No Way Back Through the Fog novel Chapter 1

Maya Coleman looked at the huge wedding portrait hanging on the wall.

Jason Reid stood in an impeccable suit, looking devastatingly handsome. Meanwhile, Maya stood beside him in a priceless wedding gown, her smile gentle and captivating.

"It's been three years…" she murmured, her fingertips lightly tracing the picture frame. "It's finally coming to an end."

Three years earlier, the marriage alliance between the Reids and Colemans had caused a global sensation. Maya's twin sister, Victoria Coleman, had been the Reids' chosen bride.

But on the eve of the wedding, Victoria had fled, leaving behind only a letter.

"Mom, Dad, I don't want to be bound by an arranged marriage, but I know it's my responsibility. Give me three years to find my freedom. After three years, I'll come back."

To preserve the partnership between the two families, the Coleman couple had no choice but to bring back their other daughter overnight—the one they had sent to the countryside as a child.

Maya, who had grown up in the rural countryside and wasn't even qualified to attend family gatherings, became a stand-in bride, posing as Victoria.

"Jason doesn't love your sister. He loves the scholarship student his family sponsored," Maya's mother, Margaret Bennett, had warned her coldly the night before the wedding.

"Your life won't be easy after you marry him, but all I ask is that you behave and endure these three years in your sister's place."

Maya remembered simply nodding obediently at the time. Of course, she knew who Jason was. He was a regular feature in financial magazines, the most prestigious scion in elite circles, and the object of countless socialites' desires.

She had also heard about his story with Sophia Page.

Sophia was the scholarship student the Reids had sponsored. She had earned her way into prestigious universities through academic merit.

Jason loved her deeply and was willing to defy his family to be with her, but Sophia was proud and principled.

Refusing to accept a relationship that no one approved of, she chose to break up and leave the country. The Reids were overjoyed by her departure, and they immediately arranged a marriage alliance for Jason.

Married life had turned out even harder than Maya had imagined.

Jason's study was filled with photos of Sophia, and he flew to Montclaire every week to see her in secret. Meanwhile, Maya, his own wife, wasn't even allowed into the master bedroom. She could only sleep in the guest room at the end of the hallway.

She was cautious and meticulous, working hard to play Victoria's role perfectly. To avoid jeopardizing the partnership between their families, she spent these three years caring for Jason with almost desperate devotion.

When he worked late, she left the foyer light on all night, waiting for him. When his stomach troubled him, she woke up at 5:00 am every morning to make him herbal broth. When he preferred silence, she made herself the quietest presence in the house.

Gradually, rumors began circulating in their social circle that she was madly in love with him, and Jason's gaze toward her seemed to carry subtle changes.

Sophia's photos disappeared from his study, and the weekly Montclaire trips stopped. He remembered her birthday, came home early when she caught a cold, and even shared intimate moments with her.

Maya almost believed that genuine feelings had bloomed in their marriage.

Then Sophia returned three months ago. And everything went back to how it had been.

Jason's heart was once again filled with Sophia. He began staying out all night, and Sophia's photos returned to the study.

Everyone treated Maya as a joke, mocking her. But she only smiled quietly, neither arguing nor making a scene.

After all, she had never loved Jason.

She had simply stayed by his side for the money and freedom her parents had promised. His love would make her life easier, but if he didn't love her, she didn't mind either.

No one knew that although Maya and Victoria were twins, their fates had been completely different.

Margaret had bled so severely during Maya's birth and nearly died. From that moment on, she looked at Maya with disgust. While their father, Henry Coleman, who doted on his wife, saw Maya as a curse. They had sent her away to live with a nanny, Olivia Goode, in the countryside.

She remembered that winter when she was five. Olivia's heater had stopped working. Maya had shivered from the cold, without even a thick winter coat to keep her warm.

Meanwhile, Victoria was in their warm mansion, wearing expensive wool dresses, treasured and adored by their parents. 18 years of unequal treatment had long since worn away any expectations she had for familial love.

Now, in just one month, she would receive 30 million dollars for playing Victoria for the past three years. She would finally leave this city and live a life on her own terms.

Just as her spirits lifted, her phone suddenly vibrated, displaying an incoming call. It was Jason.

She took a deep breath and answered. "Hello?"

"Bring some feminine products to Midnight Lounge in 20 minutes. Get the overnight kind." Jason's voice was cold as ice.

The call ended abruptly. Maya held her phone, instantly understanding who these were for. Jason remembered Sophia's cycle more clearly than his company's quarterly reports.

Rain poured outside. The drive from the Reid residence to Midnight Lounge would normally take at least 40 minutes. Still, Maya grabbed an umbrella and headed out.

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