Ante la traición, me casé con el padrino

CHAPTER 1

ANASTASIA 

“Anastasia, if you keep blinking like that, I’m going to assume you’ve forgotten how to take pictures. Babe, we have exactly one graduation day. Can you please act like you’re happy?”

I laughed as Sophie lifted her phone again, although the smile on my face probably looked more forced than convincing. Around us, the university courtyard was packed with graduates taking pictures, throwing their caps into the air, and hugging their families. Someone nearby was crying while her parents showered her with kisses, and a group of students had gathered beneath the enormous university sign to take what looked like their fiftieth picture of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, I was standing between my two best friends, trying to look as though I had absolutely nothing to worry about.

“She's right,” Cameron said, adjusting the collar of his graduation gown before leaning into the picture. “This is supposed to be a happy occasion. You're graduating, we're graduating, and we're finally free from lecturers who think their courses are the only things happening in our lives.”

“Speak for yourself,” Sophie replied. “I have three assignments I haven't submitted, and one lecturer who genuinely hates me.”

“You're graduating today. What exactly is he going to do? Chase you into the real world?”

“Knowing that man, yes.”

I laughed properly this time, and Cameron immediately pointed at me.

“There! That's the face. Sophie, take it before she remembers whatever tragedy has been happening inside that pretty little head of hers.”

Sophie snapped several pictures, and for a few minutes, I allowed myself to forget everything waiting for me at home. Cameron was the kind of person who could turn an ordinary afternoon into an event, and Sophie had been my closest friend since our first year. Between her sharp tongue and his dramatic personality, I rarely had a chance to remain miserable for too long.

Unfortunately, happiness was becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to.

“So,” Sophie said, lowering her phone, “what are you wearing to the party tonight?”

I looked at her. “What party?”

She stared at me as though I'd personally offended her. “Your graduation party, Anastasia. The one your wealthy family is throwing for you. The one you've known about since your mother mentioned it last week?”

“Oh. That party.”

Cameron narrowed his eyes at me. “You're doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“The thing where you pretend you're not thinking about something when your face is practically announcing it to the entire world.”

I rolled my eyes, but he wasn't entirely wrong. My thoughts had been elsewhere all morning, and the reason had very little to do with my graduation.

Nikolai Thorne.

My stepbrother.

The man I had loved for longer than I was willing to admit, even to myself.

The entire campus knew we were step-siblings. It wasn't a secret, and it had never been one. My mother had married Richard Thorne several years ago, making Nikolai my stepbrother, and the news had spread through the university long before I began my final year. People knew his name, his family, his business achievements, and the fact that he was practically impossible to approach unless he wanted to be approached.

They also knew he was related to me.

That knowledge didn't stop people from staring whenever we appeared together, and it certainly didn't stop the girls from envying me. Some thought having a man like Nikolai in my family was the equivalent of winning the lottery. Others seemed convinced that living in the same house as him meant I had access to a world they could only dream about.

None of them understood what it was actually like.

They didn't know what it felt like to sit across from him at the dinner table, pretending my heart wasn't doing something ridiculous whenever he looked in my direction. They didn't know how many times I'd caught myself remembering the smallest things about him, from the way he loosened his tie after a long day to the way his voice softened whenever he spoke to me privately.

And they certainly didn't know how carefully I'd learned to hide my feelings.

Nikolai had never given me a reason to believe he saw me as anything other than his younger stepsister. He was twenty-nine, successful, handsome enough to attract attention wherever he went, and surrounded by women who knew exactly what they wanted from him. I was simply Anastasia, the girl who happened to live in his father's house.

Knowing that should have been enough to make me stop hoping.

It wasn't.

“Earth to Anastasia,” Cameron said, waving a hand in front of my face. “You're doing it again.”

“I'm not.”

“Of course not. And I'm a straight man.”

Sophie burst out laughing, and I shoved Cameron's shoulder.

“You're impossible.”

“Yet you love me.”

“Unfortunately.”

“That's what I thought.”

For a moment, everything was normal again. Then someone deliberately slammed a shoulder into mine.

My body jerked sideways, and the folder I had been holding slipped from my fingers. A few papers scattered across the ground, landing near the heels of several passing students.

“Oh, my God,” a female voice drawled. “You should really watch where you're going.”

I turned.

Veronica stood a few feet away, looking immaculate in her fitted graduation dress, with her long extensions falling perfectly over her shoulders. She was one of the girls everyone knew on campus, not because she was particularly kind or approachable, but because she had perfected the art of making people feel small without raising her voice.

Two girls stood beside her, already wearing matching expressions of amusement.

“You walked into me,” I said quietly.

Veronica glanced at her shoulder as though she'd only just noticed me. “Did I? I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there.”

Her smile told me she wasn't sorry at all.

She looked down at my scattered papers, then back at me. “Maybe you should try taking up less space next time. It might make you easier to notice.”

One of her friends snickered.

Heat rushed into my face. I bent down to collect my papers, wishing she'd simply walk away. I knew better than to argue with girls like Veronica. They always seemed to know exactly what to say to make me feel small, and whenever I tried to defend myself, the words got stuck somewhere in my throat.

“Honestly, some people get one invitation into a wealthy family and suddenly start acting like they belong everywhere,” she continued, adjusting her extensions. “At least learn how to carry yourself properly.”

