REBIRTH OF THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE

CHAPTER 1

This is definitely the day I die!

The sleek black car glided through the city like a cage carrying me to my own funeral. Yes, my own funeral!

I sat in the back seat of the car with my hands clenched so tightly in my lap that my nails dug crescents into my palms. The white silk wedding gown felt suffocating, the lace scratching against my skin like a rash, and the veil was just a constant reminder of the role I was forced to play. A bride for the monster, worse, a substitute bride.

Through the tinted windows, the world outside looked normal, people were walking, laughing, and living their lives, while mine had been signed away in a day.

The driver didn’t speak to me. Honestly though, what was there to say? He knew he was driving me to my doom, he couldn't expect to be making small talk right now.

We pulled up to the courthouse, it was a grand stone building that successfully made me look smaller than I already felt. A small group waited on the steps: lawyers, a stern-looking woman I assumed was Kade’s mother, and him.

Kade Lannister.

My husband to be.

Even from a distance, he was devastating. Tall and broad-shouldered, with sharp, aristocratic features, dark hair slightly tousled, and piercing eyes that seemed to cut through everything they touched. He wore a tailored black suit that emphasized his powerful frame, but his posture was loose, almost careless.

As I stepped out of the car on shaky legs, I caught the faint scent of whiskey on the breeze.

He was already drinking? Wow.

His mother, Victoria, gave me a cold once-over.

“So, this is the Hale bride,” she said flatly, as if appraising livestock. 

There was no warmth in her voice. But as her sharp eyes lingered on my face—scanning the heavy makeup, the dress, and the lack of Bella’s usual confidence—suspicion crossed her features. She didn't look fooled. 

Kade’s gaze finally landed on me. He blinked slowly, taking in my dress, but there was no spark of recognition or affection. 

I didn't expect any recognition or suspicion from him though; he didn’t exactly know who I was.

To him, I was a business transaction. A lady named Bella Hale whom he had to marry to save her family from bankruptcy, nothing more.

“Shall we get this over with?” he said, his voice low and rough around the edges. He offered me his arm mechanically. I took it because, I had no choice. His arm felt like steel, cold and solid.

 The ceremony was mercifully short. Thank God. There were no guests beyond the necessary witnesses; even my parents didn't come. I wasn't even surprised, just disappointed.

A bored officiant read the vows while Kade stood beside me, swaying slightly. When it was my turn to speak, my voice came out barely above a whisper.

“I do.” I don't! I don't! I fucking don't!

Kade’s “I do” was firmer, but slurred at the edges. He didn’t look at me.

He signed the marriage papers, then slid the pen toward me. My hand shook as I wrote Aurora Hale—my real name—not Bella.

Victoria stepped forward immediately, taking the document from the table before the lawyer could even reach for it. She scanned the paper, her eyes pausing deliberately right over my name.

I held my breath, every muscle in my body locking up. I waited for her to expose me. To stop the wedding. To scream fraud.

But she didn't.

Instead, Victoria smoothly folded the document and handed it to the lawyer with an unreadable, icy calm.

My heart hammered in my chest as the truth hit me. 

She knew! She fucking knew! Victoria knew I wasn't Bella. 

Then why wasn't she saying anything? Did she have an agreement with my parents? 

Or did she know about my sister's promiscuity and childishness and would rather accept the the quiet and compliant Hale sister?

Why was she letting this lie happen?

When the officiant pronounced us husband and wife, Kade leaned in and pressed a brief,  kiss to my lips. It was cold and awkward and I almost gagged.

Then he pulled back and muttered, “Bella… let’s go home.”

The name hit like a slap, even though I’d expected it. I was after all supposed to be Bella Hale, after being forced to be my bratty sister's substitute.

The ride to the Lannister mansion was silent except for the occasional clink of the flask Kade lifted to his lips.

Then suddenly, his hand found my thigh, sliding possessively under my gown. I gasped and shifted away from his touch, mentally chastising myself for feeling heat pull in my belly. He was beautiful. Dangerously so. But I had no feelings for this man, and there was nothing tender in his touch.

We finally reached his house. It was more of a mansion than a house, It smelled of generational wealth—from its towering walls and manicured grounds.

 Staff melted away as we entered, as if they feared to approach him. He took my hand and led me straight upstairs to the master suite.

The door clicked shut behind us and I prayed to anyone, to save me.

The room was massive—dark woods, a king-sized bed draped in black silk, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking outside. Kade shrugged off his jacket, loosening his tie with impatient fingers. His eyes, raked over me again.

