The Impostor, A Love Story

by Tiffany Carmouche

  “Do you pray?” Vera had a strong accent he couldn’t quite place.

  “Why?”

  “Because you need to be praying, son.” She nodded at him. “You need to be praying for a miracle. I have seen them in my day; they do happen. Keep praying and don’t give up hope.” She put some medicine in Nicole’s IV. “You haven’t left the hospital in a week. I’m sure your fiancé will be fine. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? That chair can’t be too comfortable.”

  “I was supposed to protect her. I let her down.”

  “She’s not going to wake up in the next few hours. Go home and get some rest.”

  She walked out the door.

  Bradley talked to Nicole as if she could hear him. “What are they crazy? They want me to be the one to pull the plug and starve you to death so your body can be a supermarket for other people to stay alive. They are crazy. You haven’t even died yet, and they are already auctioning off your parts.” He paced the floor.

  “I hope you forgive me when you wake up. I had to tell them I was your fiancé, or they wouldn’t let me stay in here.” He walked back and forth as if that would give him answers.

  “I don’t know what to do, Nikki. I don’t have your parents’ number. I don’t have Emily’s number or any way to get in touch with Dylan. Pete gave me the numbers on your application, but they are all disconnected. I sent a letter to the address on your application, hoping someone will call. We never got your address book, so I don’t know where to start.

  “They would want to know where you are and that you are alive, especially Jessica—that sweet little girl of yours. It’s going to be Christmas in a few days, and she’s going to think you abandoned her.” He continued to pace the floor.

  “I don’t know what to do, Nicole. You can’t die. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  He finally walked over to the bed and sat beside her. He brushed his fingers through her hair. Her body lay still.

  “Sleeping Beauty,” he whispered. The numbers on the machine that flashed beside her were the only sign of life. He took her hand, leaning over her.

  “You have to somehow pull through this, Nicole. I know you will pull through this.”

  Dylan

  Dylan entered the hospital wondering, Is she okay? What happened? His stride was quick and deliberate.

  A nurse walked up to him seeing him in distress. “Excuse me, sir, may I help you?”

  “Yes, I heard that possibly Nicole Carlisle is here.”

  “Oh, yes sir, she’s in ICU. Room number 223.”

  “Thank you.”

  ICU? Pete didn’t say you were in ICU. What the hell was the nurse talking about? ICU? How did this happen? How did she get here? He shook his head in bewilderment. How did she end up in the hospital?

  “She can only have one visitor at a time. Right now, she is with her fiancé.”

  “Excuse me? Her fiancé?” His eyebrow rose.

  “Yes, her fiancé. He hasn’t left her side. You can go to the room and see if he will allow you to spend some time with her. The two of you cannot be in there together.”

  Color entered Dylan’s face. His stride hastened. Fiancé? Who the hell is this fiancé? Who is this impostor? Who is this person trying to steal everything that matters to me? I’m gonna kill him. I will kill him. His breath became accentuated. Where the hell is Brad, and how could he let this happened to her? My Nicole. My baby. I should never have left her alone.

  Someone was with his girl. Someone was posing as her lover. He grew angrier as he got closer to her room. When Dylan arrived at Nicole’s hospital room, he stood in the doorway in shock.

  There was the impostor sitting next to the bed, holding Nicole’s hand in his. The veins in Dylan’s neck pumped with blood. He watched in disbelief.

  “Nicole, you can’t die. You have to wake up. I need you. I need you Nicole,” the impostor pleaded, unaware that Dylan was in the doorway.

  Dylan clenched his fist as the figure leaned over and kissed her lifeless lips—kissing her tenderly.

  “I love you, Nicole. I love you.” The Impostor’s eyes filled with tears. “Please don’t leave me.”

  A mixture of hurt, anger, of betrayal overwhelmed Dylan as he questioned in disbelief, “Bradley?”

