Chapter 3 The Wedding Day.

*Wedding day*

I was marrying Gerald Thorne today. I kept chanting it in my head as though it made it less surreal. It did not. Somehow, everything that has happened still felt so far away from reality. I hadn't even recovered from the proposal yet.

Now, a wedding. Butterflies didn't flutter in my stomach. Instead, I felt stampeding horses in there, jeopardizing my organs and continuing to steer me further and further away from reality. Fear owned me, it was so crippling, yet there was a tinge of happiness that blossomed deep within me. I exhaled exasperatedly, steadying my tiara.

The limo finally opened from the other side, and I let down the mirror in my hand, focusing my attention on my mother, who settled next to me with nothing but adoration etched behind her gaze.

She stroked my cheek and smiled softly, her brows creasing. "You look beautiful, my love. It's going to be a wonderful day for you."

I nodded, staring down at the lacy dress but unable to give a response. I didn't know what to say to her; neither of us had spoken about Julie since the proposal. I just knew accepting it was the right thing to do, though I never knew Gerald had those kinds of feelings for me.

My mother took my hand and pulled me gently. "It's time, let's go in." She spared me one last glance. "Wear your brightest smile. The bride is the one who shines the most on days like this."

My feet seemed to glue to the ground as I was helped out of the car with my father and mother right behind me while some of our help from home helped me carry my train as I walked slowly towards the hall's entrance.

There were tons of flashing cameras and reporters who had come to witness the union of two prominent families. I put on a big smile, but it wasn't for show. I was excited to get married to this man, though the guilt weighed heavily on me that I should not be.

Yet, I couldn't help it. Marrying Gerald was perfection, even for the family, and if he felt the same way, then the romance I'd always dreamt of would be coming to fruition.

"And I'd take it from here," My father announced, stepping to my side as he anchored his hand to my side, and I linked mine in his.

Together, we walked into the main hall as the doors swung open. A gasp spilled from my lips as I reveled in the beauty of its exquisiteness.

I clutched the hem of my dress to stop fiddling my fingers. It became almost impossible to breathe when I looked up ahead and found Gerald's piercing gaze on me.

His attempt caused me almost to lose my footing, but I sucked my teeth sharply and took pride in looking at the seated guests, instead. My smile was intact, and I was delighted to be there, to be getting married despite how much misery this union was shrouded in.

I'd definitely get to the end of it. My dad handed me to Gerald, who took my hand and helped me up the platform. He wore a stoic, impenetrable expression, and I couldn't guess what he was thinking.

Did he like me at all? Even a little bit? We stood before the officiant, and the room fell into silence, worsening the tension, and I didn't dare to look into Gerald's eyes.

"We're here today for the union of Gerald Thorne and Rosa Rivera," the officiant began, and I felt myself zoning out.

His statement pulled me into the reality of the moment and stamped the fact that this was really happening. I got lightheaded, and the atmosphere dropped, providing me with uncomfortable silence and the siren sound that went off in my head.

"Miss Rosa?" The officiant called out, and I snapped back to the present. He wore a skeptical look as though he'd been saying something that I didn't catch.

"Uh?"

"Do you not want to marry me anymore?" Gerald scoffed as he muttered under his breath, and my eyes widened. This had been the first thing he'd said to me since the last three days that he proposed. "Answer the man."

"Do you take Gerald Thorne to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The officiant asked again.

I shot my head to Gerald and swallowed hard. It was too late to back out. "Yes, I do," I muttered.

"Gerald, Do you take Rosaline Rivera to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

I watched a muscle in his jaw thick and a flicker of thoughts cross his eyes before he voiced a response. "I do."

A row of applause rippled through the crowd, and before the officiant could say anything else, Gerald pulled me to him, his firm arm holding my waist. And he stared intently into my eyes, and I choked on my saliva.

I didn't look away. I couldn't. I hated to admit that I was smothered by a man who provided me with one statement per day and left me on the precipice of intense confusion. It was impossible to tell what his feelings were, but God, did I love what his hands felt like around me.

