Chapter 002

**Celine’s POV**

On the wedding day, I was dressed up in my twin sister’s room, so the guests would believe I was Clara. I never thought this day would actually come. Me, helping my famous sister cover up for her own wedding.

I wore a long white wedding dress that swept the ground as I walked. The makeup artist painted my face with heavy makeup, and I hated to admit it, but I do not like makeup.

I sat there and allowed them to transform me into my sister’s preferred choice of bride, with my bare back exposed and my breasts on full display.

This is not the wedding day that I had dreamt of. I was taking my twin sister’s place as the bride when she is actually alive and modeling in another state.

“Mmm,” I sighed once the makeup artist was done. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and could not believe the stunning woman staring back at me.

Soon, my father arrived, dressed in a black tailored suit and shoes. He asked me, “Are you ready, Clara? You look so beautiful.”

I saw the proud smile on my father’s face. He was seeing me as Clara, his most treasured daughter, and not Celine, the one who wanted to marry a pauper.

I shut my eyes and mimicked my twin sister’s composure, the way she smiled with that wide grin on her face.

“Yes, Dad,” I replied, stretching the smile further, and I wondered how long I could keep up this act.

“Let’s go.” My father escorted me downstairs, and I saw the black Bentley waiting to take me to the wedding.

I had never sat in a Bentley before, so I was nervous, unlike my sister, who traveled from one location to another and went on vacations with her rich boyfriend sponsoring all her trips.

We sat in eerie silence as the car driver started the car and drove us down to the wedding venue.

I was nervous, and by the time we got to the big church where the wedding was being held, my heart was pounding.

I sucked in a deep breath as I got out of the car. The lined-up maids welcomed me by spreading flowers as I stepped down.

This was an elite wedding, and my father held my left hand tenderly and escorted me into the church, which was packed with top-notch guests.

My heartbeat grew louder in my chest with each step I took into the church and toward the altar, where Clara’s fiancé, Jace Augustus, stood.

Jace was a tall, dark-skinned man. Clara was so lucky to have him.

Jace was still a single, hot bachelor at 35. He was not a man to mess with.

Seeing him standing so close to me as my father and I finally reached the altar, Dad handed me over to Jace for the priest to join us in holy matrimony.

I was nervous. I felt like I was going to faint at any moment, as Jace smiled and took off my veil to reveal my face to him.

I gulped hard and recalled that I was not Clara and had to act like her.

How would Clara have reacted on her wedding day? Excited? Emotional? Casual? I did not know, but I smiled widely so Jace would not suspect anything as his black eyes looked into my blue ones for a brief moment.

I grinned wider so Jace would not think that I was not his woman. I had heard from Clara that Jace had never cheated on her, despite his influence and how many women wanted him.

Jace was a politician and looked like a Greek god as he stood there towering above me.

Clara and I were of average height, thanks to the heels she had chosen for me to wear. This was her preferred wedding dress and shoes.

“Can we start the union?” the priest’s voice brought us back to reality, and Jace stepped aside while the priest recited the prayers and joined us as one.

“Do you, Clara Mason, take Jace Augustus to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

I looked at my sister’s fiancé, who was about to become my husband. If only he knew that I was not Clara, his woman.

Jace smiled, wanting me to say “I do,” as he saw how hesitant I looked.

The priest continued, “Do you promise to love and obey him, and to be faithful to him, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” I replied, shutting my blue eyes because I could not meet Jace’s gaze. As the priest asked Jace the same question, “Do you, Jace Augustus, take Clara Mason to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

“I do,” Jace replied, as the priest asked him once more, “Do you promise to love and cherish her, and to be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Jace smiled, looking at me like I was his real bride and genuinely happy to be wedded to me, thinking I was my twin sister.

“I now pronounce you both man and wife. You may kiss your bride,” the priest concluded just as Jace and I recited our vows and wore the wedding rings.

I was hesitant to wear his ring, which symbolized love, trust, and commitment. I could not believe I was doing this, like I was acting in a movie for my twin sister’s replacement.

Jace slipped the diamond ring onto my left finger, and I shut my eyes as he pulled me closer and sealed his lips on mine, not bothering to know whether I wanted to kiss him or not.

His lips claimed mine, kissing me tenderly at first, as the hall erupted in a round of applause. And well-wishers screamed, “Happy married life!”

Jace pulled away after a while and gazed into my eyes like he already suspected that I was not his bride.

We took pictures with his parents, who were very happy about the wedding, and with my parents too. I stood there anxiously, taking several photos with the priest, my parents, Jace’s parents, the bridesmaids, and the best man.

Lily, my sister’s best friend, was the bridesmaid, and I wondered if she knew I was taking Clara’s place. But I was sure Clara never told anyone about her plans. Lily hugged me excitedly and squealed, “Congratulations, Clara! I am so happy for you!”

“Thank you,” I replied.

We took more wedding pictures in the church until Jace held my hand tightly and kissed my lips once more.

“Come on, my wife. You don’t have to act shy like this is your first time kissing me. Let’s go to our wedding reception.”

Jace lifted me off the ground, and I was stunned as he carried me away with that firm arms.

I wanted to tell him that I am not Clara. This has to stop. Should I tell him the truth or continue acting as my sister’s replacement?

I shut my eyes, inhaling Jace’s cologne. It had a relaxing aroma.