Chapter 0002

•ANEIRA•

"Rafael Sterling doesn't know your sister died, so you must impersonate her. Can you do it?" My mother stared at me.

"Why wasn't he told?" I scoffed. "If this arrangement is to save my father and cancel his debt, shouldn't he know he's marrying me instead of Narra?"

"He wanted Narra and loved her. How could he love you, Aneira?" She chuckled. “You think he’d want you now that your sister’s gone? But since you asked, I told him you were the one who had died in the accident. He’s probably going to express his sympathy.”

I looked away as she brushed my hair, styling and preparing it for the wedding, which was in three hours.

Since my mother had decided my fate and tied it to a man who had a history of being involved in illegal businesses, including selling weapons and drugs, it was better than holding on to a love that never existed.

Chris broke my heart, and I still felt it aching at the thought of everything we had been through. The things we planned and wanted to do together.

I was stuck with nothing but memories of what could've been. The love that made me feel safe, loved, and nurtured never existed.

"Can I see my father before the wedding?" I turned to my mother when she finished styling my hair, and she frowned at my request.

"What do you need to speak with your father about? He needs to rest and not get bothered by something out of his hands, Aneira. Ugh," she groaned. "You can be a handful sometimes. Do you know?"

"I won't take thirty minutes, Mother. I promise."

She looked at me and sighed. "Fine. Jason will drive you there and bring you home in thirty minutes," she replied before she left the room.

***

"Daddy?" I grabbed his hand as I sat beside his hospital bed.

He had been in the hospital for the past two weeks after he had fallen ill a month prior. He didn't know Narra was gone and buried for a week.

My mother kept her death a secret and invited a few people close to our family to her funeral.

I didn't ask questions because Narra was her favorite daughter, and she did what she thought was best for her.

My mother was grieving in her own way and told me we didn't need to tell my father anything until he got released from the hospital.

But I couldn't imagine how painful it would be if he found out when he got released from the hospital that Narra had died, and according to my mother, it was my fault.

"Where am I?" he mumbled, fluttering his eyes open and looking around the room.

A doctor told me he had sedated him and had to be operated on as soon as we had settled his hospital bills because he might not survive another week in the hospital.

I hoped Rafael would pay the bill as soon as we officiated our marriage. My father was all I had, and I didn't want to lose him.

"You're in the hospital, Father. But don't worry, you'll receive a liver donor soon and return home. Mom and I miss you."

"No," he groaned. "They should have let me die. Emma will finish what she started."

"No, father. Mom wants you to come home."

"Who are you?" He retaliated, snapping his hand from my grip. "Did she send you here to kill me?" He looked at me, barely able to recognize my voice and face.

He couldn't tell who had visited him between me and Narra, but I knew he didn't get along with Narra. He believed that our mother was corrupting her, treating her as a woman when she was only a girl.

"Father, it's me. Your daughter." I touched his hand, leaning closer so he could see my face.

He furrowed his brow as he looked at me, taking in all my facial features before he breathed. "I'm sorry. The pills they gave me here are messing with my vision."

"It's okay. You'll be fine and out of this place."

"Where's Narra?" He asked, and my heart skipped a beat.

"I am Narra, father. Can't you tell?" I was wearing her clothes and smelling like her.

My mother had styled my hair to match hers before she died so that Rafael wouldn't suspect me when we married.

"You're Narra?" He gasped. "You were angry at me the last time we talked because I had failed to pay your tuition fees. What happened?"

"I'm getting married in a few hours, and I wanted us to make peace before my wedding. I don't want to walk down the aisle still mad at you," I replied, tears threatening to escape my eyes.

I never thought it would be this hard to lie to my father about my identity. We had an amazing relationship and knew he was my best friend.

He understood me.

"Where's Aneira?" He asked as if he hadn't heard what I said about my wedding.

If I had to be wedded to Rafael as Narra, then I had to let my father know Aneira had died a few days ago. As hard as that was, it would make things easier for me to pretend that I was my sister and get Rafael to save his life.

"Aneira died in a car accident a few days ago. Mom said we had to keep the truth from you because you were in a critical condition then. She didn't want to make things worse for you. I'm sorry, Father."

"Aneira's dead?" His voice choked. "No, no. She can't be dead. What happened to her?" He cried.

I stood up from the bed and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry, Father. But this wedding will save your life and cancel the debt you created with Rafael. Perhaps that would mend our relationship, and you would love me as you loved her."

He looked away and said nothing as he continued crying. My cell phone chimed, and when I saw a text from Jason asking me to finish what I was doing, I looked at my father one last time.

"I love you, Daddy." I turned around and left the hospital, ready to marry the beast.