My mind suggests me to ignore that woman who is certainly out of her mind. After all, no sensible bride would say such a thing on her own wedding day.
"I don't think you're in your senses right now. Whatever it is, not my concern. I'm leaving."
I turn around with an intention to storm out of this room, but she comes forward and blocks my way, "First hear me out. I'm not asking you to get married at my place." Her voice is panicky, "I'm only asking you to wear my dress and pretend to be me just for an hour. I've to go somewhere right now. It's urgent."
My nostrils flare as I give her angry look, crossing my arms under my chest, "Are you dumb? Or you're just acting like one? I'm not your twin. People can easily recognize me that I'm not You. You can just call your fiance or someone and delay the wedding and finish whatever work you need to."
I can't believe I'm even arguing with her about this. Something is definitely wrong with her. What a pain.
She exhales out a loud, deep breath as if she is controlling her outburst. She looks restless, "I'm calling Ashar, but he's not picking up his phone. Two thousand people from all over the country and even from overseas are coming to the wedding. If the bride wouldn't be on time, it will spoil the image of the two families. You don't understand how much good reputation is important for Hobsons. I'm going to put a thick veil on your face, so no one would recognize you. Your height, weight and body shape matches with mine. No one will find out, believe me."
She is right about our weight, but not height. She is few inches taller. But this doesn't solve the problem. It's impossible. It's fraud, a trickery. If anyone would find out about it, I would go behind bars...straight away. Hobsons are powerful people.
"We don't have time. Just listen to me. I need to leave right now in order to return quickly. I, I have to stop someone." She begs, but still I sense authority in her voice.
"I'm leaving, Samara." I say, getting panic, "I can't be a part of your playing."
"No." She grabs my wrist tightly. I get surprised.
I can't understand what could be this urgent that she is ready to take such a dangerous risk. She would be in deep trouble too if someone find out the different face.
She is about to say something, but stops when her phone begins ringing. She hisses aloud and reaches for it.
I get my time to run, but I couldn't. I'm feeling weird about her restless behavior. The problem seems severe.
"Stop calling me. I'm trying to come." She shouts on the phone, afterwards, throws the phone back on the bed and walks back to me.
"Please help me. I've to go now. You've to just sit here in my room and act as me. And just in case if they ask you to go to the Church then listen to them. I'll come there directly, will do something with the lights there so that we can return to our rightful places. My plan is strong. No one will find out."
Fear is flashing in her moistened eyes. Her ballad fists are indicating her anxiety. "What's the emergency?"
"I don't have time to explain. I'll tell you later. Just get ready for now. Wear my wedding dress. I'll go after making you look like a bride."
"No. This is wrong. I can't do this." I shake my head.
"Woman, I told you, I don't have time." She gets irritated, "If I won't go there, this wedding won't happen. I'm just asking you to not let anyone find out. I don't want to ruin my wedding. There are so many people out there."
I can be recognized easily. Why is she dragging me in her problem? I want to run away from here. Her dominating aura and firm voice is weakening me.
"I'm scared." I blurt out. Goosebumps appearing on my arms.
"Don't be." She said, grabbing my shoulders, "Just stay quite. If anyone asks you any question, try not to answer. Just an hour. Handle everything here only for an hour."
Her plan sounds safe and simple, but when it comes to following it in real, it wouldn't be this simple. God, what should I do?
Strong fear is taking control of my body, wobbling my legs. This whole situation is frightening me to death.
"What's your name?" She asks.
"Sanaya. You don't even know my name and you are asking me to be a replaced bride for you."
Samara hisses, "I remember you by your face. I know you are a new cook of Hobsons, that's why I'm asking you to do this for me because no one can even think in their dream that you could be a bride behind the veil, I told you, trust my plan. Nothing will go wrong."
I stare at her in utter disbelief, trying to register this situation in my head because I'm unable to believe that the bride herself asking me to wear her wedding dress. My stomach churns at the thought. I begin feeling sweaty.
