My Marriage, Their Regret

When my brother, Keith Quinn, and my childhood friend, John Webb, hinted once again that they couldn't bear to let Vanessa Quinn take my place, I wasn't nearly as shocked or upset as I had been the first time.

When I lowered my head and stayed silent, Keith took a long pause before forcing out an awkward smile. "Willow, I know Nathan is in a coma, but you never know. He could wake up any day now. And when he does, whoever's married to him will be the luckiest woman in all of Charleston."

I scoffed inwardly. If marrying a guy in a coma was such a great deal, why were they so reluctant to let Vanessa do it?

I didn't say a word. They assumed I was still in denial, and their expressions grew even more grim. But they were wrong. I had already made up my mind that I was going to marry Nathan Stone.

Out of basic courtesy, I visited the Stone family the next day.

When the Stones heard I was coming, they were over the moon. Nathan's mother, Mary Thatcher, held my hands as she wiped away her tears.

She said, "Everyone kept saying that, with Nathan like this, the Quinn family would definitely call off the wedding, but I always believed the Quinns would keep their word."

Mary then brought me into the room to see Nathan.

He was lying in bed and looked pale as a sheet. His eyes were slightly open, but there was no sign of life in him. Still, even like that, there was still this quiet elegance about him that made me space out for a moment.

The engagement between me and Nathan had been arranged by our grandfathers.

Six years ago, Nathan, the brilliant and promising heir of the Stones got into a car accident and ended up in a coma.

Keith and John felt sorry for me. They wanted to back out of the engagement, but they were afraid people would say the Quinns were cold and heartless.

So, they adopted an orphaned girl, planning to raise her until she turned 20 and have her take my place in the marriage. They named her Vanessa Quinn.

After Vanessa became part of the Quinn family, the Quinns gradually started developing feelings for her, even though they weren't supposed to. However, because she was meant to take my place, they felt guilty and grew soft on Vanessa.

They gave her insane amounts of pocket money every month, showered her with designer bags and jewelry, and bent over backwards to give her everything she wanted.

Even I had to make sacrifices for her sake. Vanessa said she liked my room because it got more sunlight, so I gave it up for her. She liked my jewelry and handbags; I gave those up, too.

She claimed she had a blood-clotting disorder and said I was the only one with a matching blood type, so I donated my blood for her.

And now, in just six years, Vanessa has managed to steal everyone's love and attention.

Both Keith and John fell for her, and whether they said it out loud or just kept hinting, they made it clear that I was the one who should go through with the engagement.

But wasn't it their idea to adopt Vanessa in the first place and have her take my place in the marriage with Nathan?

After I got back from the Stone residence, I looked at the calendar hanging in the living room and marked the date.

While I was silently counting down the days in my head, Keith and John suddenly came rushing in, one right after the other. Without a word, each of them slapped me across the face.

My ears rang, and I could taste blood in my mouth.

They didn't hold back. The force of the slaps nearly sent me into shock. But neither of them offered any explanation.

Instead, they pulled out a phone and started a video call with Vanessa. "Vanessa, look! We slapped Willow. Dare complete!"

The moment I heard that, my chest tightened so badly I could barely breathe.

I never would've guessed that those two slaps that came out of the blue were just part of some stupid game they were playing with her.

From the other end of the call came Vanessa's sweet and cheerful voice. "Keith, John, you did it! Okay, I keep my promise about eating dinner properly today."