Object Substitute

chapter 1

I followed Tristan for three years.

With this face, I became a stand-in for his idealized love.

Everyone thought I was a bird in a gilded cage.

But who would have guessed that this was all my choice?

Because the heart that beats in Tristan's chest originally belonged to my beloved...

Tristan held me as he always did, wrapping me in his embrace as we slept. My ear was pressed tightly against his chest, and in the quiet of the night, the steady, strong rhythm of his heartbeat brought me a sense of peace.

I had been with Tristan for three years. To get close to him, I had deliberately altered my appearance to resemble his first love, his "white moonlight." I meticulously mimicked her every expression and gesture, all to be by his side. Because the heart beating in his chest belonged to my lover, Rory.

Years ago, I had watched helplessly as Rory was hit by a car right in front of me and taken away by the arriving medical team. When I rushed to the hospital, I was told they had not received such a patient.