You Only Love Me Because I Look Like Her

It was late at night when my husband, who knew I was three months pregnant, demanded I put on a white shirt and meet him at a hotel.

When I got there, I was shoved to the ground by one of his obsessed fans, and my blood gushed everywhere.

By the time I made it to the hospital, I'd already lost my baby—and my womb.

Later, I found out the truth. He'd been caught hooking up with his precious first love in that hotel. He only sent me there to take the fall.

That was when I finally got it—I was nothing more than her substitute.

I was so done that I erased every trace of myself and ran away without looking back.

And somehow, that made him lose his mind.

——

I'd been married to Keith Cyrus for a year.

It wasn't until yesterday that it hit me—he never actually loved me. I was just a substitute for his real love Chrisley Kidman.

Just because I look like her.

Chrisley, the darling of the entertainment industry, is riding the peak of her career. She's under a strict three-year contract that forbids her from dating, so Keith married me instead.

That way, if the paparazzi ever caught wind of his secret affair, he could just use me as a cover-up.

I'd been such a fool. God, I even carried his kid.

I didn't know the truth until I found out.

I was stupid for believing that carrying his child meant I won over women out there who were obsessed with this guy.

A week after my miscarriage, Keith finally came home. He didn't even know what had happened that day.

"Babe," he said, pushing open the door. He spotted me sitting in the rocking chair on the balcony, and that same fake smile spread across his face.

I quickly wiped away my tears. I didn't want to fight. My heart was already dead.

When I didn't jump up to greet him like usual, he froze for a second, then crouched down beside me with that practiced tenderness.

"Are you mad?" he asked. "I had to go out of town for work at the last minute. But look—I rushed back as soon as I was done."

He slipped a fancy gift box into my hands. "Open it. Tell me if you like it."

Inside was a Cartier necklace worth more than I could count.

I couldn't even remember how many expensive gifts he'd given me by now. Bracelets, necklaces—my jewelry box was overflowing.

But never a ring. Not even a wedding band.

I forced a smile and took the necklace without a word. Looking back, I realize every gift was probably his way of apologizing every time he came back to me from his date with his first love.

"I'll take a shower first," he said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. "We haven't slept together for a week. Bet you've been missing me, huh?"

As soon as he shut the bathroom door, the sound of running water filled the room.

My eyes drifted to the phone he'd left on the coffee table.

I'd never touched his phone before. I thought not snooping was part of trusting someone.

But right then, I couldn't stop myself.

I picked it up and tried unlocking it with his birthday as the PIN code. Wrong pin. My birthday? Still no.

Then I tried Chrisley's birthday.

I only knew it by accident. Last year, on her birthday, he came home drunk, clinging to me and whispering her name into my ear.

When I confronted him, he said he'd just had too much to drink at her birthday party and told me not to overthink it.

I believed him and took care of him all night.

But thinking about it now? God, I was such an idiot.

Chapter 2

I should've known that day.

[Don't worry, I won't let Reese give birth to that baby.]

[You know it will be a problem in the future if she gives birth, right? No way I can explain that to the public.]

[Give me three days, okay? I'll take care of it.]

I almost dropped his phone when I saw the texts he sent Chrisley before coming home.

The day I lost our baby, I was wrecked.

I even felt guilt like I'd let Keith down. It was his kid, after all.

But now? Now I know—our baby was just a problem he didn't want to deal with!

He never wanted me to give birth to our baby!

Hell, he was even ready to kill his own child.

Just so it wouldn't burden him!

Just so I couldn't use it as leverage against him!

I tried to take a deep breath to steady myself, but my whole body wouldn't stop shaking.

And then he came out of the bathroom.

"Babe? What's wrong? Why are you shaking so much?"

He pulled me into his arms, looking at me like he gave a damn.

"I'm cold," I said, throwing out the first lie that came to mind.

But looking at him felt like I was looking at a stranger.

Worse—he scared me.

"You're such a goof. If you're cold, wear more layers," he said. "Wait here, I'll turn up the heat and make you some honey tea. Your favorite."

He smiled, ran his hand through my hair, and headed for the kitchen.

And then my phone buzzed. The sound nearly made me jump out of my skin.

I picked it up right away, and my best friend's excited voice came through the line.

"Girl! Ugh, you really are so lucky! Keith's such a sweetheart—planning a whole romantic trip for you two!" She giggled, adding, "No wonder I couldn't contact you all this time! It turns out you secretly went on a trip with him, huh?"

I was stunned and blurted out, "What trip?"

"Oh, don't play dumb! The internet's full of pictures of you two on that trip! Each one looks so romantic! You're killing us with how perfect you two are!"

My thumb quickly opened X, and the news about Keith Cyrus's romantic trip with his wife was trending.

That's when it hit me. That week he was "busy"? He wasn't working. He was in the Maldives. With Chrisley.