I kept my eyes on the papers in my hands, pretending her words didn't hurt as much as they did.

“Pick up your things and go,” she added, dismissing me with a wave as she turned away. 

Sophia's voice cut through.

“You miserable bitch! Who the hell do you think you're talking to?”

Veronica turned around, looking more amused than concerned. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me!” Sophia snapped, pointing a finger at her. “You deliberately walked into her, scattered her things, and then insulted her body. Do you think being Daddy's little princess gives you the right to treat people like garbage?”

“Maybe you should teach your friend how to behave in public,” Veronica replied coolly.

“Oh, I'll teach you something right now!”

Sophia lunged forward, reaching for Veronica's long extensions, but Cameron caught her around the waist before she could get close enough.

“SO-PHIA!” he shouted, hauling her backward. “Absolutely not! We are not fighting over this woman on graduation day!”

“LET ME GO, CAMERON!”

“No!”

“I'm going to pull every last one of those extensions out!”

“And I'm going to drag you straight to the car if I have to, because I am not letting you ruin your graduation over somebody who clearly needs professional help!”

“Cameron, let me go!”

“Baby, I love you, but you have anger issues, and this is exactly why I keep telling you to count to ten!”

Veronica laughed, clearly enjoying the attention. She gave Sophia a smug look before turning away with her friends.

“Have a lovely day, ladies,” she called over her shoulder.

Sophia struggled harder against Cameron's hold.

“I HATE HER!”

“I know, sweetheart. Everybody knows. Please stop trying to commit a felony in front of the university sign.”

I stood quietly beside them, clutching my papers against my chest. I was grateful that Sophia had defended me, but I couldn't imagine confronting Veronica the way she had. Even now, with my friend's anger filling the air around us, all I wanted was to disappear before anyone else noticed what had happened.

Then the crowd near the entrance began to stir.

A black car had just pulled up beside the university gates.

And when the driver opened the door and Nikolai Thorne stepped out, I forgot all about Veronica 

Nikolai stepped out wearing a charcoal suit that fitted him perfectly, his expression as composed and unreadable as ever. He didn't have to announce himself or do anything particularly dramatic to draw attention. He simply existed, and people seemed to rearrange themselves around him.

A few girls immediately began whispering his name. Someone lifted a phone, pretending to check a message while angling the camera in his direction. Even Veronica, who had been walking away with her friends, slowed down to look.

I barely noticed any of them.

My heart had already forgotten how to behave.

Nikolai's gaze moved across the courtyard until it settled on me. His expression changed almost imperceptibly when he noticed Cameron's arms around my waist and the scattered papers at my feet.

He started walking toward us.

Cameron loosened his hold, though he didn't completely release me. “Please tell me you're going to behave now,” he whispered.

“I'm going to behave,” I muttered.

“Your face says otherwise.”

“Cameron.”

“Fine. I'm silent.”

Nikolai stopped in front of us, his eyes moving from Cameron to me.

“What's going on?”

“Nothing,” I answered quickly.

Cameron made a strangled noise beside me.

Nikolai looked at him.

“She was about to attack Veronica  over a hair-extension-related incident,” Cameron explained.

“Cameron!”

“What? He asked!”

For a second, Nikolai said nothing. Then his attention returned to me, and I found myself suddenly aware of everything: my messy graduation gown, the papers I was still clutching, and the fact that I'd probably looked like a complete lunatic a few seconds earlier.

“Did she touch you?” he asked.

His voice was calm, but something about the question made me pause.

“It was nothing,” I said, avoiding his eyes. “She bumped into me.”

“On purpose,” Sophie added.

Nikolai glanced toward the direction Veronica had gone, but he didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he reached into his jacket and brought out a small, elegant box.

“I came to congratulate you.”

I stared at the box before looking up at him. “You didn't have to get me anything.”

“I know.”

He held it out, and I accepted it carefully. Inside lay a delicate necklace, its small pendant catching the afternoon light. I recognized it immediately. I'd admired a similar piece in a jewellery store months ago, back when we'd gone shopping with his family, and I'd assumed he'd forgotten about the entire conversation.

Apparently, he hadn't.

“Nikolai,” I whispered.

“Congratulations, Anastasia.” His gaze rested on my face for a moment. “You worked hard for this. You should be proud of yourself.”

It was such a simple thing to say, but coming from him, it meant more than he could possibly understand.

“Thank you,” I managed.

He gave me a small nod before glancing at his watch. “The party starts at seven. Dad wants everyone there, so don't take too long getting ready.”

“I won't.”

“Good. I'll see you at home.”

Then he turned and walked back toward his car, leaving half the courtyard watching him and the other half watching me.

Cameron leaned closer. “Your stepbrother is ridiculous.”

I looked down at the necklace resting in my palm, trying to ignore the warmth spreading through my chest.

“Yes,” I whispered. “He is.”

What I didn't tell them was that I was already dreading the day I would have to leave the Thorne house. Graduation was supposed to mark the beginning of my future, but all I could think about was the home I was about to lose and the man I would have to leave behind.

Soon, I would have to find somewhere else to live, build a life of my own, and learn how to exist without seeing Nikolai every day.

And when that happened, I would have to take my feelings for him with me, because loving my stepbrother was the one thing I had never figured out how to stop doing.