10 Years a Stand-In, They Lost It After I Go - Chapter 1

For ten years, I played the perfect stand-in, until the day the CEO’s son hung my dog from the chandelier. Blood dripped onto my bed as Oliver hissed, “That’s for wearing my mother’s favorite dress and ruining it!” Looking triumphant as he ran off.

I stared at Snowball’s bloody corpse, unable to find my voice.

I had come to this city years ago with nothing but a suitcase. I was hired to work for the Grant family, and over time, I became nothing more than a caretaker for a child and an expensive little dog.

The mansion, though grand, felt more like a gilded cage. They stripped away everything I cared about, leaving me with nothing but a hollow existence.

And in the blink of an eye, everything I had worked for, everything I had loved, was gone.

I sighed, catching a familiar scent, cologne.

Looking up, I saw Alexander Grant standing silently in front of me.

Father and son were cut from the same mold, arrogant, cold, and dismissive.

He opened his arms, waiting for me to help him change his clothes, his tone casual but firm. “I heard about what happened today.”

“Lily, you were in the wrong first.”

I didn’t respond, and he frowned, clearly annoyed.

His gaze flicked to the bloodstain on the floor, and his tone softened just a fraction. “Oliver’s still just a kid. Why don’t you let it go?”

With a gesture from Alexander, someone immediately began cleaning up the blood.

The dim light cast long shadows across the room.

Snowball, who used to play around the table, seemed like a distant memory.

Just like me, after all these years of taking care of them, there wasn’t a single mark I’d left in their hearts.

Alexander, now dressed in fresh clothes, sank into the sofa and tapped the table lightly, signaling for me to pour him some tea.

I did so without thinking.

But as soon as I was close enough, he pulled me into his arms, his fingers brushing my cheek.

His voice was low, seductive. “It’s your birthday tonight. No need for the pill. If you get pregnant, consider it my birthday gift to you.”

His breath on my neck made me shiver.

Alexander had always been driven by his physical desires.

In my first month with the Grants, I found out I was pregnant.

Before I could even feel any joy, a bottle of abortion pills was placed in front of me, and I was forced to take them.

“I’ll only ever love Emily, and Oliver will be my only child,” he’d said, cold and firm.

“If you have a child, you’ll get distracted and won’t be able to take care of Oliver properly.”

After that, I was watched every time I took my birth control, without fail.

For ten years, I’d never missed a dose.

And now, faced with Alexander’s “gift,” I should have been overjoyed. I should have played the role he expected.

But for the first time, I pulled away from him.

“Mr. Grant,” I said quietly, my voice steady but firm. “Our ten-year agreement is up. I’m leaving tomorrow.”