And the hotel in the pictures? It was the same one he took me to last month. The one we left after just one night.

Chapter 3

Calm and composed—that's how he looked as he stood in front of me, one sentence brushing off the truth about his affair with Chrisley.

I swallowed my tears and didn't tell him I knew he was lying. Instead, I silently took the honey tea from his hand.

I took a sip, but it tasted bitter.

"Who was calling you just now?"

He sat beside me, wrapping his arm lightly around my shoulder as he asked, his tone laced with a subtle hint of probing.

"My best friend," I answered truthfully, meeting his gaze. "She thought I went to the Maldives this week and said she was jealous."

Keith didn't flinch. Instead, the corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile. "Something urgent came up at work last time. Once my schedule's cleared, I'll take you there again."

"Sure." I nodded weakly, fully aware he was just saying it to say it.

There wouldn't be a next time. 'Keith, if loving me was always a lie, then I won't trouble you anymore. You don't need to keep pretending.'

But just as I was figuring out how to leave with some dignity, a sudden, sharp pain in my belly left me gasping.

It was excruciating like being slashed by a blade.

Beads of sweat the size of pearls soaked through my clothes, and blood began to seep down my thighs again.

For a moment, I genuinely thought I was going to die.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

He noticed my pale face and how I clutched my stomach tightly.

I saw panic fill his eyes. In his haste, he even knocked over an expensive vase by the door, smashing it to pieces.

"Babe, don't scare me, please!" he freaked out. "I'll get you to the hospital right now. Hang in there!"

The car sped down the road, running who knows how many red lights.

"We need a doctor! Doctor!"

When we got to the hospital, he carried me in his arms and charged into the emergency room. He yelled loudly in the lobby, completely ignoring his image as a public figure.

Not until I was rushed into surgery did he finally let out a long breath.

"If anything happens to my wife, I'll hold you all accountable!"

By now, a crowd had gathered in the emergency hall. People recognized Keith, pulling out their phones to record the scene.

Even in a moment like this, I realized he was still acting.

Still playing the role of the loving husband in public.

It wouldn't take long before news of Keith rushing his wife to the hospital, overwhelmed with worry, would dominate the headlines.

"Mrs. Cyrus, you're not taking your health seriously!"

The doctor's voice snapped me out of my daze after the procedure.

"The baby's already gone. Why would you harm your child by taking medication?"

"You're risking your life—do you even realize that?"

Thanks to the doctors' immediate help, I gradually started to recover somehow.

But then I learned something even more terrifying from their words.

The honey tea Keith gave me earlier—he… he'd slipped pills into it.

That's why my already weak body, recovering from the miscarriage, almost gave out completely!

In the texts he'd sent to Chrisley, he promised her I'd lose our baby within three days.

I just didn't expect him to act so fast.

Sure enough, the next day, the internet was flooded with pictures and videos of him frantically pacing the hospital.

My miscarriage had become another tool to bolster his public image.

Meanwhile, he was nowhere to be found.

I was left alone at home, too weak to even crawl out of bed.

It wasn't until late afternoon that he came back.

Walking into the room, he took my hand in his, his gaze warm and tender.

"Babe, don't be too upset, okay?" he murmured. "I know how much you wanted a baby, but no one could've expected something like this to happen."

Chapter 4

"Take care of yourself first. Once you're better, we can always try for another kid," he added.

I looked at him, forcing a bitter smile.

'No, Keith, I can never have your child again. The night you were in that hotel with Chrisley… They took my womb.'

"Come on, cheer up," he said casually. "Honestly, losing the baby might be a blessing in disguise for you, you know."

"Oh," he said, changing the topic, "guess who I ran into today?"

Before I could even react, the doorbell rang.

He stood up immediately, almost too eager to open the door.

What I didn't expect was…

The person who walked in was his first love.

"Oh my god, she really does look like me!"

She stared at me, lying on the bed, her face full of fake surprise. But her eyes couldn't hide the smugness.

She knew exactly what I was—Keith's substitute for her.

"So, you're Reese?" she said. "Gosh, seeing you feels like meeting my twin sister. You really look a lot like me."

She walked up and held my hand like we were old friends.

That's when I noticed the DR ring on her finger.

It instantly stung my eyes.

No wonder Keith gifted me so much jewelry but never a ring. It turned out that the rings were for his first love.

I stared at her, then at him, not even trying to hide my disdain.

What's this? Another sick little show they're putting on?

"Focus on getting better," Chrisley chirped. "Once you're fully recovered, I've got this new show about twin sisters. You can play my sister!"

Keith smiled, acting like this was some grand favor.

"Actually, Chrisley pitched this to me earlier, but I told her you were pregnant and couldn't do it," Keith explained. "But now, since there's no baby… this is a huge opportunity for your career."

Oh. So this is their idea of a consolation prize?

