Chapter 1 The wedding

"I do," she whispered, nudging me and I realized that I had zoned out, yet again.

I looked at the man in front of me, the man who had shown me nothing but disrespect since the first day we met.

He looked breathtaking in a tux and had those crazy facial features that would put all those male models to shame. He was the man every woman would want to marry.

Perfect in every way, except for his deep blue eyes that sent shivers down my spine. And he was never smiling.

"I do," I finally said, earning a glare from him.

He never hesitated to show me how much he hated me. He accused my parents and me of being after his family's money.

The truth was that we were not even after his family's money as they had nothing now. Getting married to him was just to save my family's image.

My step-sister, Cara Harrington was the one to get married to him, but last week, everything changed. I caught her with my boyfriend. I remember the pain I felt, it was raw and it seared my heart. I never thought I would shed as intensely as I did, then.

His voice kept ringing in my ear, even till now and all those liquors didn't do anything to numb the pain I felt.

"It's you and I against the world, April."

I closed my eyes, willing those words to disappear, and felt nudged again. My eyelids fluttered open to meet his cold stares and I realized that the priest had said something-about kissing the bride.

I was going to kiss a stranger. I never dreamt of my wedding like this, but then, here I was, getting married to a stranger in place of my step-sister.

Fortunately, he leaned in and pecked my lips lightly.

"It's you and I against the world, April."

The voice came again and tears began to well up in my eyes.

All the pains I had bottled up for the past week came back, this time with much force and I blinked rapidly, to prevent the tears from ruining my makeup.

I had gone to Nick's house to surprise him on our 2nd anniversary but had instead been surprised myself as I met him with my step-sister.

He had shown no sign of remorse and had instead told me to my face that I was a nobody and he couldn't be with me.

He revealed that he wanted to be with my sister as she'd be the one to inherit the family's business and not me who had been cast aside.

"Stop zoning out," the bridesmaid, my cousin, Faith whispered and I realized that I had spaced out, yet again.

We were supposed to be greeting the guests and I raised my head to meet my husband's death glare.

'My husband.' A week ago, I'd have laughed if someone had told me that I'd be getting married today.

His gaze wasn't like the other times, this time it was murderous, as if he wanted to glare at me to death.

"Smile, this moment will be remembered for years," Faith whispered to me and I swallowed the lump in my throat as I moved closer to him.

From the moment I met Richard Dowell till now, I have never seen him with a happy face, all I saw was disgust and irritation on his face each time he saw me.

I understand that I wasn't the woman he wanted, still, he should know that I never wanted this either.

His hatred for me and my family intensified when he realized that the bride had been changed. He must've felt that since he was broke, my family decided to give him the least desirable daughter, me of course, who won't be inheriting the family's business.

I just had no choice as I wanted to save the person I loved most.

I felt my knees go weak but I kept walking, feeling the pair of eyes and the whispers of everyone in the room.

My husband, Richard Dowell was the heir to a huge conglomerate, but a week ago, everything must've gone downhill for him too.

His father was detained by the Federal Crimes Commission just after Dowell Incorporations was officially declared bankrupt.

I remembered getting drunk and moping over Nick's betrayal when I saw the news and I chuckled at the thought of my cheating sister and how she was going to get married to the son of a broke, bankrupt billionaire.

My father had called me just then and revealed that my mother had just been rushed to the hospital and needed 1.5 million dollars for an emergency surgery, I had run quickly to the hospital to see my father glaring at me furiously and commenting on my behavior.

I wondered how he found out about my mother before I did, as he had left her for another woman.

He then told me that he would pay for the surgery on the condition that I get married to Richard in place of Cara to preserve the family's image.

"But he's broke now!" I complained and he said something about the many guests that were coming and that he would postpone the wedding for a week for me to prepare.

"April."

I heard someone call out my name and I snapped out of my thoughts.

He was opening the car for me and I stepped inside, telling myself that I was doing this for the person I love the most in this world. The one who would never hurt me.

I sighed as he closed the door and my heart began to beat faster. This was the dreaded moment. I wasn't a single woman anymore, I was now married, but not to the person I loved, but to someone who hated me and had promised nothing but to make me suffer.

I stared out the window as the tears clouded my face. I blinked them back, not wanting to show even a moment of weakness.

This was the beginning of a dreaded chapter and as the car began to speed off, I tried to shake away the feeling that I was being led to my destruction.