I'm Not A Substitute, I'm His Aunt

"A blatant lie!"

Elaine sized me up from head to toe, her eyes filled with disdain.

"Nolan's grandma is over eighty, how could she have a daughter about Nolan's age?!"

She suddenly smiled triumphantly.

"You just don't have the guts to admit it because you're afraid I would mess with you!"

I stood up and said impatiently, "My mom had me pretty late, and my elder sister got pregnant young. Is it that weird for Nolan and I to be about the same age? If you don't believe me, just ask your husband and in-laws!"

But Elaine's logic continued to defy my expectations.

She pointed at my face and scoffed.

"Nice try. You think I'll let you see Nolan and his parents by saying that? I will never let that happen! Take a look at yourself in the mirror… Don't you think we look similar? And this necklace!"

She reached into her neckline and pulled out a necklace that looked very similar to the one I was wearing.

"This is the token of our love. Nolan gave it to me when I was 18! You even copied the necklace, and you still claim you're not imitating me?!"

The surrounding guests immediately started whispering, looking at me with contempt.

"She's definitely a substitute, it's as clear as day."

"I can't believe the homewrecker dares to show up at the wedding. Does she have a death wish?"

The comments also went into a frenzy:

[I almost fell for her lies! The necklace is irrefutable proof!]

[Too bad Master Nolan loves his sweetheart Elaine to death. The substitute is just humiliating herself!]

I rolled my eyes so hard my pupils almost reached the back of my head.

I designed that necklace years ago. The first one I made was flawed, and Nolan begged me for it to give to Elaine.

The one I wore was the completed final product.

As for the two of us looking alike… I gazed at Elaine with disdain.

"Has it never crossed your mind that maybe I influenced Nolan's beauty standards growing up, so he fell for someone who looked like me? After all, he's always thought I looked pretty. In a sense, you're my substitute."

Elaine refused to believe a single word I said and just thought I was being delusional.

She looked at me with a hint of arrogant pity.

"I know you must be really frustrated because you stayed by Nolan's side for ten years as a substitute for me but he's now marrying me. Even so, you can't resort to poisoning our wine to kill us both!"

I frowned and was about to say something when I was interrupted by a woman's wail.

"My poor daughter! You haven't even married Nolan yet and someone's already trying to poison you!"

She was a middle-aged woman who wore a designer coat but still exuded a crude vibe. She was Elaine's mother, Sandra.

I took a deep breath, and, out of respect for her being an elder, suppressed my anger and explained, "I didn't poison any..."

Before I could finish, Sandra's tear-stained face shifted instantly to a fierce expression. She turned to me and yelled, "Oh, really? You didn't poison the wine, huh? Then drink it. If you drink it, we'll believe you!"

I almost laughed out loud. What a set-up.

First, Elaine established the narrative that the frustrated substitute wanted to poison her and Nolan because Nolan was marrying someone else.

Then, Elaine's mother stepped forward to force the "substitute" to drink the poisoned wine, both to intimidate her and to hurt her.

I wonder where the real substitute was.

I quietly scanned the entire venue.

Sure enough, I found a girl wearing a mask, hiding in the shadows.

The miniature camera on her chest was flashing a faint red light.

What a clever girl.