Exposing the Dark Truth of My Roommate’s Double Life

Chapter One

The Fake Princess

Olivia’s POV

"You have to hold up your dress, then pick up your legs one after the other. You have to be slow and steady with it."

I sighed, sweat rolling down my head. I didn't sign up for this, and I didn't even understand why my stepmom was making me go through this intense training. In fact, I was unable to comprehend what had been happening for days. She had taken pictures of me, dressed me up, and styled my hair. The last time she ever did that was when I was still young, before she changed into the beast she was now.

I wiped the sweat off my head and tried to do as the instructor had said, but I still didn't get it.

"Olivia!" My stepmom yelled, "Can't you just do it right? You've never done anything right in your whole life, at least do this one right."

I shook at the sound of her voice and turned back to the instructor, trying my best to follow the steps in catwalking, but it still wasn't working. It wasn't my thing, and I just didn't know why my stepmom was forcing me to do this.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and I quickly ran to it, using it as an excuse to get a minute break from this training. I just wanted to be free from the claws and constant taunts of my stepmom and stepsister, but I had nowhere to run to.

I opened the door, and it was the courier. "Are you Mrs. Sara Brooks?" He asked.

I shook my head and was about to turn to call my stepmom when a forceful push threw me off to the ground.

"I am the one, may I have the package?" Sara said to the courier and took the package from him. She signed for it and smiled as she closed the door. She tore the package open and read the letter. "It is here! It is here!" She declared, a big smile on her face.

I picked myself up from the floor, cleaned my body as I knew no one would notice that I was on the floor there if I didn't stand up. My dad was the only one who cared about me, but there was nothing he could also do because he was paralyzed and had been confined to a wheelchair for years now.

Sometimes, I felt like my dad was getting paid for what he did in the past; I felt like it was all the wages of the sin he had committed.

My mom had only died a few months ago when he brought Sara home, and she was pregnant at that time. He didn't even give me the chance to accept that my mom was dead and gone before bringing a stranger into our lives.

Sara did all she could to win me over. She was the best in the few months before she gave birth. Ever since then, it had been one problem after another for me. She made my life a living hell and made me do unspeakable things.

"What is that, Mom?" Mitchie, my stepsister, asked as she rushed to her mom, "What is that?"

"The King and Queen have chosen Olivia, and she will be getting married to the prince soon."

"What!" My jaw dropped, unable to understand what she was talking about. What king and queen? What prince? And who did she say is getting married to him? "What are you talking about?" I asked, moving closer to them.

"You must have heard what I said, Olivia. You are getting married to the prince of Yales." Sara stated, a big smile on her face; she looked so happy.

Why does she derive so much joy from my pain? Why is she hell-bent on taking away everything that makes me happy? What was she going to gain from doing this to me?

"You are getting me married?" I asked, for confirmation, to be sure that I heard right.

"Yes, you heard me right. You are getting married," she laughed.

"Why would you just get me married without my consent!" I shouted. I had never spoken back to her, not even after all she had done to me in the past, I never said a word back to her. But I couldn't keep my calm this time.

"Why will you get me married without letting me know first? I refuse to go on with this marriage!"

She moved closer to me and grabbed a handful of my hair, "You have no choice, lady! I have spent so much money on this, so just prepare yourself and your mind. You are getting married, and there's nothing you can do about it."

A tear rolled down my eyes as I grabbed her hand, trying to pull it away from my hair which she was pulling forcefully. "Let me go!" I screamed, "I won't get married to a stranger, I won't!"

She raised my head, peering deeply into my eyes. "I would have slapped you hard if I didn't have to present you in one piece and a good shape to the king and queen. I am giving you a good opportunity, but you are talking back?"

"I don't want this opportunity!" I shouted, tears gushing down my eyes. "I don't want to get married to a stranger, all because of your selfish interest. Why not get your daughter married to him instead?"

"How dare you!" Mitchie shouted and rushed to me, she pushed me to the floor, "I do not want to hear my name from your filthy mouth!"

