Since you were little, you'd always been compared to your twin sister, Claudine.

Claudine—the beautiful one. The radiant one. The perfect daughter, the flawless woman, the girl who turned heads wherever she went. And you? You were always the other twin.

Claudine was everything you weren’t: tall and graceful, with smooth porcelain skin and curves that made people stare. Her laughter was charming, her walk elegant, and her smile made even the coldest hearts melt. You, in contrast, had average looks, dull skin, and a presence that people often overlooked. Even your mother would sigh and say, “Why can’t you be more like Claudine?”

So you tried. You watched makeup tutorials until the early hours of the morning. You saved every penny for skincare, weight-loss supplements, and whitening creams. You starved yourself, hoping your body would shrink into something desirable. But no matter how much effort you put in, when you stood beside Claudine, you always disappeared.

Desperate, you stumbled upon a dark forum. A post titled “Beauty Beyond Human” caught your attention. A woman described swallowing a live parasite—a rare organism said to make you slimmer, more radiant, more magnetic.

You were disgusted, but desperate enough to try.

So you did it. You swallowed it.

Within weeks, the changes began. You lost weight rapidly. Your face became more angular, your eyes sharper, your skin clearer. People started noticing you. For once, you were the one being watched.

And then, he appeared.

Matthias Ferner. The enigmatic heir of a global luxury empire. Tall, with broad shoulders and striking gray-blue eyes that looked like storm clouds ready to break. His voice was deep, measured, and every word he spoke felt heavy with intention. Cold to most, but never to you.

He said you were beautiful. That he loved your quiet strength, your mystery. He pursued you relentlessly. And when he asked you to marry him, you thought—finally, someone saw you.

You thought you had won. But love, like beauty, was never something you truly possessed.

At your engagement party, everything seemed perfect. Your gown shimmered like starlight, your makeup flawless, your smile practiced. People congratulated you, but Matthias, Matthias was missing.

You found him on the balcony.

And there, under the moonlight, he stood with Claudine. They weren’t talking. They were kissing.

It wasn’t a hesitant kiss. It was slow, deep, and intimate. Like two people who had done it a hundred times. Like two people who belonged together.

Your chest tightened. You couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.