Chapter 2:

Chapter 2:

Olivia

"You're going to marry Xander Sterling instead."

For a moment, I was convinced I hadn't heard my father correctly.

Maybe I hadn't.

Maybe the panic, the chaos, and Vanessa's disappearance had finally gotten to me.

I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh and tell me it was a bad joke.

"Dad?"

His expression never changed.

"Yes, Olivia." His voice was heavy with exhaustion. "You have to. It's the only choice we have."

I slowly turned my head.

My mother's eyes were red from crying. The wedding planner lowered her gaze. The bridesmaids stood silently, avoiding my eyes.

No one objected.

It was as if they had all silently agreed before I was even given a chance to speak.

A lump formed in my throat.

I shook my head. "No."

My voice came out barely above a whisper. "I can't do that."

My father stepped closer.

"You have to, sweetheart. For the sake of this family."

"No!" The words came out louder.

"I can't just wake up this morning expecting to attend my sister's wedding and then be told I'm the bride thirty minutes later.”

My breathing became uneven. "I can't believe you're asking me to do this, Dad."

"Olivia—"

"No." I interrupted, tears burning behind my eyes. "Marriage isn't something people jump into because they're desperate. You don't just replace one bride with another like we're changing decorations."

The room fell silent. "I don't even know him."

My father sighed. "You know the Sterling family."

"I know of the Sterling family," I corrected, my voice shaking. "I don't know Xander Sterling. I've never spoken to him. I know nothing about him."

I swallowed hard. "This isn't my wedding."

Before my father could respond, my mother walked over and gently placed both hands on my shoulders.

"Olivia," she said softly. "I know this is asking too much."

Her own voice trembled. "I know."

She squeezed my shoulders, her eyes pleading with mine.

"But please... don't be stubborn. Try to understand what's at stake."

I bit my lower lip. "I am trying to understand."

"You know why this marriage was arranged."

Of course I knew.

Years ago, my father had risked his own life to save Theodore Sterling during a terrible accident.

From that day forward, the two families had remained close.

Out of gratitude, Theodore had made a promise that one day, our families would become one through marriage.

As the years passed, that promise slowly became today's wedding.

Now Theodore Sterling was old. His health had deteriorated rapidly over the past year.

According to the doctors, he didn't have much time left.

His greatest wish was to see his only grandson, Xander Sterling, happily married before he died.

I looked back at my mother.

"But the bride ran away," I said helplessly. "That's not our fault."

"No," my mother admitted. "It isn't."

She paused, taking a shaky breath.

"But canceling this wedding minutes before the ceremony won't just embarrass the Sterling family."

Her voice cracked. "It will break an old man's heart."

The words struck me harder than I expected.

"He has waited years for this day, Olivia," she whispered. "He believes that by the end of today, he'll finally see the promise made between our families fulfilled."

A wave of guilt settled heavily in my chest.

For the first time since my father asked me to replace Vanessa I didn't know what to say.

I looked from my mother to my father, hoping one of them would tell me this was all a misunderstanding.

Neither of them did.

"There is no other choice, Olivia," my father said quietly. "Believe me... if there were, I would never ask this of you."

My mother took a hesitant step forward.

"Olivia, marrying into the Sterling family won't only fulfill Theodore's final wish..."

She paused, glancing at my father. "It will also give this family a future."

I frowned.

"You know how difficult things have been these past few years."

I did.

Ever since my father was diagnosed with a chronic heart condition, our lives had changed overnight. The illness wasn't fatal as long as it was carefully managed, but the medications, specialist appointments, and regular hospital visits drained nearly everything we had. Every month was another battle to keep up with the expenses.

My mother continued softly, "Your father has sacrificed everything for this family."

My chest tightened.

"This marriage won't erase the love we have for you," she whispered. "But it will lift a burden we've been carrying for years."

Tears blurred my vision. This wasn't fair. None of it was.

Vanessa had run away and somehow, I was the one standing in the middle of the wreckage she had left behind.

I closed my eyes.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

When I finally opened them again, I let out a shaky breath. 

"I-I'll do it."

The words came out so quietly that I barely recognized my own voice.

My mother's hand flew to her mouth. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly.

"Oh, Olivia..." she sobbed. "I know how much we're asking of you."

She pulled back, cupping my face with trembling hands. "Thank you."

My father released a breath then glanced at his watch.

"We have less than five minutes."

Immediately, the room sprang back to life.

"Quick.” the wedding planner clapped her hands. "Everyone, back to work!"

The makeup artists hurried toward me.

The hairstylists rushed to fix the loose strands around my face.

Someone carefully lifted the wedding gown from its stand while another helped me step into it.

The once joyful bridal suite had become a whirlwind of frantic movements.

No one smiled. No one celebrated. The only sound was the rustle of satin and hurried footsteps.

A few minutes later, I found myself staring at the reflection in the mirror.

The woman looking back at me wore my sister's wedding dress.

But she wasn't my sister. She was me.

The room fell strangely quiet.

"It's time," my mother whispered.

My heartbeat pounded against my ribs.

Taking one final, unsteady breath, I gathered the courage I wasn't sure I possessed and stepped out of the bridal suite.

With every step toward the ceremony, the weight of what I was about to do settled deeper into my chest.

There was no turning back now.