I sat there on the floor, my shoulders shook as tears gushed down my eyes. I just didn't know what to do, or how to make them realize what they were doing to me. How could they just get me married off to some stranger like I was a piece of trash?

Mitchie bent beside me and raised my head; she ran her hand through my hair before picking a handful, just like her mom did, "This is an opportunity for you, just like Mom said. No man would want to get married to you, considering your past, have you forgotten?"

"What past?"

"The surrogacy! Have you forgotten that you are a mother? You gave birth to a stranger's baby for money, why can't you get married to a stranger now? It is what you have been doing."

"Or do you mean how you and your mom made me carry a stranger's baby by lying that the money will be used for Dad's surgery! Or how you never allowed me to see my child even before he was taken away from me!" I screamed, my heart ached with so much pain.

I felt manipulated and betrayed once again. I was manipulated by Sara and Mitchie; they lied to me that the money gotten from the surrogacy would be used for my dad's surgery so he could walk again, but they didn't.

Sara and Mitchie squandered all the money and never went on with Dad's surgery; they made me go through the nine months just for their selfish interest.

Even with all my dad did to me, even with how I held him responsible for what was happening, he was the reason Sara and Mitchie came into our life in the first place, he was responsible for the bad way I have been treated, and I even tried to help him, but Sara and Mitchie squandered the money.

Sara laughed, "You were perfect for the job, and we had you do it," she stated, "You should be happy that we were able to get you married to a man with a good reputation, despite your past."

I shook my head, and my eyes went to my dad, where he was, confined to the wheelchair and unable to move. I watched as he struggled to move and speak, to support me and fight for me, but he was unable to do that.

That took me back to a few years ago when he was hale and healthy, when he was well and fine. I had always complained about Sara and Mitchie, I always told him how they maltreated me, but Dad never believed me.

Most times, I would go to bed with tears in my eyes; my dad never believed me, he never understood the pain I had to go through.

Now, he could see all that for himself, he could see that I wasn't lying, he wanted to fight and speak for me, but there was nothing he could do.

"I don't care what you do, I am not getting married to a stranger!" I retorted.

"I am just so sad that I can't beat you up right now. You are meant to be a princess for the day, and..."

"A princess? W..what do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, we lied to the family that we are a royal family, and you are a crown princess. You have to live like a Royal with him, can you see the beautiful life I gave you?" Sara laughed and pulled me up from the floor.

I just couldn't understand what she was blabbing, what beautiful life? She had made up a new life for me, based on lies, and she thinks she is doing the right thing.

She continued, "I have spent so much and put up so much drama just to make them believe that the prince would be getting married to a crown princess, so make sure you do it all right. I do not want any mistake."

I shook my head; I really didn't care about what money she had spent or the drama she had to put up to get me married to this stranger. I won't get married to anyone. Not after all she had done to me, making me carry the baby of a stranger and never letting me see my baby before he was taken away from me.

"I won't do what you want!" I shouted, and a slap landed on my face.

"Your red face will be better before your wedding in two days, I just can't hold back my hand." Sara clicked her tongue, "You are getting married to Prince Sebastian Sinclair, and you have no choice, young lady," she grabbed my hand and pulled me close, "You either do as you have been told, or watch me take the life out of your crippled dad!" She barked and turned to the instructor, "Train her till she gets the step!"

"Let's go, Mom." Mitchie stated and walked away with Sara.

"Shall we continue?" The instructor said.

I turned to my dad; Sara's words rang in my head again. She had said she would take life out of my dad if I didn't do what she wanted.

Even though I held my dad responsible for all that was happening to me, I still loved him so much that I wouldn't be able to live if something bad happens to him again. Except for my dad, the only one who had my back was Bert, my stepbrother who has been deployed to the army.

Bert would always go against his mom and sister because of me, but he wasn't here to help me in this time.

I sighed and wiped my tears, at least I would be away from Sara and Mitchie when I get married to this man. I would be away from their maltreatment. I never can tell, he might treat me better than I ever thought.

"Yes, let's begin." I sniffled and resumed the lesson.