Fake bride, death shadow

MADILYN'S POV

Mom said I was the sacrifice, the stand-in surrogate bride, but no one ever mentioned that Lyander Tharlos, the deaf mafia CEO, was my groom.

***

Morning seemed to come in faster than it did back at the mental home, where I sat by the window and watched the sun rise.

I had forced myself to sleep last night, wishing I never woke up this morning.

A loveless and dangerous marriage.

One wrong move, and my head was off my neck.

If only I could see my own death shadow, I would probably see death lurking around so closely.

I was forced into a wedding dress that fit a little bit too perfectly. It almost seemed like it was meant for me.

“You look just like her. All you need to do is make sure you act like her,” she muttered into my ears as she fixed my hair, slowly brushing a strand behind my ear.

I let out a sigh and nodded.

“Good. If you get caught, trust me, none of us will be able to escape the consequences,” she added, like it wasn't obvious how fucked we were.

I took a glance at myself in the mirror.

I could barely recognize myself in the white, flowery wedding dress.

I looked perfect.

Like I wasn’t the same crazy patient locked away for years in a mental institution.

I could not turn back anymore.

This was it.

Mother stared at me one more time before leading me to the living room.

I could hear my heart racing so fast as I followed behind her.

Dad was sitting in the living room together with an older man who Mom had told me was the Tharlos family's butler.

Apparently, there was no public wedding. It was only an agreement signed between my family and theirs, and it was only meant to last for one year.

I was…

No.

Marilyn was supposed to be able to produce an heir for the Tharlos family, and after one year, she would be free to continue living her life.

But I was going to be the sacrifice.

Get pregnant, leave the house so Marilyn could be taken care of, pretend to be pregnant, and also give up my child once I gave birth.

It sounded crazy no matter how much I thought about it, but here I was in a wedding dress, about to be tied into a fate I knew nothing about.

“You look beautiful, Marilyn” he muttered softly, and I forced a smile on my face.

He pulled me into a hug and whispered into my ears.

“I would get you out of there once your sister is found.”

If only he knew that she was never missing.

That we were both pieces in their sick game.

I took a good look at him, and thankfully, there was no dark shadow behind him, like there was with Rowan and everyone else whose deaths I had once seen.

“This is Marilyn Carlos, my daughter. Please keep her safe.”

He held my hand and gave it to the man, who took it softly.

That was it.

I had become Marilyn Carlos, the newest bride to the Tharlos family.

I was escorted to the car parked just outside the house by my parents, and the moment I got into the car, I knew there was no way back.

I needed to act as Marilyn Carlos for the next thirty days and make sure I didn't get caught by my husband.

The drive to the Tharlos estate took about an hour.

We arrived at the enormous and beautiful estate and stopped right in front of one of the villas.

The car engine died, but I remained glued to my seat, unsure of everything and reconsidering my actions.

I was going to offer myself as a sacrifice to save a family that had never seen me as one of their own, but somehow, it was all fine?

A family that had never felt guilty for everything they had done to me, yet it was okay to do that for them?

Locked up by the same people I was trying to save, but somehow, they made it feel like it was my responsibility and I had no other choice.

I wasn't sure which of the Tharlos I was getting married to or if I was going to be able to pull this off without getting caught, and the realization of all of this seemed to keep me glued to my seat.

“Ma'am, aren't you getting out?”

The man's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

The car door was already open, and the man was standing right in front of me, waiting for me to get out of the car.

I slowly stepped out, taking his hand as he helped me down.

He closed the car door and led me into the massive house without saying anything else.

I itched to ask him questions about my new groom, but I shut my mouth and just followed him inside the house.

“Marilyn Carlos, your new bride,” he announced, his head bowed politely as we stopped at the large living room.

My eyes met a pair of pale green eyes that seemed to hold no emotion at all.

That of Lyander Tharlos, the first son of the Tharlos empire.

He was rumored to be deaf and extremely ruthless.

He was tall, lean but muscular…

His dark, short hair was neatly trimmed, curly, and fell softly over his forehead.

His features were intimidating and dangerously handsome.

He stared at me like he was searching for a flaw I had desperately tried to hide.

Like he knew I was a fake and was trying to figure out the difference between me and the real bride.

He took a step closer to me, his eyes still fixed on mine, and stopped a few inches away from me.

I could see the hearing aid in his right ear clearly now.

“Marilyn Carlos?” he muttered, his voice low and calm.

I nodded quickly, a little bit too fast.

He chuckled softly and leaned closer to me, taking a closer look at me, his eyes piercing directly into mine.

“Show her to her room,” he instructed, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding all this while.

He took a step away from me and turned to leave.

That was when I saw it…

The dark shadow behind him.

The death shadow.

The same way I had seen it lurking behind my brother, Rowan, that day.

I gasped and tried to look away, but it was too late.

I let out a loud scream as I felt my soul being ripped out of my body, and once again, I was welcomed by that familiar darkness.