Chapter 1

Jax

“Shit,” I muttered as I stared at the pregnancy test in Nora's hand. It’s positive. She’s pregnant. 

My sister's hands flew to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. How the hell is she going to face our father?

"Oh my God... this is a disaster." 

Disaster? That would be such a nice thing to say at this point, but this is far more than a disaster.

Nora's wedding to Charles Wade is in just a few days, and she’s pregnant. 

With another man’s baby.

"What am I going to do?" she asked, pacing around the room like she was about to pass out. "God, I'm so scared!'

Nora stood up from the bed, racing her fingers through her hair. I could see the fear in her eyes, on her face, and on her body. 

The goosebumps, the red skin, the teary eyes… they weren’t doing justice to how she truly was feeling. 

If Father doesn’t kill her, Charles Wade will. 

He’s known as the devil incarnate.  According to words on the street, he’s the symbol of ultimate evil, and what’s worse? Nobody really knows this man. 

With everything we’ve been told, I understand why Nora is scared. She has every right to be scared. She's going to lose everything if she doesn't carry out her duty to the family by marrying Charles.

Father owes Charles Wade.. so much that he has to give him his daughter, Nora. After all, she's the one who has a proper job and doesn't stay out late. 

I watched as the tears slipped out of her eyes, followed by another. Her heartbreak is so clear, so devastating, that I feel an echo of it inside my own chest.

“You don’t understand, Jax. He'll kill me if he finds out. He doesn’t forgive lies and you know what they say about him.”

I do. I know. 

Nora doesn’t deserve to suffer like this. She's being forced to marry an old man she doesn't love and—

"Oh my God," I cussed and without thinking things through, I placed my hand on her shoulder in a bid to calm her down. "I'll marry Charles."

"What? Jax?"

I'm the sibling who no one gives a fuck about but Nora has always protected me. Her whole life, she’s been molded by our parents to be the perfect daughter; obedient and self-sacrificial. 

"Yes," I answered. "I'll take your place, marry the guy just so you don't have to pull the baby or leave Lewis. I know you love him, and I know how much you love him."

"He's not a guy, Jax... he's like forty years older than you."

That makes him sixty-four years old? Damn. 

"You can't just—" she paused, turning to face the wall and then back at me. "You're not going to ruin your life because of me."

"I'm not the one who's pregnant," I casually said. "I mean.. I don't see how I have anything left to lose."

That was supposed to be a joke, being that my relationship with my boyfriend ended two weeks ago. The universe has a way of making you the sacrifice for your family, right?

I brushed my hair off my neck, feeling a nervous heat creep up my skin. I know she's right, I can't just do it but I want to.

It's like a challenge I want to get off the road, just so Nora does not have to do anything stupid. 

"Don't you worry about me, Nora. As long as one of us saves the family from this deal, it doesn’t matter who wears the dress.” 

Her phone buzzed on the table and just as she reached for it, Charles' name popped up on the screen.

I watched as she swallowed the lump in her throat before reading the text.

"What?" I queried.

"It's tonight.."

Her breathing became frantic and her eyes got teary again. “It’s tonight… I am in so much trouble… It’s tonight, Jax.”

Thrown into a state of confusion, my brows arched together and I looked at her. 

"What is tonight?" 

Last I checked, the wedding is meant to be in three days. Three days from today so what could be tonight?

"He's supposed to have sex with me tonight... to confirm that I'm what he wants," Nora explained.

I choked on my saliva. "What???"

****

I remained in the bathroom for almost twenty minutes. I've gargled water, spat out saliva, and even poured water on my hair but none of it was working...

I can't seem to get a grip on myself. Yes, I made the decision myself but I didn't think having sex with a man old enough to be my father was on the list.

“Damn it, Jax… you need to get your shit together. This isn’t you.”

I've never met Charles Wade, well Nora has never met him either but she knew she'd have been doing this and I'm just finding out!

It makes all the difference and explains why I’m feeling this way. 

I'm going to meet Charles Wade and I'm going to have my father tell him I'm taking Nora's place. It should have been that simple but things just got a bit complicated now.

"You have this under control, Jax." I swallowed hard and applied the red lipstick to my full lips. 

The door to the room creaked open and my hand stopped, mascara wand poised. "Oh my God." 

"What's taking you so long?" my father asked. "We don't have all the time, Jax. Wade doesn't like to be kept waiting."

I nodded, not wanting to show how scared I was. It's all thick skin— the makeup, the dress, and even the smile. 

I smoothed my gown and forced a smile to my face. “I’m ready, Father.”

"I've never been sure you'd make a beautiful bride but I guess I can be allowed to be wrong sometimes. hm?"

Without waiting for my response, he turned away, letting the door slam behind him. 

Damn it. 

I shut my eyes, taking one deep breath. What if I decide to run away?

I know I promised to take Nora's place but…what if it isn’t worth it?