I was red in the cheek, looking stupid, when Gerald reeled me in. His face pulled closer, and I stiffened against him, calculating the air that I breathed. There was barely an inch between our faces when he slowly brought his mouth to my ears instead.

My heart sank from the embarrassment, but I could not have my body move on my own accord. Gerald had me frozen in front of all these people, and my heart cowered in trepidation, banging like a band of drums.

"We know better than to kiss the bride, don't we?" He whispered. His silky voice caused the back of my hair to stand. "This should be enough."

"W-what s- should-?"

A small peck on my cheek from his gorgeous lips had me stumbling back. My mouth fell agape, but he didn't let go of it. His fingers pressed my sides as his grip toughened, and he smiled plainly.

"Wipe the surprise off," Gerald instructed, and my face fell on impulse while I battled nerves.

We got off the platform together to meet the rest of the guests and our parents. I still couldn't get the kiss out of my head, so I turned to him to ask the one question on my mind.

Why?

"Gerald, I -"

"I have urgent business to answer to," He cut in. "I suppose you can do fine by yourself."

He slipped past me and walked out the door as though it wasn't both our marriage. I brushed it off. He was busy anyway, and for the Thorne's, business came first.

The celebration went on for hours, but I continued to feel out of place. Everyone seemed to have a circle of their own, including our parents, who seemed so engrossed in their discussion.

I slipped out of the hall and went to the back. It had a garden with an array of flowers that were aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Just what I wanted in a time like this. I found a concrete seat and settled upon it, peering over the flowers as I swung my feet.

"Isn't she pathetic?" A voice spat. "Smiling and beaming with no shame when she's merely a replacement!"

The other laughed. "She's barely a replacement. Have you seen photographs of her sister? She was near perfect for him. This one seems more and more like a knockoff."

My heart stopped. It didn't take too long to know who they gossipped about. It was none other than me. I made no sound and moved closer in my seat to hear more, despite how violated I felt.

"Do you know what did it for me?" The first lady asked again. "Her audacity to be putting on the same necklace Gerald had specially crafted for her sister, Julie. He got the necklace from my aunt's jewelry store, and she told us about it!"

"What? I got goosebumps!" The other chimed. "That's scary. Was she trying to fit in her sister's shoes? What if she always had eyes out for him?"

I shuddered upon hearing their discussion, and my hand instinctively grabbed the necklace, coating it. Was that why mother had given it to me? Because it belonged to Julie?

Tears welled up in my eyes as vibrations skittered down my spine, and I stood up, stumbling against a flower vase that crashed with a loud thud. The sound revealed my presence, and they both looked at me, eyeing me.

They didn't look remorseful or shocked by those horrible things they'd said. I panted, blinking back tears, and turned away, only to bump into someone else.

"Get out of my way!" I yelled angrily without looking at who it was. I finally did, recognizing his strong cologne from earlier. It was none other than Gerald.

His expression revealed that he'd been there for a while. I heard more murmurings from the gossiping girls who chose to stay to witness my humiliation.

Within further hesitation, I attacked, tugging at the necklace. "I-is it true?! Did this belong to Julie?"

"I thought you knew." Gerald wore a baffled expression in response to my question. "You're so lucky to have the same initials as your sister, Rosa. You should be honored. What to do?"

"And you let me have it?" I asked in disbelief. "That's a sick thing to do, Gerald. Why would anyone even do that?"

I tried to retain the cool in my voice, despite my immeasurable rage.

"Look around. That isn't the only sick thing happening here."

Not the response I was expecting. A sharp sigh slipped past my lips, and I clenched my fists, biting on my lower lips as I glared at him and the lackadaisical look on his face.

I couldn't afford to lose my temper, not while these ladies were here, waiting for me to make a mess of myself, but it stung. It hurt so much more than I expected it to.

I was merely a replacement, nothing more. But I couldn't let that define me, not right now. I stepped closer to him, killing the distance between us. It took every courage I could muster to even speak.

"If you want this to work out, you might want to start acting like my groom," I paused. "Your guests are waiting, husband."