Samara again pleads to me, "If bride would not reach to the Church, this event will be a mess. You know I can go without informing anyone, but Hobsons are like family to me. I don't want to destroy their image in front of the media. Reporters are also coming to cover the wedding. Just think, if bride wouldn't be there how journalists are going to make fun of them. Tomorrow's newspaper will be full of nasty news stories about them."
Her every argument sounds so strong, so right even when I know that this crazy idea of her is not ethical. But since Hobsons family have helped me so much since I've started working for them. It's because of them, I'm doing well financially. They are not bad people. Shouldn't I be helping them in their difficult as in returning the favor they gave me?
"Are you really going out for a short time?" My conscience sends me red alerts. I shouldn't be considering this.
Corners of her lips lift up into a smile, "Yes. I promise. I'll be back as soon as possible."
Seriously? She can't smile in such a situation.
I'm here horrified to the last level. She abruptly pulls my arm and makes me sit in front of her dresser.
"No. I can't-" I try to rise up, but she grabs my shoulders and forces me to sit down again.
"Relax." She gets annoyed again, "You're a timid. I told you nothing will go wrong."
She moves her fingers in my hairs, "First I'll do your hair. I've to arrange them in a way so that your different hair color won't be noticeable. Once you'll get ready you'll get more confidence on my plan."
I gulp down the big lump in my mouth. I'm digging my own grave, dear God.
No.
No. I don't want to do this.
My own fear takes full control of me that my voice is not coming out either. It's stuck in my throat. This gives complete freedom to Samara to play with me, to make me a bad person too with herself.
"Remember everything I told you. Follow my instructions. When lights go off at the Church, hide somewhere or runaway, okay?" Samara reminds me, while arranging heavy veil on my head. I barely nod. I'm almost ready in her wedding dress, ready to be at her place. She covers my face once she is done fixing the veil, "We both are trusting each other. I chose you to handle everything here so don't let anything bad happen. I'm trusting you, Sanaya. I hope you won't get caught." I'm still unable to form words from my mouth. My body, my muscles are jammed and my mind is no more working. It's blank like black screen. Samara is forcing me to be a part of her fraud. I'm still not willing, still not sure that I would come out of this situation safe and sound. She moves away from me, takes her purse from the bed and wishes me luck one last time and afterwards leaves the room, leaves me all alone. Hesitantly, I turn towards the mirror to see my reflection.
He bends down and picks up the file folder from the bed. He opens it and flips through some pages.Creases form between his brows as he looks up, "I told you I need to submit them to the court today. It will take only few seconds of yours to sign them."I understood who he is. He is Samara's father. I can now observe the resemblance of his features with hers. Samara inherited most of the features except the hair color from her father. His hair color is more like dark chocolates."You told me you'll sign them once you'll be free. That's why I've sent Sara away. But these papers are still blank."He brings the file in front of my face and takes out the pen from his suit's front pocket, "Just do it. Lawyer is waiting outside."I fist my palms, clutching my dress with them. "I'll d-o later." I slur."Are you kidding me?" His brows lift up, "I told you lawyer is outside. I need to hand over this to him. Come on, Samara. We're getting late."
As soon as I come out of the car, lights of cameras begin flashing on my face, hurting my eyes. My bare arms tremble every time someone clicks my picture. A group of reporters encircle me and Samara's father. Some young girls come forward and help me straightening my dress. They spread my long dress behind me on the ground."Congratulations, Sam. You finally made it." One of the girls whispers in my ear, making my blood run cold.The other one giggles, "Your dress is beautiful."My heart leaps into my throat as I observe my surrounding. Sun is almost setting. The sky is showing orangish-red hues, slowly increasing the brightness of the lanterns and other fancy lights. Many posh cars are parked around the area – the kind of cars I had only seen on G****e images. Reporters around me are congratulating me and wishing me a good married life. There are other people as well who are not reporters, but might be Samara's acquaintances. They are smiling and waving their hands at me.
