Rafael: The Mafia's Substitute Wife

•ANEIRA• I opened the closet and took my jacket before slamming it closed. “I don’t want to marry Rafael Sterling, Mother. Chris asked me to marry him, and I agreed. I’ve been with him for two years, and I won’t throw that away.” "I am not asking you to throw anything away, but this is the only way for us to survive, Aneira," my mother answered as she closed the door behind her. "Your father's medical bills are increasing every day, and he needs to go for surgery." I shook my head. She knew we had money in the family savings account to pay for my father’s medical bills. "We've been surviving just fine," I scoffed. "If I marry Rafael, I'll have to forget about all the dreams I have for my life." "Your sister's marriage to him was supposed to clear all our debts, but with her gone and your father in the hospital, we won't be able to pay off what we owe him. You know we've been struggling ever since your father was laid off from his job. Rafael is the only person who will pay yo

•ANEIRA• I never slept a wink that night until morning. Everything felt so wrong. I stood at the entrance of Narra’s bedroom, watching my mother erase my entire existence as she prepared my wedding to Rafael. She was mumbling something as she lined up my new identity documents on the bed. I shook my head in disbelief when I saw the new ID, driver’s license, and academic certificates, all in Narra’s name. She had paid for everything and told me not to worry about Rafael finding out about my true identity, because he wouldn't even know. I was already dressed in Narra’s wedding gown and had a thick veil over my face. My mother sighed as she straightened up and turned to me. “You won’t need to speak much,” she said as she leaned toward me. “Just the vows. Rafael has only met Narra a few times, so he won't know you're not her." I swallowed and nodded. My father was the reason I was doing this. The surgery was too expensive, and without a job, I wouldn't be able to pay his medical b

•ANEIRA• “This dress will look good on you, Narra. Rafael would be happy to see you in it, trust me.” Sandra laid several dresses on the bed, smoothing the fabric with careful hands as if my opinion truly mattered. “Whichever one you choose will be fine,” I answered, forcing a faint smile that barely hid how little I cared about pleasing Rafael. She studied my face and sighed, then stepped closer and took my hands in hers. “I know this is hard for you, but Rafael is your husband now. To survive in this house, you must accept your new life. That is the only way you might win his heart.” I gently pulled my hands away and took a step back. “Which dress am I wearing?” She handed me a blue mermaid gown and helped me with my hair once I was dressed. When she was finally done preparing me for Rafael’s business conference, a knock came at the door. Sandra hurried to open it, bowed when she saw Rafael, and stepped aside to let him into the room. I rolled my eyes and sighed. If only some

•RAFAEL•“Hey, Daddy.”When I tilted my head and saw Amari walk in, I rolled my eyes and sighed.The sound of her voice and even her face made me angry, especially when I thought of the last image I had of her.“You don’t look too happy to see me. Why?” She closed the door of my office and walked toward my table.“I’m working, Amari. What are you doing here?”“Polly told me about your marriage, and I had to come and confirm it myself. I thought we had a good thing going on, Raf, or was it all in my head?” She asked as she sat in front of me.“You should leave my office.”“Come on, Raf, I have apologized for what happened. Do you have to punish me by bringing another woman between us?” She stood up from her chair and walked toward me, stood behind my chair, and placed her hands on my shoulders.I stood up and glared at her. After what she did, I didn’t want to see her near me.She knew I would never forgive her for what she had done.“Polly’s statement about your infatuation seemed lik

•ANEIRA•[MEMORY FLASHBACK]“How many times have I told you to stop playing with Narra’s toys, Aneira?!” My mom scolded me when she found me in Narra’s room. “Stay out!”I looked at Narra, who was pouting, and I couldn’t understand what our mother meant. Narra and I were twins and shared everything in our lives.“She plays with my toys as well, Mom. Did I do something wrong?” I cried.“Listen to me,” my mother grabbed my shirt. “I don’t want to see you in Narra’s room. Do you understand? If I see you here again, I’ll give you the beating of your life, and you’ll never forget it.”Narra smiled behind her, and I nodded when I turned my attention to my mother.I took my torn teddy bear from the floor and walked to the door.“I want new toys, Mommy. I don’t want to play with the ones Aneira has played with.”“Don’t worry, baby. Mommy will buy you new toys.”When I looked behind and saw my mother hugging Narra, my heart broke because I didn’t know why she didn’t like me.Narra and I looked