Chapter Five

The first person to notice it wasn't Chloe that had exchanged vows at the altar but me was my best friend, Adriana. It had been right after Chris and I pulled away from the kiss. I had been unable to look into his eyes after as I couldn't help but feel ashamed about what I did. The fact that I kissed my sister's husband to me and liked it made me feel disgusted with myself. I had immediately turned to the audience searching for my parents to seek some sought of comfort from them. But my eyes met with Adriana's first instead and the way she stared wide eyed at me told me that she knew it was me.

I had broken eye contact with her immediately and stepped down the altar. I needed to get out of the white dress immediately. My work was after all done there. I knew Zach must have been looking for me, he was supposed to be my date to the after-party but I doubt that would be the case anymore. I wasn't ready to see him or explain everything to him but I knew I had to do it. I owed him that much but then again I didn't want to do it while wearing this dress.

The hotel room wasn't far away from the church so it didn't take long for me to reach there. Just as I was struggling to pull down the zipper, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." I said. I knew it couldn't be anyone else but my mom. "Before you complain about me taking dress off you need to understand that this is just as uncomfortable for me as it is for—." I paused. Something wasn't right. My mom would have never stayed quiet like this. She would have started complaining about me taking off the dress even before I could explain myself. I turned around and like I had thought, I was right.

It wasn't my mom but Adriana.

"Anna." The surprise in my voice was evident. "What...are you doing here?."

"So I didn't see it wrong. So I wasn't mistaken. It's you Lesley. What the hell happened? What is happening? You invited us to your sister's wedding only for us to get here and find out it was t hers but yours instead." She was looking at me with wide eyes. I guess she was really shocked to see me at the altar.

"It's a long story." I said as I finally crawled out of the tight dress. The wedding dress had been tailor made for Chloe who although we have almost the same body type and wear the same sizes for most clothes, I was more curvier than she is which was exactly why the wedding dress was a bit tight at the bust and hips side.

"Oh you best believe I have all day to here this 'long story'." She moved over to the bed and sat down on it, her hands folded across her chest. "You can start then, I am listening."

A sigh escaped my lips. I was now in just my underwear. I slowly walked over to the foot of the bed and joined her with sitting on it.

"Anna." I called. "It is not that easy to explain."

"Why not?." She asked.

"Because."she was looking at me as if expecting me to complete my sentence but well, that was the end of my sentence. I had nothing more to say.

"That is it? Do not joke with me Lesley McArthur." She said in a stern voice.

"Of course I would not. Of course I am not. Do you really think it is my wish to get married at eighteen to someone much older than I am."

"I think you are exaggerating a bit there. To my understanding, Chris is just twenty five so he isn't much older than you are. If anything, he is young. A billionaire young son."

I gave her a pointed look. I think she was missing the point in what I was saying.

"Why did you get married then if it was not your wish to be married at eighteen." She asked after a brief pause.

I sighed. "How do I even start with this?."

"How about you start from the beginning." She voiced. I gave her a look that showed she was not helping. "Les come on just tell me. I mean if you can not tell me your best friend what the hell is happening, then who would you explain to. Zach?."

I groaned at the mention of Zach's name. Explaining the whole situation to him was the part I was dreading the most. I mean what will he say? How mad will he get? Would he ever forgive me?. One thing I was sure of was that he would never want to have anything to do with me anymore and that fact hurt so bad.

"Chloe was supposed to be at the altar." I started.

"Yeah I know that I think everyone knows that. What I wanna know now is why she wasn't there. Why were you there instead of her? You exchanged vows with her husband and even kissed him! Don't you find that even crazy a bit?."

"Of course I do. I had no choice, it was the only way." I said in a small voice. I got off the bed and started to pace around the room. "So apparently years ago my parents were on the verge of going bankrupt. My dad needed a huge sum of money to get his company back on track. Chris's father who was my dad's acquaintance then decided to give my dad the much more needed money on one condition." I took a pause.

"I know all this Les, you told me that already."

"I know. I just have to say it this way, it's the only way I can explain the situation to you."

"Alright then. Go on."

I sighed. I silently wondered just how many more people I would have to tell this story to. I wondered if Cole noticed it was me at the altar like Anna did.

"Chris who had a big crush on Chloe then probably told his parents about his undying feelings for Chloe. At the end of the day, my parents signed the papers that said Chloe would be getting married to Chris when he turned twenty five years old in exchange for the few millions of dollars they needed then. My parents explained the situation to Chloe and I and she had agreed to get married for them. Because they were consequences if the contract gets breached one of which is my parents losing everything they have ever owned. Everyone was prepared for this wedding, little did we know that Chloe had other plans. Early this morning, we found the note she left saying she couldn't do it. She fled away and we have tried calling her number countless of times but she never ones picked. No one knows where she it. My parents devastated had no choice but to ask their other daughter for a favor. So yeah that is how I ended up at the altar, getting married to my sister's husband. But my dad had said it was only going to be for a short while at least until Chloe makes an appearance."

"What if she never comes back." Anna suddenly said.

I paused to think about it for a moment. She was right. That was a possibility I had never thought of before until now. What if Chloe never comes back, does that mean I would have to stay married to Chris for the rest of my life or until he files for a divorce?