The officiant starts reciting the verses of the Bible loudly, silencing the whole crowd. Ashar also moves back. I sigh in relief. The officiant's voice echoes. All the guests settle down on their seats and are now silently watching the ceremony. Wandering my gaze around, I try to locate Samara with a hope that she would've been back by now. But she is not there. My heart starts pounding rapidly against my chest wall. I don't know how I should delay the wedding. My mind is giving me warnings that Samara would be late tonight. She promised me she would be back in an hour. But an hour has passed already and she is still not here. What more she wanted that now I should take vows on her name? I will get married to Ashar in next few minutes, for God's sake. Officiant proclaims aloud, "Since it is your intention to enter into the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands and declare your consent before God and his Church." Ashar and I both face each other. H
I'm playing with that twinkling diamond ring, still with me. A very strong evidence that explains my deception, a reminder that I was in real at Church. Although, I ran out of there safely before anyone could see me, but this doesn't solve the whole problem. I locked myself in my dorm room for three whole days, drown into my stresses and dreads. I hardly eaten anything. The wedding dress is there on my bed. The shoes and jewelry are there too. I'm thankful that Carol went to her parents for some days. I got my time to recover without disclosing the nightmarish event that happened. My phone rang many times but I didn't check. It would be probably Andrew or Carol calling me. I didn't go to mansion for cooking either. I'm too scared to step a foot outside this room. The biggest question that is haunting me now; Did I get married to that man? That blue-eyed, strange man pronounced Samara as his wife during all the vows but I didn't take those vows
"Couldn't you act confidently? Ashar was annoying me with his questions that why I was so nervous and shaking during wedding."I'm with Samara at the nearby cafe after preparing breakfast for the family."How can you expect me to be relaxed in such a situation?" I snap, "Why you came so late?""I didn't come late. I was just unable to come to you.""What do you mean?""I was waiting for the right moment, stupid. There were so many people and the security cameras. I was thinking of a safe way to implement my plan. I was there watching the whole ceremony." She elaborates.Her hairs are tied up in to a loose ponytail and her face has no makeup, still she is looking beautiful with her original facial features. Even if they are not in love, I'm sure still Ashar would've attracted towards her. No guy can ignore such a beauty."How did you manage to arrange a dress on such a short notice?""I had a similar dress which was not complete
Today's breakfast is chocolate muffins, French toasts and buttermilk pancakes and waffles. Today's menu is my favourite and I'm good at making them. Chocolate muffins are my specialty, that's what kids at my foster home said. When I was living there, I used to bake different flavored muffins for the volunteers and kids and their compliments were always motivational. Just thinking about them give me teary eyes. I miss my old life. I didn't have to worry about money, rent or career when I was living in my foster home. Maybe I should've never grown up. It would be better if I'd remained a kid all life. Those kinds of thoughts are keep coming to my mind since that wedding disaster. "So, everything is going to be sweet today in the breakfast." I turn around. My eyes open in full circles when I see Ashar standing in kitchen. My heart hammers against my chest. The fresh scent of after-shave spread in the entire kitchen. His hairs are wet explaining he took a shower
There is one question, one confusion thats keeps pestering me, not leaving my brains alone, no matter how much I try to ignore it, to act chill like Samara.Am I married or not?My anxiety made me do some research about it online. I typed some keywords related to my situation and read some articles about Christian weddings and beliefs. Online source was the safe source. I didn't have to disclose to anyone what had happened to me.I found online confirmation too that Ashar and Samara's marriage is null and void. They are not married. For my own doubtful marital status, I couldn't find the exact answer, but they did support my argument. They said woman and man must be present physically while proclaiming their marriage vows. And they should say their correct, full names during all their declarations. It is the religious and legal requirement both.It brings me back to my point. From Ashar's behalf he said correct names. I didn't use any names, but officiant