  Get the next book in the series http://tinyurl.com/c7xrpe2

  To My Fans

  I want to thank all my fans…every time I get an email, a letter, a picture, a video from you—it truly warms my heart. You have been such a blessing! I thank each one of you who bought this book and for joining me on this journey as I take this new twist in my life’s story! Less than a year ago I had forgotten what a big part of my life writing was. I didn’t even know I had a novel inside of me. Because of your feedback, I am finding a part of me I had let die many years ago. You have no idea how much your words have meant. I know I can’t do this without you! Thank you for getting the word out and making this thing happen! You all are the best! Follow your dreams! Find your bliss! And…Set the world on fire!

  -TiffanyCarmouché

  Contact me! I would love to hear from you!

  tiffanycarmouche@ymail.com

  Acknowledgments

  To Julie Kelly-my crazy friend who left everything to begin a new life with me in Alaska. I will never forget the little Christmas tree we made out of paper. We taped it against the wall in our apartment because we were too broke to buy a real Christmas tree. And I will never forget the suitcase full of Ramen Noodles. Somehow, we did it, and it was an adventure! I still love escaping in phone conversations with you for hours. I am so proud of you for going after the new opportunity in your life! You are an amazing woman! Keep striving for your dreams! You deserve the best! Do not let anyone tell you otherwise!

  I want to thank all my Beta Readers, you don’t know how much it means that you took the time to read my manuscript and give me feedback. I couldn’t have done this without you!

  Thank you so much:

  Amy Barnhouse

  Holly Berardi

  Lolita C

  Julianna Padget

  Stephanie Newland

  India Willson

  Rocky Guzman

  Aleta O’brien—I have to say your twenty-four hour feedback time is a record!

  Thank you, Blog Reviewers and Book Bloggers, you are an amazing bunch! I am fascinated by the love and support you give authors. Keep reading!

  Dann Barba. When you told me that The Impostor was one of your favorite books and that you loved Dylan, but it was truly Nicole you fell in love with, a tear truly developed in my eye. It is such an honor that you started a fan club…and that amazing video…wow! You are such a talented young woman. I know you will be successful in all you do!

  To Nicki Wilson—You constantly surprise me with all of your amazing graphics and everything you do for The Impostor! You are truly talented and make everyday feel like Christmas! It has been a blessing to have such a devoted fan!

  My Cover Artist—Earthly Charms. Su, you capture the soul of a book. Your artwork is pure poetry. Thank you for hearing my vision and making it come alive! You are truly gifted!

  My Editor—Sandra Udall I love your editing style. You never tried to change my voice. You allowed me to make an occasional fragmented sentence just because I wanted to! It has been a pleasure working with you. (I didn’t need all the chocolate and wine I was expecting I would when I was accepting your edits lol)

  My Interior Design—Benjamin Carrancho, Thank you the speed at which you put it all together! I love the fact you listen to my ideas. The paperback books are so beautiful! They are truly amazing!

  Janette Rallison—Janette, my fifth grade best friend. We did all the fun things elementary school kids do, but there was something more. I had a passion for writing and I was blessed at such a young age to have a fellow young writer in my life—I guess in a way you were my first writing group. I remember walking to school and talking about all our ideas. It was fun disappearing in the world o
f imagination! And what a blessing it has been reconnecting with you years later to see you are living your dream. You are truly inspiring and I thank you for your amazing referrals in editors and cover artists. Keep writing! Seventeen Books! Wow!

  Mr. Kuykendall—My fifth grade teacher who took the time to encourage me and Janette. Thank you for the empty journal you gave me to fill. That was my first novel! You helped nurture my spark in writing by believing in me.

  Thank you…

  Michael—for your wit and charm.

  April—for your compassion and laughter.

  Deanna—for your sincerity and talent.

  Nathaniel—for your sharp mind and survival skills.

  Jese—for your humor and amazing magic tricks.

  Burkley—for your brilliance and ‘mad fire skills’.

  You all are such a blessing to me! Remember you are in charge of your destiny!

