4. The Other Bride

The following day, Rose's bedroom door was banged on from outside. She hadn't slept all night or eaten lunch or dinner.

She felt weak as she dragged herself to open the door and found another maid waiting impatiently.

"You're expected in the family room," the maid said curtly.

Rose hadn't showered or even changed. But who could she ask for help? Rose followed the maid with no choice, deeply embarrassed by her messy appearance.

The Cavanaugh siblings and two unfamiliar men were already seated in the family room. Rose recalled another name from Romilda's notes, but that person was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing Rose's condition, Nicole and Letty exchanged disgusted looks.

"Look at her. She didn't even bother to change," Letty half-whispered, but loud enough for Rose to hear.

Nicole scoffed. "Yeah, her body odor still doesn't stink as much as a liar's."

Rose ignored them, pretended not to hear, and took the seat offered. One of the two formally dressed men—who appeared to be the family lawyer—stepped forward and handed her a document.

"Read Mr. Caesar's will again, and when you've understood it, we'll proceed," he said calmly.

Rose gave a weak nod.

The will contained many details, but she immediately skipped to the section concerning Romilda and Matteo. Rose silently read the official document bearing Caesar Cavanaugh's signature.

"To Romilda, the sweetest and most sincere girl I've ever known.

I humbly ask you to marry my son Matteo. You have remained pure, as has Matteo. I am sure the two of you will make a wonderful couple.

Therefore, I hope you will take the time to get to know each other during the first year of your marriage. After that, I will give Matteo full ownership of the company, and you, Romilda, will receive your share of the stock."

Rose was shocked.

"Mr. Caesar has added a condition," the lawyer continued. "You must be a virgin, Miss Romilda. If proven that you are not, your shares will be considered null and void. In addition, you will be required to divorce and leave the Cavanaugh estate."

Rose shivered in her seat.

If Romilda fulfilled the terms of Matteo's father's will, she would inherit an enormous fortune. Marrying Matteo wasn't Romilda's real concern—it was the shares!

And Romilda had used Rose as a pawn in her scheme!

"She's turned into a statue because she's not a virgin anymore," Letty blurted out.

"How do you prove that, Romilda? Did you put a seal down there?"

Letty and Nicole's laughter snapped Rose out of her thoughts. The two sisters stared at her with mocking expressions.

Matteo immediately glared at his sisters. "Silence!"

The two formally dressed men cleared their throats awkwardly and proceeded to prepare some documents, papers Rose knew nothing about.

"Let's begin," the lawyer announced. "Mr. Matteo, please sign here, and Miss Romilda, you as well. This will make your marriage official. The certificate will sent to you within a week."

"M-Marriage? Now?" Rose gasped in shock.

Rose thought they supposed married in a church, not in a family room. This was something Rose had never imagined.

"Where else? In a church?" Matteo asked coldly.

"You think? We should make vows before God," Rose replied firmly. "Marriage is sacred."

Matteo's eyes narrowed. Since when did Romilda care about anything holy? She only acted like a saint in front of Matteo's father. But behind? Romilda was nothing but a devil hiding her tail.

"Just sign it. You know very well that this marriage is nothing more than a business arrangement," Matteo said flatly.

His words stung Rose, even though she wasn't really Romilda. Despite Romilda's faults, she was still Rose's twin - her only sibling. But Rose remained silent and did what Matteo wanted.

After she signed the papers, the lawyer quickly gathered up all the documents and gave Rose a small, polite smile before nodding respectfully at Matteo.

"Well, you are now officially married. However, there is one thing I must mention, even though it may be uncomfortable for both of you." He cleared his throat again. "After the consummation of the marriage, Miss - I mean, Mrs. Romilda must undergo a medical examination at the hospital the following day."

Letty and Nicole immediately burst out laughing.

"Can you imagine what the doctor is going to say?" Letty cackled. "'Oh, this tunnel had a lot of traffic!'"

Nicole's mocking laughter echoed through the room, making Rose feel humiliated and hurt. But Rose only clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She swallowed the pain as part of the consequences of taking Romilda's place.

