Unwanted Bride

Astrid POV

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

Behind me, the band struck up another song. Someone called for the bride and groom to share a dance.

Knox got to his feet, and I followed.

He stood motionless, his gray eyes fixed on my face, then he turned around and left.

I turned and saw my mother's ashen face.

I could only wonder what Knox was going to do now.

He only made it three steps away before he stopped.

His shoulders went rigid. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

My mouth dried up in fear. I was sure he was about to proclaim to everyone present that I was a fraud who had conned him into marriage.

Some of the guests who noticed went quiet, a ripple of silence spreading from the groom like a stone dropped in still water.

Then he turned around.

And walked back to me.

Before I could speak, before I could breathe, his hand closed around my wrist. Not hard enough to hurt. Hard enough to make it clear I had no choice.

"We need to talk," he said through clenched teeth. "Privately."

I quickly started following him, a strained smile on my face so that the guests would not notice that something was amiss.

Close on our heels was Mother.

When we got far enough from the wedding party that no one could hear us, she spoke.

"What is wrong, Ingrid?"

I could hear the fear in her voice; it made me more fearful.

My heart was thudding too painfully that I could not be bothered to answer.

By the time we got to a room, Knox opened the door, then pushed me in before coming in after me.

Now that he was still, the tension vibrated off him like an actual physical force. I took a step back at the hate in his eyes.

"Isn't it too early to be having a lovers' spat?" Mom said, the false tone ringing under the forced cheerfulness.

"Where is my wife?" Knox growled.

I saw Mom flinch from the corner of my eye, but she recovered immediately.

"What are you talking about?" She continued cheerfully, "There is your wife, you play too much." She gestured towards me.

The door flew open again, but this time it was Knox's parents.

"Knox, what is the matter?" Mrs Gage asked,

"You can't just barge out of your wedding reception, no matter how impatient you are to begin your honeymoon." Mr Gage joked.

Knox's eyes remained on my face, and he repeated.

"Where is my wife?"

At the silence, he thundered, "Astrid, where is Ingrid!"

I backed up against the wall, seeking escape.

"What do you mean, Astrid?" Knox's mother looked from Knox to my face.

Realization dawned on her face, and she turned to my mom and asked in chilling coldness. "Ada, what is the meaning of this?"

The door opened again, and my father stepped in, took in the tension in the room, and probably figured out what was happening.

"What is wrong?" He still asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before a word could come out, my mother started wailing.

"Knox says that this is Astrid, not Ingrid."

My brow furrowed in confusion.

"Do you mean to tell me you don't know which of your children is the bride?" Mrs Knox chidded in irritation.

"You all must have been in this to humiliate my family." She continued in disgust. "I told Knox not to marry into such a desperate family."

"Olivia, how could you accuse us of such?" Mother cried out. "How could I know Astrid was up to such mischief?"

"But mother…" I protested.

*SLAP*

My eyes filled with tears at the unexpected slap from my father.

I held my burning cheek and stared up at the anger in his eyes.

"How dare you shame the family like this?" He roared. "Do you understand the severity of what you have done?"

I stared in disbelief, fear prickling at the realization that my parents were throwing me under the bus.

They had chosen to save themselves and their precious daughter and left me out in the rain.

Such a smooth lie, I smiled at the swift change from desperate begging to viciously blaming me.

'Who can I blame? I allowed myself to be used.'

"What did you do?" Knox demanded.

I shivered at the cold, quiet tone.

He looked like I was some shit he had picked up with his expensive shoes.

I was too tired to cry, so I just clasped my hands together.

"Please, Knox…" I begged.

"Where is Ingrid?" He echoed

"I don't know," I answered. I looked up at my parents' faces, hopeful.

But if I were looking for help from those quarters, nothing was coming.

Just disdain and relief that the heat had moved from them and solely on my head.

"We gave you everything we could," Mother cried. "Why would you do that to your own sister?"

"What are we going to do?" Mrs Gage asked, "We can't allow her to take advantage of us like this."

"Oh the scandal, the scandal!" She cried.

I looked at my mother, waiting for her to say something.

She avoided my eyes.

"If anyone learns of this, if this gets out that we were conned by this twit, our shares will plummet." Mr Gage said coldly. "We cannot annul the wedding."

"The bitch has us trapped." Mrs Gage erupted.

Knox stared at me for a tense-filled second.

"You wanted to be her so badly that you wore her dress and signed her name," Knox said, stopping his pacing and approaching me like a predator.

"Fine. You’re my wife. But you don't get the life she was going to have. You’re going to help me find her, and until then, you will play this part so perfectly that even God is fooled."

With that, he turned on his heel and left me alone in the study.

*

I don't know what excuses were made for our disappearance, but I was bundled out of the garden and into a stretch limo.

Surprisingly, Knox got in after me.

I guessed he did that to keep up appearances.

I had to smile and wave at the wedding guests while Knox sat stiffly beside me. I could imagine that he could not bear to spend another second beside me.

His scent permeated the entire car, and I could not pretend he was not there. I was so painfully aware of him.

The tight jaw, the furrowed brow. I was afraid to breathe too loudly.

I thought about Ingrid. Wondered where she was.

'Probably on some beach with fine white sand and clear blue water,' I mused angrily, dashing an errant tear from my cheek.

I swore to myself that the next time I saw her, I would strangle her.

And as for my parents, I did not know how, but I would get even with them.

My heart was bursting from the betrayal.

The car soon pulled up in front of the magnificent estate that was supposed to be Knox and Ingrid's chance to build a new life, but judging from Knox's expression, it was about to become my prison.

The butler came forward and helped me out of the car. I thought Knox was going to come down after me, but the car zoomed off.

Standing before me was a line of staff. I watched the confusion on their faces at my husband's hasty departure.

The unwanted bride, whose husband did not bother to accompany her into their home for the first time.

I tried to put on a bold face and smiled, but it felt shallow.

They greeted me and led me to a huge room.

Immediately I stepped in, I saw the dark hues of the room with its massive king-sized bed.

With its clean lines and minimal furniture, I could tell that this was Knox's room.

I wondered why the servants had led me here because I knew that Knox would not accept me being in his space.

But I was too exhausted and embarrased to call them and ask them to move me out of his room.

The worst that could happen had happened.

I stripped off the heavy wedding dress and crawled into bed in my silk underwear.

As I placed my head on the pillow, I inhaled Knox's scent. Cedar and musk.

I had craved being close enough to breathe his scent, but not like this.

Despite how unsettled I was feeling, I soon fell asleep.

Until I felt warm hands on my body, followed by lips, kissing desperately.