The Wrong Bride

HANNAH’S POV:

BEGINNINGS:

“What’s going on?” I asked quietly as I walked into the living room taking off my headphones.

My parents and my younger sister, Janet, were seated in the white couches and Janet had a look of pleading as she stared at my parents. As soon as I stepped in, they all turned to look at me and I could feel my heart pounding at their stares.

My mother turned to Janet then stared at me and said, “We are withdrawing you out of school. And go freshen up, you’re going to get married to Elijah Martinez tonight.” 

I frowned deeply confused, as I couldn’t wrap my head around what exactly was going and where this was even coming from.

“What?” I asked in confusion, looking back and forth at Janet who had a smug look on her face and back at my parents.

My father’s jaw clenched. “Do you think this is a joke, Hannah? Our company is about to be in bankruptcy. The Martinez family agreed to help us on the condition that one of our daughters marries their son. Elijah wants Janet.”

I turned to Janet, who was already shaking her head with tears brimming in her eye while looking at me with mischief.

“I can’t do it!” she cried, like she was on cue. “I’m only eighteen! I’m just starting my life. You know how people say Elijah is cold and stingy…what if he locks me away somewhere?!”

My mother nodded along with her, like they were in perfect agreement. “She’s still a child, Hannah. But you… you’re older. You’re mature. You don’t have much going for you anyway.”

Her words made me take a step back like it was a slap.

“But I don’t want to marry him either! I don’t even know him.” I tried to explain.

“Don’t be selfish!” my father snapped in irritation. “Your sister has a future. This is your chance to finally do something for this family.”

His words broke my heart,“I always do everything for this family!” I shouted. “And you treat me like garbage!”

Janet sniffled after discreetly rolling her eyes in a full circle. “She wants Elijah for herself. She’s just pretending but this is all she has ever wanted. I saw the way she looked when she heard his name.”

“What in the world are you talking about?” I turned to her in disbelief. “This isn’t a movie, Janet.”

“Enough!” my mother hissed.

Suddenly, my father’s phone rang. He picked it up, listened in silence, and paled.

“What happened?” my mother asked.

He stood shakily loosening his tie. “The investors pulled out. All of them.”

And just like that, he collapsed.

The screams came from everywhere. Janet wailed dramatically as she knelt beside him, my mother panicked and yelled for the doctor. I was frozen, watching everything spin out of control.

Minutes passed. Maybe hours. The doctor came, treated him, and informed us it was a heart attack.

And then, I was grabbed. Two of our security guards pulled me from the hallway and dragged me up the stairs. I kicked, screamed, fought but they didn’t listen. “This is what’s best,” my mother’s voice followed me. “You will be saving your family, isn’t that an amazing opportunity.”

They locked me in my room and I was left dumbfounded with tears streaming down my cheeks. Then I heard Janet assure my mother saying through the closed doors, “This is what she needs to do.”

“I know, Sweetheart.” My mother responded in a knowing tone.

*******

By the time the door opened again, the sun had started to set. Two maids walked in and said nothing, not even a greeting or an acknowledgment. They yanked my clothes off like I was a doll, dressed me in a pale ivory dress, and forced makeup on my face. My lips were trembling as I looked into the mirror.

I didn’t even recognize myself and I just kept hoping this was a dream.

They shoved me into a car, Janet’s new car. Janet stood by the driveway, perfectly fine, waving me off like she was doing me a favor.

The drive to the courthouse was silent. I kept asking myself if this was simply a dream I was unable to wake up from.

Elijah Martinez stood by the registrar, fresh out of a work, his sleeves rolled up, tie loose, a scotch in one hand. He looked distracted. Tired. Disinterested.

He didn’t even look at me properly.

“Let’s get this over with,” he muttered to the registrar. His voice was low and unimpressed. He didn’t even notice me. He was drunk and oozed of alcohol.

The papers were signed through my eyes covered with tears. I was married and no one was even here to support me. After all, wasn’t this for the family?

When we got to the Martinez estate that night, he was already tipsy, throwing off his jacket as he walked into the massive room. He had barely said two words to me all the way to the estate and when I got outside, my family’s driver along with Janet’s car was gone.

“Janet,” he murmured as he locked the bedroom door behind us. “You look... different.”

I froze as he walked towards me in the pitch blavk room with the light from the moon reflecting from outside.

He thought I was Janet. Why was that?

I didn’t speak. My heart was pounding so loud I could barely hear his footsteps approaching.

“I guess nerves got to you,” he muttered with low eyes, reaching for me with his large soft hands grabbing mine. “Come here.” 

I wanted to scream or push him off. Tell him the truth but I just stood there. Frozen. Broken.

That night, as he whispered her name into my ear with so much pleasure, I feel something else had officially died inside.

It was never me….I was never the one who was picked. I was always trying to be accepted but this had to be worse. I was loosing my virginity to a man who didn’t even recognize that I wasn’t my sister but hoped I was her.