The lawyer then excused Rose, as the rest of the conversation was private for the Cavanaugh family. With feeble steps, Rose left the room and returned to her bedroom.

Romilda's relationship with Caesar was still a mystery to Rose. Logically, no one would just hand over a fortune, let alone force a marriage. Could Caesar really have been so ruthless as to marry off his son to Romilda, a girl from an ordinary background?

Or had Romilda been pretending to be someone of higher status all along? Was that why Matteo's family considered her a fraud? Was it because they had already discovered her lies?

"That could be it," Rose muttered. "Maybe Caesar didn't know the truth about Romilda, and it all came out after his death."

Exhausted from overthinking, Rose rushed to her room upstairs. She took her cell phone from the bag and immediately called Romilda.

But Romilda's number was out of service.

"Damn it!" Rose hissed in frustration.

Just as Rose was about to put her phone back, it vibrated. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the caller ID—it was from a nurse in the hospital. Rose quickly answered.

"Hello? Yes, nurse? How's my mom? Is she okay?" Rose asked anxiously.

A small chuckle on the other side signaled good news. "Calm down, Rose. Your mother is doing better, and she really wants to see you. Let me transfer the call to her, okay?"

Rose swallowed hard. "O-Okay..."

A weak, raspy voice came over the line. "Rose?"

Just hearing it made Rose's heart melt. She immediately teared up, trying her best to hold back the sobs. Guilt weighed heavily on her chest. Rose should be in the hospital, at her mother's side, now that she was fully conscious.

"Mom... I'm sorry," Rose choked out.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"I can't visit you for a few days. I have a work out of town. But as soon as I'm done, I'll come straight home."

"That's okay, honey. I understand. I'm grateful you've been working so hard to support me."

"Don't say that, Mom. It's my responsibility."

"Were you able to reach Romilda? Any news of her?"

Rose bit her lower lip anxiously, then let out a slow breath. "No. But I'll keep trying to contact her."

"Alright. Sorry to bother you, Rose. We'll talk again later, okay?"

"Yes, Mom. Get well soon… I love you."

After ending the call, Rose sighed heavily and wiped away her tears.

"As long as Mom is okay," she whispered quietly.

...

Rose didn't realize that Matteo was standing outside her door, eavesdropping. Matteo's expression was unreadable as he processed the bits of conversation he had overheard.

He knew that Romilda's mother was ill, but he had no idea how serious it was or that she had been hospitalized. Could Romilda have gone through with this marriage just to cover medical expenses?

Matteo shook off the thought and entered the room. Rose, still crying, gasped in shock.

"Matteo!" she choked out.

He approached her but stopped a few steps away, keeping his distance. "I need your ID to apply for a passport. You asked my father for a honeymoon in the Maldives."

"The Maldives?" Rose blinked in disbelief.

"The passport will be ready in a day, and we'll leave right after that."

Rose suddenly remembered—Romilda hadn't left her any ID. There was no way she could hand over her real ID.

"Is this request mentioned in your father's will?" Rose asked, changing the subject.

Matteo shook his head. "No. Why?"

"I don't want to go abroad. So I don't need a passport."

Matteo stared at Rose for a moment, his gaze unreadable. Then, without warning, Matteo stepped closer and gripped her chin tightly.

"What are you up to, Romilda?" he hissed. "Stop making me even more disgusted with you! You got what you wanted! Do you really think I'll go easy on you for the next year?"

Rose stared at him, her eyes full of confusion.

"I'm going to make you beg for a divorce! I will make your life a living hell! Because you have created this yourself! Do you understand, Romilda?" Matteo's voice dripped with venom. "So stop pretending to be innocent! I would never stain myself with your filthy body!"

With that, Matteo let go of her chin and stormed off, cursing under his breath.

"A virgin? What a joke!" he shouted angrily.

Rose swallowed.

In a way, Rose was relieved that Matteo didn't want to touch her—after all, she didn't even know him. But if she couldn't prove her virginity, what would happen to her arrangement with Romilda?

How could Rose ask Matteo to take it from her?