Chapter One

Where is my bride! “,

 Adrian said furiously, as he stomped towards the bride's father. 

“sh…she…was…just here”, the father said with a trembling voice. 

“ you must take me for a fool Hendrick “, 

Adrian said angrily as he ordered every entry and exit to be closed and every room should be checked, 

he was not going to let her escape that easily. 

The guards started carrying out the orders, some guests that were just arriving were furious as to being locked out of the wedding entrance, 

While inside the venue, the guests and some staff started murmuring about the shocking scene that just happened, and they were wondering what it was all about. 

while Adrian was questioning the bride's family and said,

 “you seem to have forgotten why we are doing all this, now let me remind you. if the marriage doesn't occur today, then none of you shall live comfortably. mark my wo—”, 

Before he could finish that sentence, the guards had interrupted, with their entrance. 

they found the runaway bride “disguised” as a chef, the chef kept begging them that they must surely be mistaken, that she isn’t in any disguise.

 Adrian shut her up saying “you thought you could escape huh maria”.

 “Maria?”, 

she said in confusion, “sir I am Natalie”,

 no one believed her, and all called her the name of another, it was all getting scary for her.

 Adrian then told the bride's family to get Maria dressed up for the wedding. 

Natalie was taken forcefully to a room, she continued screaming and begging that she's not Maria, and they're mistaken .

she was taken to a wide and pink coloured bedroom, and presented a wedding gown with accessories, Natalie grabbed the bride's mother shakily,

”what's all these about?, who are these people…an…an…and why are they calling me Maria not Natalie!?.”

she started telling the mother that she's actually a chef, and has been cooking since she learnt how to walk,

 She's been an orphan since birth, and has always taken care of herself as well as fed herself, that's how she learnt her cooking skills.

She's not from the city and only moved here because of the city's great job opportunities, then got the job of wedding catering services, hence why she was at the wedding. 

Caitlyn responded

 “poor child, you're probably facing the wedding stress, do not worry too much, after the wedding, all these would be over,”

Natalie replied confused

”over?,—what would be over, and I'm not your child!, please believe me!, I cannot marry that man, I'm not Maria please,”

then a knock was heard on the door, “surely it doesn't take that long to get dressed up”

It was one of Adrian's men.

“We're almost done,” Caitlyn replied,

Then to Natalie , she showed a picture of Maria with Adrian, 

“Do you want to tell me now that this isn't you?,” 

Natalie was shocked, Maria looked exactly like her, from the face, the body size, even the hair type, which was a silky straight Chestnut like Brown type of hair.

She then understood the confusion . she told Caitlyn that they are probably lookalikes and they are not the same person,

 Natalie smiled thinking she could finally leave. 

oh! it was not so. Caitlyn grabbed Natalie's wrist and with a switch of tone,

“listen child ,I don't know what games you want to play, but do know this. You are marrying Adrian either by hook or crook!”. 

Caitlyn stomped out of the room and locked it from the outside,

As Caitlyn left, The bridal room was chaos. Voices overlapped everywhere.

“Fix the veil!”,

“Where’s the makeup artist?,”

“Hurry, the ceremony is starting!.”

Natalie froze on the makeup chair as three women rushed around her like she belonged there. 

"I keep telling you people,” 

she said for what felt like the hundredth time, 

"I'm not the person you think I am,”

No one listened . 

The bridesmaids continued with their duties, one started fixing Natalie's hair, 

another pressed a brush against her face, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. 

wondering why her life is always terrible, it's every girl's dream to have a wedding, but to her at the moment, it was nothing more than a nightmare. 

"listen" she said again, trying to stay calm. 

"you're making a huge mistake,” 

one of the bridesmaids rolled her eyes,

 "oh please, Running away was one thing, but pretending you've lost your memory?, come on Maria that's just ridiculous,”

"I'm not pretending,” Natalie replied 

"you expect us to believe that?,”

"yes!,”

the bridesmaids exchanged looks, one of them sighed loudly , and said 

"Maria it is no time for games", 

Natalie's patience snapped., 

"My name isn't Maria!,” 

 The room fell silent, for a moment everyone started at her. Then someone laughed "oh wow", another said "Now she's trying a new excuse". 

"I'm not —.”

The door suddenly opened, everyone thought it was Caitlyn and then turned towards the opened door,

A tall man stepped inside. The room instantly became quiet. His presence alone seemed to command silence. The bridesmaids straightened immediately.

 "Sir", one of them said respectfully . 

he didn't look at them, his eyes were only on Natalie. The air in the room changed.

His gaze was sharp, cold and completely unreadable. For a moment he said nothing . He simply studied her, 

With an intimidating look in his eyes, she knew he must be the groom, The man she was apparently about to marry . 

He walked slowly towards her,

"Everybody out", he said calmly. 

The bridesmaids hesitated. " Sir she isn't done—", 

"Out!,” he replied. 

Within seconds the room emptied. The door closed behind them, now it was just the two of them. 

Silence filled the room. He stood a few feet away, watching her carefully.

She stood up from the chair.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said quickly. “You need to listen to me.”

His expression didn’t change.

“You ran away.”

“No!,” she replied,

“You disappeared an hour before the ceremony.”

“Because I’m not your bride!”

He tilted his head slightly. Like he was studying something strange.

“That’s an interesting excuse.”

“It’s not an excuse!, I'm so fed up with this going in circles”. She stepped closer. “You have the wrong person.”

He looked down at her calmly.

“You expect me to believe that?”, His gaze moved slowly over her face

“You look exactly like her.”

“I know!”, she replied 

“Same voice, same face.”

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

“I don’t know how! But I swear I’m not the woman you were supposed to marry.”

Silence filled the room again. Then he asked a simple question.

“What’s my name?”

Her mouth opened. Then closed, She had no idea.

He watched her carefully, “You don’t know,” he said.

“i don't”, she replied 

“And yet you expect me to believe you’re not pretending.”

“I’m not pretending!”

He stepped closer, His height made him even more intimidating.

“You disappeared this morning,” he said calmly. “And now you’re claiming you’re a stranger.”

“Because I am!”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Is this your way of trying to escape the wedding?”

he then chuckled as he stepped back.

“The ceremony starts in ten minutes.”

Her stomach dropped.

“What?”

“We’re already late,” he replied.

“You can’t be serious.”

He looked completely serious, He started walking toward the door, He stopped briefly and replied 

“Don’t try running again", 

Then he left. The door closed behind him.

She stared at it in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?!"

The bridesmaids then hurriedly entered the room. One of the bridesmaids grabbed her arm again and pushed her back into the chair.

The makeup artist rushed forward again.

“This is kidnapping", Natalie muttered.

“No,” one bridesmaid replied calmly.

“This is a wedding.”

Then Natalie was walked towards the alter

She barely heard a word, Her heart pounded too loudly.

The guests watched eagerly.

And then Adrian's gaze suddenly dropped.

For the first time that day, his expression changed.

His eyes fixed on the silver necklace resting against Natalie's throat.

A silver coin split perfectly down the middle.

The color drained from his face.

Slowly, almost unconsciously, his hand moved beneath his suit jacket.

To the matching half he had carried for fifteen years.

The noise of the hall faded.

Impossible.

The thought struck him like lightning.

Because only one person in the world should possess the other half.

And that girl had disappeared years ago.