The Switched Heiress's Stolen Life

I was the long-lost heiress to the Alston family, with a loving husband, a protective brother, and two beautiful twin daughters. My life was perfect.

But the day my daughters died in a fire, the two men I loved most didn't comfort me. They protected the woman responsible-Jorja, the one I was switched at birth with.

They locked me in a psychiatric ward, claiming I was insane with grief. They said Jorja was a hero who had once saved their lives, and they would protect her at all costs.

To save my last surviving daughter, who lay in a coma, they forced me to my knees. I had to publicly confess I was an unfit mother and that my children's deaths were my fault.

But it was all a lie. They let my last daughter die anyway, diverting her doctors to treat Jorja for a scratch on her wrist.

As I walked out of the hospital, carrying my daughter's cold body, my phone rang. It was a prosecutor.

"I saw your post," he said. "Do you still need a lawyer?"

Chapter 1

Krista Brown POV

The day my twin daughters burned to death, my husband and my brother chose the woman who set the fire.

My life had seemed perfect. I was the long-lost heiress to the Alston family. Elijah, my husband, was a top psychiatrist. Broderick, my brother, was a powerful corporate lawyer. Anna and Nora, my twin girls, were everything to me.

But perfection, I learned, was only a mask for betrayal.

I stood by the grand bay window in our Back Bay townhouse, watching the morning sun illuminate the Charles River. My life felt like that light-brilliant, expansive, completely secure.

Ten years ago, the Alston family discovered I was their true heiress, switched at birth with Jorja. They welcomed me back, showering me with love and privilege.

Today was our wedding anniversary.

Elijah walked in, handed me a single red rose. "Happy anniversary, my love."

Broderick called, his voice booming with affection, asking about the girls.

I had everything a woman could ever want.

Then my phone rang.

"Mrs. Drake, there's been an incident at the academy. It's Anna and Nora."

A fire. Their coach-Jorja Alston.

I met Elijah and Broderick at the hospital. Chaos. Firefighters. Grieving parents.

Then I saw them. Elijah and Broderick weren't looking for our daughters. They were standing near a private waiting area.

Talking to Jorja.

Her face was streaked with soot, her eyes wide-but surprisingly dry.

"Where are Anna and Nora?"

Elijah's face was unreadable. Broderick put a hand on Jorja's shoulder. A gesture of comfort meant for her.

"Krista," Elijah said, "there was an accident."

My daughters were gone. Smoke inhalation. The fire spread too quickly for them to escape.

I looked at Jorja, weeping softly into Broderick's chest.

"Jorja was their coach," I whispered. "How did this happen?"

"It was an accident," Broderick said. "Jorja tried to save them. She risked her own life."

"Risked her life? My daughters are dead!"

A nurse approached with a syringe. Elijah caught my eye-a silent command.

I thrashed. "No! My babies!"

The sedative hit. The world blurred.

I woke in a room with padded walls.

Not a hospital. A psychiatric ward.

Elijah stood over me. Broderick beside him. Jorja's presence like a phantom limb.

"You had a grief-induced psychotic break," Elijah said. "You were a danger to yourself."

"A danger? You locked me up!"

Broderick sighed. "Jorja saved our lives. She donated part of her liver. She's a hero. We owe her everything."

My mind reeled. Liver donation?

Elijah thrust a document into my hands. "Sign this settlement. It states this was a tragic accident."

My eyes scanned the cold, impersonal words describing my daughters' deaths as nothing more than an incident.

With trembling hands, I tore it to shreds.

Elijah grabbed my wrist. "Don't be foolish."

"What kind of family protects a killer?"

My voice rose. "Anna and Nora burned. I can hear their screams."

Then a thought-cold and unsettling.

"Jorja's liver donation... I don't remember that."

Broderick and Elijah exchanged a glance. A flicker of something I couldn't decipher passed between them.

The men I loved were hiding something. And I was trapped inside their walls.

But walls have doors. And I had just found the key.