"She will." I silently hoped.

Anna heaved a sigh. "This is crazy, this is a lot to take in. What if Chris finds out you are not Chloe? What will happen then?."

I couldn't say he won't because I knew he was bound to find out sooner or later.  But that was a bridge I would cross when the time comes.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see what happens then."

"Les. What about Zach?."

"I am just going to have to explain to him as much as I can or rather as much as he is willing to hear."

"This is you throwing your life away Les. Your life, social life is never going to be the same anymore."

"How so?." I asked.

"I mean I get that Chris is drop dead gorgeous and all but you are still a high school student. What do you think people would say when they find out you are married? Moreso to your sister's husband."

"I don't really care about them and what they have to say. All that matters is how Zach will handle the news when I break it to him." I said as I played different scenarios of him going berserker on me after telling him.

"When do you plan on telling him?." She asked.

"I wanna call him now." I said as I picked up my phone. I dialed his number and he picked up on the second ring.

"Hey babe. Where are you?." His voice rang through the phone speakers. "I've searched everywhere for you and I tried reaching you but the call wasn't going through."

"Zach." I called.

"Yeah? Is something wrong?." He sounded worried.

"Can we see?." I asked.

"Of course why would you even ask that. Where are you?."

"I let the church already. I'm in my hotel room. I'll send you the address." I hung up and immediately texted him the name of the hotel and my room number.

"What did he say?." Ashley asked.

"He said he is coming. Oh my God! Anna how do I do this? I'm really nervous." My hands were shaking. "I don't want to break up with him. Oh my God I should have thought this through before doing this. I shouldn't have gotten married to Chris. I think I am going to lose Zach, Anna. I'm so scared. Zach is, I love him so much." I was trying so hard not to cry now.

"Calm down Les. You just have to speak with him. I am sure he will understand. There was nothing wrong in what you did. Your family should always come first, and you chose them."

"It would be stupid if he stayed. I mean I'm now married to another man and I still want to keep seeing him, it does not make sense. It isn't going to be fair to Zach or Chris. I can't.... I just....I'm not thinking straight Anna. How did my life end up becoming so confusing."

"Breathe okay.  Everything will be fine, just belief. Zach will be here soon so I should give you two some privacy. I'll wait for you at the church." She gave me a side huge before walking out of the room.

I heard a knock on the door. She was back. Did she forget something.

I looked around the room checking if she had forgotten something. There was nothing that shouldn't be here. I got up and walked over to the door.

"Did you forget to take something Anna?." I asked as I pulled the door open.

A gasp escaped my lips as my eyes met with Zach's. My heart started to pound harder in my chest. My stomach had this funny feeling like my internal organs were being moved around.

"Zach." I called, a bit surprised to see him. I mean I knew he was coming here, I just never knew he was going to get here so fast.

His eyes raked my body from head to toe. I looked down at myself to see that I was still in my underwear. That's true. I had almost forgotten that I didn't wear any other clothes after taking the wedding dress off. "Babe." His voice was hoarse and I could see the want in his eyes.

"Zach, we need to talk." I said before pulling his inside. I locked the door behind us and before I could even turn around to face him he wrapped his hands around my waist.

"Babe." He groaned in my ear and then licked the side of my neck. "I've missed you so much." He bit my shoulder softly.

"Zach." I called. "We need to talk."

"I know. But we can always talk later. Right now, I want you."

"But it's important Zach." I said and he flipped me around to face him.

"I know." And then he covered my mouth with his. He sucked on my bottom lips and his hands moved all over my body before settling on my butt. "You look so good babe. You are so fucking hot." He groaned against my lips. I ran my fingers through his soft hair, pulling him closer to me.

I know I shouldn't be doing this. I know it was wrong  seeing as I was now someone else's wife but I couldn't stop. I wanted him just as much as he wanted me. Even if it was going to be the last time, I wanted him.

His tongue wormed it's way into my mouth and massaged mine tenderly. His right hand found it's way in between us and he moved it up to my chest area.

"I love you so much Lesley. I love you." He said into my mouth and I moaned in response.

I wanted to tell him I loved him to. I wanted him to know how much I loved him but I couldn't say it. Not where I was about to tell him something so devastating.

I pushed him off me. "Stop Zach. Stop please." I took several steps away from him. I walked to the bathroom and picked up a towel before wrapping it around my body. "We need to talk." I told him when I entered the room again.

"Alright. What's it about? Is it something serious?."  He asked and I nodded. "What is it? I'm listening."

I didn't say anything for a moment. I didn't know how to start.

"What's wrong babe, you know you can tell." He touched my arm. I stepped away from him, increasing the distance between us. The hurt he had on his face couldn't me ignored. "Did I do something wrong?." He asked.

"It's not you, it's me."

"What's wrong babe? Tell me." He tried to hold my hands again but I didn't let him.

I looked at the wedding dress on my bed and his eyes followed my gaze. He looked at me, confused.

"Is this your sister's room? Why is here dress here?."

I sighed. "It's not here's Zach. It's mine."

"Yours? I don't understand." He looked genuinely confused.

"I—." I paused. This was more difficult than I had thought it would be. "Chloe wasn't the one you saw at the altar. It was me."