Substitute bride
img img Substitute bride img Chapter 3 SB THREE
3
Chapter 6 SB SIX img
Chapter 7 SB SEVEN img
Chapter 8 SB EIGHT img
Chapter 9 SB NINE img
Chapter 10 SB TEN img
Chapter 11 SB ELEVEN img
Chapter 12 SB TWELVE img
Chapter 13 SB THIRTEEN img
Chapter 14 SB FOURTEEN img
Chapter 15 SB FIFTEEN img
Chapter 16 SB SIXTEEN img
Chapter 17 SB SEVENTEEN img
Chapter 18 SB EIGHTEEN img
Chapter 19 SB NINETEEN img
Chapter 20 SB TWENTY img
Chapter 21 SB TWENTY ONE img
Chapter 22 SB TWENTY TWO img
Chapter 23 SB TWENTY THREE img
Chapter 24 SB TWENTY FOUR img
Chapter 25 SB TWENTY FIVE img
Chapter 26 SB TWENTY SIX img
Chapter 27 SB TWENTY SEVEN img
Chapter 28 SB TWENTY EIGHT img
Chapter 29 SB TWENTY NINE img
Chapter 30 SB THIRTY img
Chapter 31 SB THIRTY ONE img
Chapter 32 SB THIRTY TWO img
Chapter 33 SB THIRTY THREE img
Chapter 34 SB THIRTY FOUR img
Chapter 35 SB THIRTY FIVE img
Chapter 36 SB THIRTY SIX img
Chapter 37 SB THIRTY SEVEN img
Chapter 38 SB THIRTY EIGHT img
Chapter 39 SB THIRTY NINE img
Chapter 40 SB FORTY img
Chapter 41 SB FORTY ONE img
Chapter 42 SB FORTY TWO img
Chapter 43 SB FORTY THREE img
Chapter 44 SB FORTY THREE img
Chapter 45 SB FORTY FIVE img
Chapter 46 SB FORTY SIX img
Chapter 47 SB FORTY SEVEN img
Chapter 48 SB FORTY EIGHT img
Chapter 49 SB FORTY NINE img
Chapter 50 SB FIFTY img
Chapter 51 SB FIFTY ONE img
Chapter 52 SB FIFTY TWO img
Chapter 53 SB FIFTY THREE img
Chapter 54 SB FIFTY FOUR img
Chapter 55 SB FIFTY FIVE img
Chapter 56 SB 56 img
Chapter 57 SB 57 img
Chapter 58 SB 58 img
Chapter 59 SB 59 img
Chapter 60 SB 60 img
Chapter 61 SB 61 img
Chapter 62 SB 62 img
Chapter 63 SB 63 img
Chapter 64 SB 64 img
Chapter 65 SB 65 img
Chapter 66 SB 66 img
Chapter 67 SB 67 img
Chapter 68 SB 68 img
Chapter 69 SB 69 img
Chapter 70 SB 70 img
Chapter 71 SB 71 img
Chapter 72 SB 72 img
Chapter 73 SB 73 img
Chapter 74 SB 74 img
Chapter 75 SB 75 img
Chapter 76 SB 76 img
Chapter 77 SB 77 img
Chapter 78 SB 78 img
Chapter 79 SB 79 img
Chapter 80 SB 80 img
Chapter 81 SB 81 img
Chapter 82 SB 82 img
Chapter 83 SB 83 img
Chapter 84 SB 83 img
Chapter 85 SB 84 img
Chapter 86 SB 85 img
Chapter 87 SB 86 img
Chapter 88 SB 87 img
Chapter 89 SB 88 img
Chapter 90 SB 89 img
Chapter 91 SB 90 img
Chapter 92 SB 91 img
Chapter 93 SB 92 img
Chapter 94 SB 93 img
Chapter 95 SB 94 img
Chapter 96 SB 95 img
Chapter 97 SB 96 img
Chapter 98 SB 97 img
Chapter 99 SB 98 img
Chapter 100 SB 99 img
img
  /  2
img

Chapter 3 SB THREE

SELENA'S POV.

I contemplated excuses to avoid it, but my mother's glaring look stopped me.

Facing Aiden, he drew near, tilted my face up, and approached for a kiss.

His lips met mine, eliciting a soft sound from me.

His flavor was unlike anything I'd experienced, even with Derrick. Or perhaps I was overstating.

As his arms encircled me and our lips remained joined, the clapping reminded me it was time to stop.

The last thing I wanted was my image plastered across magazines and the internet, kissing Aiden Evans.

"That's enough," I declared, pulling away from his firm hold as he smirked.

One of the guests congratulated us, "You both are wonderful."

I managed to reply with a polite "Thank you," noticing Aiden's preoccupation with his phone.