  My New Orleans homes away from home: Thank you Aunt Toni Callen, Aunt Dot Autin and Liz and Sal DiMaggio, for your love, hospitality and making it possible for us to have a few second homes in Louisiana so we could get my fix in southern hugs.

  I want to give a special hug to all my New Orleans family and the few of you who have ventured to other places around the country. I send lots of love to the Callens and the Carmouches, and all of their offspring. (There are too many of you who have been a blessing in my life to mention all of you!)

  To my ex husband. Although many years were hard, you were my first love. You gave me my daughters—which are my life. I just wanted to say… I forgive you…I thank you…because if you never left and I hadn’t had to survive on my own …maybe I never would have found myself again.

  Alex, we share the same sense of adventure! It has been amazing to see how much you have lived! You are truly one of the most compassionate people I know and with the most potential! You have a brilliant mind and a thirst for life. From your tracking cougars and black bears to protect the population, to listening to the song of the Orca…you, my friend, have seen things most of us only dream to! Keep writing. You have an amazing story that only you can tell. Keep living life to the fullest and always know you were destined for great things! I love you!

  Dashiel—You fought Goliath. I will never forget the night: You were in elementary school and my six-foot boyfriend was hitting me. You came out of nowhere and fought him. He tossed you into the wall and made a hole in the drywall, but you got back up. You wouldn’t let anyone treat your sister like that no matter how big they were. Thank you. I can’t wait to see your art and writing featured, you have an incredible style that is sure to make its mark on the world! I love you!

  Holly—my sweet sister. Photographer. Artist. Author. It has been beautiful to see you sharing your amazing talent with the world. Whether it is the beauty in a photograph or the poetry in your words, you have touched so many people. It has been a blessing to have you as a sister, as a friend. Our children really have grown up as one big family. It is so beautiful how close they are. Never doubt the genius inside of you. I love you! Continue to shine!

  Mom…my sweet mom. I remember one night, I was crying about something and you came over and hugged me and all my sadness went away. Even as an adult, my mommy’s hugs are the best! You were a pioneer in Special Ed when no one was talking about it. You were such a strong woman. Brilliant. Talented. Courageous. Radiant. You set an example and you loved me unconditionally. …. I love you so much, Mom.

  Dad…my papa. I wish you were here, Daddy. I can see your sparkling blue eyes and that infectious smile. You taught me to follow my passion and you and Mom gave me wings to discover the world. You were an example of compassion and love. You inspired a love for the written word. And I am hoping you can see from heaven that I followed in your footsteps. I love you, Daddy. I miss you.

  To my Paps in heaven—You always made me feel special with your brilliant conversations, and your belief in me. I know you are looking down from heaven. You and Nana were such an example of true love. I aspire to find someone who loves me like you loved my grandmother.

  And last but not least, my God. There is not a day that goes by that I do not see the magic of your creation—the subtle beauty of life that only a masterful artist can create. You have caressed me with your breeze and given me strength when I couldn’t stand. I do not know how I have survived some of the situations I have been through but then I remember whom I have behind me and I know ‘With God all things are possible!’

  About Tiffany Carmouche

  When Tiffany Carmouché is not writing Romance novels, you can find her sculpting, traveling, teaching, singing, dancing, escaping in music, or enjoying her family.

  From sky diving in Alaska to scuba diving in Hawaii, Carmouché loves to travel the world. Some of her adventures include riding camels in Africa, swimming under the stars in Puerto Rico, dancing salsa in Ecuador, and walking the cobblestone roads of Assisi, Italy. She has also found fulfillment working with the disabled and orphans in Argentina and Mexico. Her most cherished moments, however, have been watching her two beautiful daughters grow and strive to accomplish their own dreams.

  Despite all of these amazing experiences, she has survived many struggles. There was a time she felt defeated, but now she is recommitted to savoring experiences both in the novels she writes and in the life she lives each day. And her secret hope is anyone who is struggling will realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel and no matter how hard the fight, no matter how many times they have been knocked down, it is always worth staggering up to their feet and learning to breathe again.

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