All Chapters of The Substitute Bride: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Sophia's chest hurt. She had only been running for two minutes, but it already hurt. She had left the mansion to take a short walk. She wanted to calm her nerves before the wedding tomorrow. She had not walked far when a black SUV stopped next to her. The doors opened fast. She did not understand what was happening at first. Then she started to run. She lost her shoes almost right away. She did not feel it happen. Her feet hit the hard ground as she ran into a narrow alley. The car could not follow her there. Behind her, she heard car doors slam. She heard men shouting. One voice told the others not to lose her. Then she heard something else. A sharp crack, loud and close, and something hit the wall beside her head, sending broken brick past her cheek. They were shooting at her. Sophia screamed and kept running, faster than she thought her body could move, her mind unable to hold the thought steady. They were not trying to catch her. They were trying to end this before she

For one long second, nobody moved. A few guests near the front began to whisper. Claire stood frozen at the end of the aisle, certain the whole wedding was about to fall apart in front of everyone watching. Then Charles Knight stepped forward. He put a hand on his son's shoulder and leaned in close, his voice low enough that only Adrian could hear it. "Whatever you think you see," Charles said, "you finish this. Right now. I will explain later. I swear it." Adrian's jaw tightened. He looked at his father, then back at Claire. "Please," Charles said again, quieter this time. Adrian stepped forward again, back into place, and took Claire's hand. "I do," Adrian said. The officiant turned to Claire. She said the words too, her voice sounding far away even to her own ears. "I do." The officiant held out the rings. Adrian's hand was steady as he took hers, but Claire felt him hesitate for half a second before sliding the ring onto her finger, like some part of him st

The gunman raised the gun higher. He pointed it at her chest. "I told you," he said. His voice was low and cold. "You can't escape me, Sophia." "I'm not Sophia!" The words came out fast, before Claire could stop them. Fear pushed them out. "I'm Claire! I'm not her, I'm Claire!" The man froze for a second. Something changed in his eyes. He looked confused now, not sure of himself anymore. Footsteps came fast down the hallway. Someone was shouting for security. The gunman swore under his breath. He turned to the window. He pushed it open and jumped through it fast. He was gone before Claire could even breathe again. Claire sat frozen on the bed. Her heart was pounding. She stared at the empty window where he had just stood. The door burst open. A staff member ran in. Her eyes were wide. She looked around the room fast. "Mrs. Knight! Are you hurt?" Claire could not answer right away. She pointed a shaking hand at the window. Her voice came out broken. "He was right th

"I want him brought in for questioning," Adrian said. "Today." Marsh rubbed his eyes across the desk. "The evidence isn't concrete yet, Adrian. A referral on a catering form isn't proof he knew anything about the gunman." "It's enough to ask him questions. That's all I'm asking for." "Fine," Marsh said. "I'll send officers to bring him in." The officers left within the hour. Adrian waited by his phone, Claire pacing the length of his study beside him, both of them too tense to sit still. The call came less than an hour later. "We got there," the officer said, his voice tight. "The place is packed. Some kind of charity event. Reporters everywhere, cameras set up on the lawn. If we walk in and pull Vale out in front of that many people, they're going to want to know why. And once they start digging, it won't take long before they land on the wedding, and from there, on Sophia." "So back off," Adrian said, jaw tight. "Backing off now, sir." The line went dead. Adrian set the ph

Adrian found her in the sitting room the next morning, curtains still drawn against the daylight. "We need to talk about today," he said. "My father and Richard both think we should make a short appearance outside. Nothing long. Just enough to look calm, married, and completely unbothered by any of this." Claire's stomach dropped. "In front of the reporters." "In front of everyone. If we hide, it looks like we're hiding something. If we show up together, relaxed, it kills some of the speculation before it grows." "Adrian, I can't do that. Not up close." "I'll be right beside you the whole time." "That doesn't fix the problem." Her voice shook, and this time she couldn't hold it steady. "You don't understand what you're actually asking me to do." She sat down heavily, her hands pressed against her eyes. "I don't know anything about her life," Claire said, her voice breaking. "Not really. When we were ten, someone tried to kidnap us both. I got Sophia free, but I was shot doing