"Congratulations," his mother, a dignified woman in her fifties, added. "Thanks, mom," he responded curtly.

The pretense of it all threatened to overwhelm me, and I needed to escape before I succumbed to it.

"I'll return shortly," I informed Aiden and his mother, who were deep in conversation, as I hurried to my room.

My mother's footsteps followed, but I didn't pause.

Collapsing on the bed, tears flowed as she entered.

"You nearly frightened everyone with your silence," she scolded, aggravating my frustration.

"It's always about others' opinions, never my feelings," I cried out.

"Selena, tears change nothing. What's done is done," she stated coldly. "And pack your bags; you're leaving with Aiden tonight," she added before leaving me alone with my sorrow.

With reluctance, I began packing, dreading the six months ahead with a man for whom I felt nothing.

Derrick's reaction will surely be one of anger when he hears about it. Facing him seems like an insurmountable task.

As I was securing my luggage, a faint tap at the window caught my attention.

There's only one person who uses that route to slip into my room.

Approaching the window, it opened to reveal Derrick.

He's the one whose mere presence accelerates my pulse.

"Surprise!" he exclaimed, leaping in with a bouquet he'd been concealing.

"Derrick. Why are you here?" I inquired.

His smile waned.

"Darling, the real question is why you've been ignoring my calls," he retorted.

I hoped that was all he noticed. I avoided his gaze as he stepped closer.

"And why are you adorned in a bridal gown?" he inquired, his words making me wish for the earth to swallow me whole.

"Answer me!" he demanded, his tone reaching a volume I never thought possible.

As I retreated, shaking, he seized my hands from behind.

"Derrick, release me. Let me go," I implored, withdrawing my hand from his hold.

"Forgive me, my dear. Can you explain why you're wearing that gown?" he inquired, worries in his words.

How should I begin to explain? What should I say first? These thoughts whirled in my head.

"Selena, please, utter a word. Say anything," he pleaded.

"I married Aiden Evans," I confessed, no longer able to keep it a secret. It was over. Despite the pain, I owed him the truth.

"No! You must be kidding, aren't you? You're-you're-"

"I'm speaking the truth," I interjected, looking him in the eye.

"This can't be real, Selena. Not today," he protested, and only then did I notice the ring box he clutched in his hands.

"I intended to ask for your hand in marriage today, my love. How could you do this?" he lamented.

His sorrowful expression moved me.

Deep down, I wished to reveal the sham and our eventual reunion after six months, but the backstory of the marriage had to remain hidden.

"Who forced you into this?" he probed, drawing nearer as tears streamed down my face and he clasped my hands.

"I...I never felt love for you," I declared, striving for believability in my admission, but he just shook his head, unconvinced.

"Really? You expect me to accept that tale?" Derrick challenged, skeptical, but I persisted.

"Whether you accept it or not, my feelings for you were never sincere. It was merely a casual affair," I claimed, releasing his hands.

"You're a terrible liar. Gabriella, your sister, was supposed to marry that man. How did you end up in her place?" he confronted me.

His anger was unsettling, but I had to come to terms with my situation.

"Derrick, that's not your concern. Please, leave me be," I implored, overwhelmed by the strain.

As I faced away, his firm hold encircled my waist. "Let's escape together. Let's just flee from all this," Derrick murmured in my ear.

My body yearned to agree, but the thought of my father compelled my heart to refuse.

Turning towards him, he gently lifted my face, his eyes brimming with emotion, and was about to kiss me when the door burst open, followed by a voice.

"What are you doing here?" my mother demanded, causing us to separate instantly.

I signaled to my mother to keep silent about the situation, and she gave a subtle nod of understanding.

"I've come to marry your daughter," Derrick declared boldly, grasping my hands.

"How audacious!" my mother exclaimed, her smile tinged with mischief. Approaching us, she forcefully separated his hand from mine.

"My daughter is already wed, and we have no need for you in her life. Leave immediately," my mother commanded, her voice booming.

"You orchestrated this, didn't you?" Derrick accused, prompting my mother to tighten her jaw.

"You're the mastermind behind this, right?" he pressed.

"Derrick, I won't tolerate baseless accusations against my mother. Kindly depart," I said, maintaining courtesy.

Though I was aware of my mother's influence on my choices, I refused to let anyone address her disrespectfully.

"You'll regret this immensely, I assure you," he warned.

"Please, just go!" I urged, my voice quivering as I watched Derrick make his exit through the window.

A piece of me seemed to vanish with Derrick's departure.

Derrick's warning reverberated: "You'll regret this immensely." Perhaps he was right. Perhaps duty would eclipse desire.

Yet, as the man I had once dreamed of slipped away, I wondered: could I rewrite my fate, or was it already etched in indelible ink, binding me to a stranger's embrace?

            
            

COPYRIGHT(©) 2022