I couldn't help but glare at him.

First, he kept me as his substitute for his first love. Now, they want to do it out in the open?

After graduating from theater school in Washington, I've always wanted to act and make a name for myself—not as someone's substitute!

Keith noticed my silence and frowned, clearly annoyed but holding back.

"Reese doesn't seem thrilled," Chrisley said with a fake pout. "Why don't you step out, Keith? Let me talk to her."

Soon, it was just me and Chrisley in the room.

The smile on her face gradually faded, revealing her true colors.

"Do you seriously not get it? You think Keith loves you?"

Without Keith around, Chrisley didn't seem to have the energy to keep pretending. Her gaze was sharp, filled with mockery and arrogance.

"If it weren't for my contract, do you really think he'd have married you?"

"I'm giving you a way to survive. At least this way, you'll still have a shot in the industry."

"And don't act like you've lost everything."

"Do you know how many women would kill to marry Keith? You only got him because you look like me."

"At least you got to have him for a little while."

"You should be grateful."

Under the blanket, my hands clenched into fists, gripping the sheets so hard it hurt.

I tried hard to hold back and didn't let my tears flow in front of her.

I took a deep breath. "Fine," I said, my voice hoarse. "I'll do it."

"Good," she replied. "My contract ends in a year and a half. Until then, you can keep being my little substitute."

Chapter 5

"Don't make things difficult for Keith."

Chrisley brushed her fingers lightly against my cheek before standing up, her heels clicking softly as she sauntered out of the room.

I watched her proud silhouette disappear down the hallway.

That was the moment I made my decision. 'Keith, I'll make sure you two get what you want.'

Chrisley didn't leave immediately. She lingered in the living room with him for what felt like forever.

I was starting to doze off when I suddenly heard Keith's voice.

"Stop it. Reese might still be awake. We're here, so be a little more careful."

His voice was low, but I heard it crystal clear.

Through the crack of the door, I caught their figures.

Chrisley was already draped over him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Her actions got bolder, and only when it went too far did Keith pull out her hands and give her a warning.

But she didn't seem to care, her lips curling up in a smug smile.

"What are you so scared of?" she asked. "You invited me here, didn't you? Isn't this what you wanted?"

After saying that, she pulled him in and nestled against his chest like a kitten.

Keith glanced toward the bedroom. When he didn't see any movement, his courage grew a bit.

They kissed passionately for a moment before he pulled away, giving her a sharp look that said, not here, not now.

But Chrisley had no shame. His warnings meant nothing to her.

Their figures were reflected in the glass cabinet, and I could see everything clearly.

"Keith, don't take that woman too seriously," she murmured. "We both know she's just my stand-in. Sooner or later, she'll have to leave."

As she kissed Keith, her voice was low and seductive.

"And honestly, doing this right under her nose? It's exciting."

"She's so weak after surgery. There's no way she'd notice anything."

"Besides… even if she does, so what?"

She tightened her hold on Keith's neck.

I couldn't watch what would happen next, so I turned my head away, shutting my eyes tight.

But my ears couldn't escape the sounds of their intimacy.

I couldn't help but think back to the day I met Keith.

I'd just graduated from theater school, a clueless girl in a big, unfamiliar city.

I was running between auditions, ten, fifteen a day, desperate for a role—any role.

Finally, one production gave me a chance. But during the audition, the director cornered me, demanding things no woman should ever have to endure.

It was Keith who saved me.

He looked like a hero straight out of a fairytale. He kicked the door open, dragged that sleazy director to the ground, and beat him so badly the man couldn't even stand.

Afterward, Keith took me, dazed and shaken, and got me out of that nightmare. He stayed with me the whole night, comforting me.

From that day on, he arranged work for me, visiting my sets from time to time, making me feel safe and cared for in this huge city.

And somewhere along the way, I fell in love with him.

I knew, though, that I wasn't good enough for him. I wasn't from his world, after all.

But then, to my shock, he confessed first.

He asked me to be his girlfriend.

I was over the moon, so happy that I couldn't even hold back my tears when he asked.

I used to think of him as the most important person in my life.

But now, I realize…

That same day, when he started hiding his affair with Chrisley, he must've already decided to use me as her substitute.

From the very beginning, I was just part of his plan to marry her someday.

Their lingering voices tortured me for half an hour before the living room gradually went quiet.

Then I heard him grab his keys to take her home.

When I heard the door close, the grief in my heart suddenly just… disappeared completely.

My body was so weak, my belly still aching from the surgery, but I managed to grab the suitcase I'd packed weeks ago from the cabinet.

And the divorce papers? I'd written those the second I lost our baby.

By the time my plane left, I'd deleted everything about him—his number, his messages.

'Keith, I'll always remember how you saved me once. But this? Being your placeholder for your real love? I'm done. Goodbye.'