“Come here, Bella,” he said, voice husky.

“I’m not Bell—” I started, but he was already pulling me close, his mouth crashing down on mine.

This kiss was nothing like the one at the courthouse. This kiss was hungry, invading and demanding. His tongue swept into my mouth, tasting of whiskey.

I tried to push him away, shoving at his chest. But he didn't budge. Instead, one large hand cupped the back of my head, the other gripping my ass, pressing my body against his.

I could feel the hard length of him already straining against his trousers.

My mind screamed to push him away, to make him understand that this was all a scam crafted by my parents, but my body—betrayed by exhaustion, fear, and something shamefully primal—responded. Heat pooled low in my belly as his hands roamed, unzipping the gown with surprising dexterity for someone so drunk. The silk pooled at my feet, leaving me in nothing but lace panties and the veil.

Kade groaned his approval, lifting me effortlessly and carrying me to the bed. He laid me down, hovering over me, his eyes dark with lust.

“Beautiful,” he muttered, mouth trailing down my neck to my pebbled nipple. “So fucking beautiful, Bella.”

I gasped as his hand slipped between my thighs, fingers stroking me through the lace before pushing it aside. He was skilled—God, he was skilled—circling my clit with practiced pressure until I was slick and aching despite everything.

Tears pricked my eyes. Shame mixed with arousal clawed my mind. This wasn’t love. This wasn’t even acknowledgement. I was a warm hole for him to stick his cock in.

“Kade… please,” I whispered, trying one last time. “My name is Aurora Hale. I’m not—”

He let out a low, dark laugh against my collarbone, thoroughly convinced in his drunken haze that his new wife was playing a coy game, spinning lies to tease him. "Still playing hard to get, Bella?" he muttered, missing the panic in my voice. "Cute."

He was already shedding his clothes, revealing a sculpted body that made my breath catch. His cock was thick and hard, flushed dark with need. He didn’t hear my truth—or rather, his brain refused to register it as anything other than bedroom roleplay.

He positioned himself between my legs, rubbing the head of his cock against my entrance, coating himself in my unwilling arousal. Then he thrust in—deep, in one powerful stroke.

I cried out, the stretch burning in the most overwhelming way. He was big, filling me completely, bottoming out with a guttural groan. “Fuck… you're so tight,” he rasped, starting to move.

His hips snapped forward in a steady rhythm. Each thrust drove him deep, the slick sound of our bodies filling the room alongside his heavy breathing. He fucked me like a man releasing pent-up frustration—hard, relentless, chasing his own pleasure. One hand pinned my hip, the other braced beside my head as he leaned down to suck on my breasts, biting gently at my nipples until they ached.

A shocked gasp escaped me as pleasure built against my will with every drag of his thick cock against that sensitive spot inside me. I bit my lip hard to stay silent, but a whimper escaped anyway.

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

He didn’t notice. His pace quickened, becoming erratic as he chased release. “Bella… yes… fuck, Bella,” he groaned, burying his face in my neck as he drove into me harder.

The name shattered what little remained of my composure.

When I thought I couldn't be more humiliated, my body proved me wrong. My orgasm crashed over me suddenly—waves of unwanted pleasure ripping through me as I clenched around him. Kade followed seconds later with a deep groan, spilling warm inside me, his hips jerking as he rode out every pulse.

Then it was over.

He collapsed beside me, breathing ragged, and passed out almost instantly, one arm draped over my waist.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, his seed leaking down my thighs. The veil had fallen off my head. My body hummed with aftershocks, but my heart felt like broken glass.

Silent sobs shook my shoulders. I turned away from him, curling into a tight ball on the edge of the massive bed. The man I was now bound to didn’t even know my real name. He had used my body, called out another woman’s name, and found his release without ever truly seeing me. And all this happened because the real Bella, my sister and parents favourite child, didn't feel like getting married yet.

I woke to the sound of paper rustling. I opened my eyes to see Kade standing by the bedside table, fully dressed in a crisp white shirt, holding the official marriage certificate.

His dark eyes scanned the document with sharp, lethal focus. Suddenly, his jaw clenched so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek.

He slowly turned to look down at me, the paper crumpled tightly in his fist. The atmosphere in the room went cold.

"Who the hell is Aurora?" his voice sliced through the silence, cold and deadly.

He tossed the document onto the mattress. "And why is her name on my marriage license instead of Bella's?"

Well, shit.