Two

In the six-foot mirror, a perfect bride looked at Astrid, she looked back.

The satin dress, embellished with hand-stitched seed pearls and diamonds, was a custom creation that had taken months and countless hands to create.

It had cost hundreds of thousands.

Only the best for Knox Gage's bride.

It was beautiful, no doubt, but it made Astrid feel even worse.

Her parents had always favoured Ingrid, and she had desperately tried to get them to see her.

Her stepping into her sister's life to save the family felt like a self-fulfilling prophecy; she was only worth something when she embodied her sister.

Astrid took a deep breath, she tried and failed to still her shaking hands.

She could not believe that she had allowed herself to be talked into fraud, and for the umpteenth time, she considered climbing out of the window and running for her life.

The only thing keeping her from bolting was that she knew what it would do to the family business.

Gage Industries was responsible for about 70% of the business that Hargrave Ent got.

If business between both companies stopped, Hargrave Ent would lose badly and probably go bankrupt.

Her family was an old aristocratic one, but they were almost impoverished; she could not bear the thought of selling everything our ancestors had left them just to eat.

Also, there was a small voice inside her that told her that she was getting a chance with the man of her dreams.

Maybe the result could surprise her in a good way.

Sure, it was happening unconventionally, but who was to say that Knox would not fall in love with her in time?

Maybe he would find that his type was the studious introvert, not the flirty social butterfly.

Astrid held onto this tiny glimmer of hope and prayed that this decision did not end in disaster.

Staring at the reflection in the vanity mirror, she barely recognized the girl beneath the ivory tulle. The heavy satin of Ingrid’s wedding dress clung to her skin like a golden shackle.

“You owe this to your family,” her mother’s harsh words still echoed in the silent room. “Ingrid gave up everything for us. The least you can do is fix her mess.”

Astrid swallowed the bitter lump in her throat, her fingers tracing the delicate lace of the sleeve. It was a lie.

Ingrid had never given up anything. Ingrid took. She always took.

Closing her eyes, Astrid was instantly pulled back seven years ago, to the smell of smoke and damp stone in the abandoned wing of the old Gage Manor.

She remembered the terrifying sound of Knox’s suffocating wheezes during his severe respiratory attack, his young, athletic frame trembling as he clawed at his throat in the dark.

She had been the one to find him.

She had used her grandmother's crushed eucalyptus leaves and rubbed his chest, pulling him into her lap in the pitch black, whispering soothing promises into his hair until his breathing finally stabilized.

He had held her hand so tightly that night, his feverish lips murmuring into her palm, calling her his saving grace.

But by morning, when Astrid ran to fetch the mansion's private doctor, Ingrid had slipped into the room.

When Knox opened his eyes in the morning sunlight, it was Ingrid’s face he saw.

Opening her eyes, Astrid adjusted the heavy veil over her face.

Today, she wasn't just stealing her sister's wedding. In her desperate, aching heart, she felt like she was finally reclaiming a single night that should have been hers.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother's arrival.

She looked at Astrid's face, scrutinizing the makeup artist's efforts.

Absent was concern for what her daughter was about to do; all Ada cared about was that nothing went wrong.

"This will have to do." She grimaced in dissatisfaction. "Straighten your back and walk with poise, don't speak too much."

"And for Christ's sake, stop shaking, Ingrid would never."

Astrid wanted to snap at her mother and ask her if she would like to take her place instead.

'Let's see how easy it is to pretend to be Ingrid at her wedding ceremony.'

But like the obedient girl she was, she took in a deep breath and kept her thoughts inside.

Ada impatiently led Astrid out of the room to the end of the garden, where her father was waiting to lead her down the aisle.

The early morning air stirred, raising the sweet smells from the specially chosen flowers in the garden.

And as they walked down the aisle, Astrid was concentrating on putting one foot before the other; she did not have time to pay any attention to the petal-covered aisle which had been designed with fresh flowers.

The only thing she could see was the tall, broad-shouldered figure that stood at the end of the aisle waiting in front of the officiant.

All too soon, they were standing in front of Knox, and Astrid was able to admire the way his tuxedo stretched across his toned body.

She took her place opposite him, and her heart thudded as his stern expression softened.

The adoration in his eyes caused her breath to hitch.

The fact that the emotions in his eyes were for her sister, not her, brought a tear to her eye.

The ceremony was a blur of words that did not register in Astrid's brain.

Until, "Dearly beloved. Gathered here today. If anyone objects."

Her fist tightened, and she forced myself to stand still even though she wanted to glance at the audience.

She was filled with a crippling fear that Ingrid would barge in and demand that she return her groom.

But thankfully, no one objected.

At the end of it, the Gages got their alliance. The Hargraves got their security.

And, Ingrid got her freedom.

While Astrid got to stand beside the man she loved, wearing her sister's face, pretending her heart wasn't breaking with every passing second.

"You may kiss the bride."

Knox turned to her then with the gentleness of a whisper, and he raised the veil.

Astrid held her breath as his eyes searched her face.

She feared it was because he had noticed something that did not belong there.

Then at last, he leaned in.

She closed her eyes.

Her knees almost buckled when his lips brushed hers.

Soft. Sweet. Full of the love he felt for his bride.

When she opened her eyes, Knox was still watching her.

Then, after a beat, he held her hand and turned towards the audience.

Astrid caught the look of relief on her mother's face.

The worst had passed.

*

She wished she could escape the reception.

It was an endless whirl of champagne and congratulations.

The fake smiles caused her cheeks to ache.

She accepted about a million compliments.

She danced with elderly relatives and posed for at least a hundred photographs, then cut the ten-tiered angel fruit cake.

Dodging Ingrid's vapid friends almost caused Astrid to scream and tear her hair out, so when she got the chance to sit beside her groom, she was thankful for the escape.

Knox pulled her closer to him and burrowed his nose in her hair, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

"Why can't I see Astrid?" He asked after a beat.

Astrid pulled away and looked at him.

He was the first person to ask about her; no one else seemed to care.

Astrid shrugged nonchalantly and then leaned back against his shoulder.

"She is probably off somewhere, reading a book or something," she mumbled noncomitally.

While her heart beat like crazy under the calm exterior.

"Hmmm." Knox's voice vibrated by the side of her head, then he placed a kiss on her forehead that threatened to turn Astrid to mush.

By the time she was called to throw the bouquet, Astrid was so done and ready to leave.

She just wanted to tear off the heavy gown and slip in a T-shirt, then sleep.

She was simply drained.

Without thinking, she reached for a champagne flute, brought it to her lips, and took a sip before returning.

Unconsciously, she began to bite her thumbnail.

Then grimaced at the unfamiliar taste of false nails.

Beside her, the air suddenly went cold. She felt Knox’s gaze shift from the champagne flute to her hand.

She froze, her heart felt like it stopped mid-beat.

She slowly lowered her hand to her lap, but it was too late.

His expression was blank.

Then it shifted. Slowly, like waking up from a sleep.

"Ingrid," he said slowly, "has never bitten her nails. She told me once that it was a disgusting habit. She said only one person in her family did it."

Astrid's blood ran cold.

"Her sister," Knox finished. "Astrid."

The music played on. Guests laughed. Champagne glasses clinked.

But between the two of them, the world had gone very, very still.

"Knox," Astrid started, "I can explain…"

"Where," he said, his voice dangerously soft, "is my fiancée?"