3. The Feeling Is Fucking Mutual

I shut my eyes tightly as a sudden headache gripped me. Holding my throbbing head, I slowly opened my eyes. I jolted as my gaze landed on four pairs of curious eyes staring down at me.

"My heart! You scared me," I exclaimed, sitting up on the bed. "Where am I?" I wondered aloud, my eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.

A large dressing mirror, boxes of makeup, a flashy white wedding dress, and a shelf lined with heels... At this point, I had a fairly good idea of where I was, it was a bride's dressing room. But why was I here? What was I doing in a place like this?

"We were about waking you up, but it's a good thing that you are awake already. Let's get ready for the wedding," one of the girls in uniform said, reaching for my arm. I quickly pulled away from her grip.

If they were preparing for a wedding, why were they dragging me into it?

"I can't really remember how I got here, but I need to leave now. I have to go to...." The rest of my word got stuck in my throat. Oops! I almost forgot that I didn't have work anymore since I was suspended. "I have to leave," I said instead, flashing a smile that didn't reach my eyes.

As I tried to stand up, they pulled me back, my weight crashing heavily on the bed. "Where are you going to? You're the bride," One of them said.

I chuckled softly, but soon, it turned into laughter. I laughed so hard that tears started rolling down my cheeks. No one had told me this place was also a comedy show, this was the funniest thing I'd heard in years. Who were they kidding?

"Okay... I think I've laughed enough. Can you let me go now?" I said, glancing between them. The look on their faces told me they weren’t joking. "I can't possibly be the bride, right?" I asked, looking puzzled. I mean, I had broken up with Derek just yesterday, and now, I was getting married?

"You are the bride," a voice said, making both the ladies and me turn in its direction. I tilted my head thoughtfully, trying to remember where I knew the face from. He seemed unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar.

"Do I know you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

With a nod from him, the girls hurried out of the room, leaving just the two of us.

"I figured you might not really remember what happened last night," he said in a low voice, his gaze fixed on his phone. "And I’ve got something to jog your memory," he added, stretching his phone towards me.

I shot him a suspicious glance, disbelief written all over my face as I took the phone from him. My eyes widened as the video played, and slowly, the memories began to resurface.

After leaving Derek's apartment, I had gone to a bar to drown my sorrows, and that’s when I met this strange man. No, he wasn't just some stranger. He was Marley Fernandez, the older brother of Diego Fernandez.

"To put it simply," he began, taking the phone from me and slipping it back into his pocket. "You agreed to marry Diego in exchange for twenty billion dollars. We made a deal to ruin him completely," he added, pulling out a piece of paper.

"Here," he said, showing me a contract. "It has your signature on it."

I gathered my hair into a loose handful, cursing myself. What the hell had I done? Someone remind me to stay miles away from alcohol next time.

Taking a deep breath, I asked, "So... today is actually the wedding, and I'll be marrying your brother?" He nodded, his expression unreadable.

"Does he know I'll be his bride? What about his real bride? How is this going to work?" I had a million questions racing through my mind.

"I’ve taken care of everything," he replied calmly. "All you need to do is walk down the aisle and marry him." If only it was as simple as it sounded, but the heck? Marrying a murderer was like jumping into a fire with both eyes wide open.

"What if he recognizes me as the reporter who challenged him yesterday? What if the end result is me getting shoved into a police car and taken to a cell?" I probed further. I wasn’t a fool, if I was going to get revenge on my father, I had to stay alive to make it happen.

"I doubt he would. He meets literally a thousand crazy people a day, and you're not an exception. I'm sure he wouldn't recognize you," he answered.

A frown creased on my forehead, finding his words offensive.

I was silent for a while, weighing the possibilities. "I don't think I can do this," I finally said. "I might have agreed last night, but that was only because I was drunk. I'm not going to risk my life and get married to that murderer!"

There were too many things to consider. What if he killed me in my sleep on our wedding night?

"How about your father?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at me. "I thought you wanted to get revenge for his death."

I wasn't surprised he knew about my father, the Fernandez family had that much power and influence to dig out hidden information of one's past. "I want to, but this is crazy. I'm sure there are other ways to go about it....."

He interrupted me before I could finish. "And how are you planning to go about it? Fooling yourself in front of everyone and blindly accusing him? Would that make any changes? I'm sure you must have realized that by now, you even got suspended for just trying," he retorted.

"I never thought of you to be a scaredy cat. This is the only way to ruin Deigo," he said exasperatedly, grabbing my shoulder.

Soon, I was walking down the aisle, dressed in a breathtaking wedding gown, one I never imagined I would wear in my lifetime. The veil was perfectly in place as I moved closer to the altar.

My heart raced with every step I took. I was getting married to my father's killer, who could have imagined? I sucked in a deep breath, trying to reassure myself that I was doing the right thing.

But all my mind kept screaming was crazy. Crazily crazy!

He reached out for my hand, and I hesitated, my face scrunching in disgust. Ignoring his hand, I pretended not to see it as I stood beside him, facing the priest at the altar.

"We are gathered here for the solemnization of these two..." The rest of his words trailed off as I wasn't even listening again. I couldn't wait for the wedding to be over and to get to the bottom of my father's death.

"Miss?" The priest called, and I felt a gentle tap on my hand. I shot Diego a hard look at once, but thanks to the veil, he didn't notice. His presence alone was suffocating.

"Do you take him as your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do you part?" the priest continued, his voice steady, as if this was any other ceremony.

"Is there a way to skip this part?" I muttered under my breath. I wasn't in for a lifelong commitment, all I wanted was revenge.

"Excuse me?" the priest said, looking down at me in surprise. I guessed he wasn't expecting that.

I felt Diego's gaze burning through me, but who cares? Murmurs rose among the crowd. Though they didn't hear what I said, they were probably curious about why the ceremony was on hold.

"Do you?" the priest prompted again.

"I do," I muttered gruffly, forcing the words through my teeth, my voice barely audible even to myself.

He repeated the same question to Diego, and he replied just as plainly.

"Then by the power vested in me," the priest said, his voice now carrying an air of finality, "I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Wait, what?!

Before I could react, Diego lifted the veil from my face. I watched his expression shift as he took in the full view of my face. He squinted his eyes, narrowing his gaze at me.

I shut my eyes tightly, expecting the worst. What if he recognized me? Was this the end? My eyes snapped open as I felt something on my... cheek.

My body froze, and I felt my blood drying up at once. He pecked me in a way that no one noticed, not even the priest. The crowd cheered happily, thinking we were engaged in a passionate kiss.

He slowly pulled away, a smirk forming on his face. Wasn't he supposed to push me away or something?

"He probably didn't recognize you. Marley was right," my subconscious mind reassured me. It was for the better.

"I hereby present to you the latest couple in town, Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez."

With a triumphant smirk, I took a step closer to my newly wedded husband, closing the gap between us. Standing on my toes, since he was quite taller, I whispered in his ear, "I hate you, hubby."

He chuckled lightly, seeming unperturbed by my words. I meant to step back, but right there, he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. My chest collided with his broad shoulder. Our bodies pressed together, and our eyes locked.

"The feeling is fucking mutual, wifey," he replied with a smug smile.