me. "You're back. I made you dinner."
He wasn't wearing a shirt, just an apron. He was well over six feet, with sharp features, broad shoulders, a narrow waist. I swallowed and couldn't help sneaking a few more glances.
But the moment my eyes landed on his clean, healthy skin, my nose stung, and out of nowhere I thought of Chase.
He'd had HIV for a long time, his body covered in dense red rashes. During s*x he never let me turn off the lights, saying he wanted me looking at his body, remembering who my man really was. When I asked for a divorce, he grabbed my throat and slammed me into the wall. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone, everyone around you pays for it."
Seeing my eyes go red, Ethan quickly slid the better half of the sandwich onto my side—the half with the slice of ham in it. "Here, take this one."
I looked down. His own half was just bread and a thin smear of cheese. Nothing else.
I walked over, sat down, picked up the sandwich, and took a bite.
Three years. This was the first time I'd sat at a table to eat. No more scrubbing floors on my knees. No more going hungry.
Tears dropped onto the plate.
He panicked and reached out to wipe them, then pulled his hand back halfway. He lowered his head, took a pretty little box from his pocket, and slid it carefully in front of me.
"That necklace you liked the other day—I bought it." He paused, his voice dropping. "Lily, once I clear my debts, I'll get you something even nicer."
Looking at that necklace—barely under a thousand dollars—my chest ached like something had scalded it.
So, Lily. It wasn't that you were never happy. You just were never satisfied.
While Ethan was doing the dishes, Lily sent a photo. I opened it—a pregnancy test, two lines.
Lily: Claire, I'm pregnant. My mother-in-law was over the moon and handed me a black card on the spot.
Lily: Don't be bitter about it—everybody looks out for themselves first. We're best friends, so from now on I'll enjoy your good luck for you!
Staring at the screen, my fingers went still.
Her in-laws don't know their son has HIV. I wonder if, the day they find out, your $200,000 will still be sitting there, Lily.
Suddenly remembering the rumor about the lamp, I tested the waters.
Claire: Is there really no way to switch back?
Lily fired back fast.
Lily: Switch back? Claire, are you still half-asleep?
Lily: Here's how it works—the lamp grants three wishes. First, I wished to swap souls with you.
Lily: Second, that they'd never find out you're the real Claire.
Lily: Third, I wished the baby would be twins—a boy and a girl.
Lily: I already smashed the lamp, so give it up. The slum is where you belong.
I let out a long breath, and a slow smile pulled at my mouth.
If that's how it is, then I can finally relax.
