Five

Nina’s POV

"No! Absolutely not!" I screamed as I stood up so fast I almost fell. "You can't do this! I won't marry him like this!"

"Shut your mouth, Nina!" my father roared, his face twisting into a look of pure hatred.

"Liam, say something!" Anya wailed, leaping from the sofa with her face red and tear-stained. "Tell your father he’s insane! You’re supposed to marry me! Not this... this backstabbing snake!"

I looked desperately over at Liam, expecting him to shout, to refuse or to walk away from all this madness but he just stood there with a clenched jaw and angry eyes as he looked between his father and me in absolute confusion.

"Father," Liam finally spoke like he was trying to control his anger. "This is absurd. You cannot just swap brides hours before a ceremony like it's a circus."

"It is a business necessity!" Richard Hampton barked back, his voice leaving no room for argument. "The contracts are signed under the Beckett-Hampton name. The merger goes through today, or both our companies face total liquidation by morning. It is Nina, or it is ruin so choose, Liam."

Even though I had been in love with Liam for so long, this was never how I wanted things to turn out. I didn’t want to get married to him this way, where I was being hated by everyone including my own family. I felt like a monster.

Liam took a deep breath with an unreadable expression as he threw a glance my way, before averting his gaze. He didn’t say yes, but his silence meant he accepted this madness as well.

"Excellent," Arthur muttered, with a relieved look. He didn't waste a single second as he marched to the study door, threw it open, and shouted down the hallway. "Mary! Sarah! Get in here right now!"

Two trembling maids rushed into the room, bowing their heads.

"Take this disgrace up to the East wing bridal suite," my father commanded, pointing a disgusted finger at me. "Wash the filth off her, strip that dress, put her in the wedding gown, and make sure she is at the altar in two hours. If she fights you, drag her or beat her, if you must.”

"Father, please—" I begged as tears sprung to my eyes as the maids tentatively grabbed my arms.

"Don't look at me," he spat, turning his back on me completely.

Anya was still sobbing hysterically while Liam was staring away at the window, like he couldn’t bear the sight of me anymore. I was screaming and begging at the top of my lungs but no one bothered to help me as the maids dragged me away like I was a sacrificial lamb.

When they opened the doors to the bridal suite, my eyes immediately landed on Anya’s wedding gown, which was a stunning, custom-made masterpiece covered in millions of dollars worth of crystals that was waiting to be worn.

"Get her out of those clothes," Sarah whispered. But before they could even unzip my ruined dark dress, the doors opened again and my father walked in, carrying a large, dusty garment bag. His eyes were cold and unreadable as he zipped it open and pulled out the ugliest garment I have ever laid eyes on.

It was my late mother’s wedding dress. It was ancient, the lace slightly frayed at the edges, the silk looking rusty and worn from decades of neglect in the attic.

"You don't deserve Anya's dress," Arthur said brutally, and he pulled out the dress and tossed it on the bed. “Put this on her, it is fitting for a thief. This belonged to your mother and even when you don't deserve this either, it is the poorest dress I can think of at the moment so this is what you’re going to be wearing, not my daughter’s stunning dress.”

I couldn’t even protest as my dad stormed out and the maids got to work immediately. They didn't care that the old dress was tight, or that the rusty material scratched against my skin as they pulled it over my head, zipping it up with aggressive haste. Then, they threw a veil over my face to hide the faint bruise blooming on my cheek, dusted way too much powder on my face and brushed my arm, before forcing me to wear a pair of ugly white shoes.

“No…” I breathed as I caught my reflection in the mirror. I looked so horrific, I felt like passing out but I wasn’t granted the time because the next thing I knew, I was being dragged out of the room and towards the wedding hall.

I didn’t know how much time had passed because I eventually stopped resisting. When we got to the estate chapel and pushed open the door, I was hit with a thousand flashes of camera flashes but it was quickly replaced by gasps and whispers that filled the large hall as they quickly realized that not only was I looking terrible, I was also the plain younger daughter that was never talked about.

I resisted the urge to run as I kept my eyes glued to the floor with my shaking legs moving slowly as I walked down the aisle until I got to the altar. When I reached the altar, a pair of strong hands reached out and took mine and only then did I dare to look up through my veil.

Liam stood before me in his flawless tuxedo as he held my hands but his eyes were cold and empty.

The priest began to speak, but I barely paid attention to his words because my heart was pounding too loudly. Soon, we exchanged vows and rings and then, we were pronounced husband and wife.

Liam leaned down, lifting my veil just enough to press his lips against mine but the kiss was cold and lacked any ounce of affection.

The crowd didn’t seem to notice as they applauded us.

As we turned around to walk back down the aisle as newlyweds, my eyes instinctively searched the front row to see Anya sitting there next to my father. I expected her to continue crying but this time, her eyes were completely dry and she didn’t look angry or heartbroken anymore. In fact, she looked like a completely different person.

A creepy and unsettling smile spread across Anya’s face as she leaned over toward my father, who was grinning from ear to ear as well. She whispered something to my dad, who smiled even wider and nodded his head at her. They didn’t look even the slightest bit sad anymore.

A sickening realization filled me immediately as I recalled the crying and screaming back in the study. It was all an act to get what they really wanted, but what was that?

As Liam stepped ahead to speak to a group of reporters, I deliberately slowed my pace when I got to where Anya was as I hoped to hear whatever it was that they were talking about.

Anya noticed me immediately and she stood up and did what she had never done to me before. She smiled at me like I had done her a huge favor.

Fear settled in the pit of my stomach as I took a scared step back but she only walked closer until she was right by my ear.

"Congratulations, dear sister," Anya whispered with a tone filled with excitement that made my legs go weak. "Thanks for being so dumb."