Today, I’m finally getting married to the man of my dreams and my first love. I don’t remember when I first fell in love with him, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always been in love with him. I wasn’t certain whether it was because of pure good luck or ill-fated misfortune that my one-sided forbidden love would be fulfilled today after I have spent countless years yearning for my twin sister’s fiancé.
I’m not even sure where to start to describe all the pain, suffering, and misfortunes that I’ve had to deal with before reaching this moment. Dressed in a very expensive designer wedding dress with a white lacy veil covering my face, my hand tightened slightly around my father’s arm as I tried to stop my legs from shaking from the mix of nervousness and overwhelming excitement.
It just didn’t feel real.
I didn’t dare close my eyes for too long for fear that when I reopened them again, I would find out that everything about this wedding was just a sweet fantasy dream that I’d had countless times before. Ever since I was a small girl, I had dreamt of my wedding day many times before. Each time, some details may have been different such as the dress that I had on or the wedding venue, or how the ceremony would play out. However, the one thing that remained constant in all my dreams was the identity of my groom. I would always marry him, and no one else.
“Don’t you dare mess this up, Dahlia…”
The deep voice that hissed those words grumpily to me belonged to none other than my father. Without wanting to, I instinctively looked up into his face to see him glaring at me with menacing eyes. I had always hated the way that he looked at me as if I wasn’t human or simply something that shouldn’t have been born. Even on this day, I had hoped that he would feel even a shred of thankfulness that I was here and once again doing his bidding for the sake of saving our family’s name and face.
Before my thoughts and mood would turn dark, I decided to face straight ahead and simply ignore him. In all the dreams that I had of my wedding, I walked proudly down the aisle to where my handsome groom was waiting for me alone. My father was never by my side just like he is now and there were more than a few good reasons for that.
“Thirty seconds and the doors will open. Please don’t forget to smile and don’t forget to kick the skirt of your dress each time you take a step forward,” one of the staff from the wedding organizer team reminded me before showing me a bright smile.
“Thank you…” I replied in a soft whisper as I nodded my head slightly in acknowledgment.
Of course, the last thing I wanted was to fall flat on my face at such a key moment like this. Although I knew that this was a wedding of convenience and necessity, I didn’t let it weigh too much on my mind. For someone as unlucky and unfortunate as me, just standing here with the chance to marry the man of my dreams felt like more than I could have ever asked for. They say it takes two to tango and that made me wonder for a split second if my groom-to-be was fine with marrying me.
‘They’ll have to. With all that they’ve done, they won’t have any other choice…’
My father’s words and the rage in his eyes came back to me as I was reminded of his response when I asked him if the groom and his family would really be fine with me. He didn’t tell me that they would be fine with it, but it may be true that just like me, they also didn’t really have a choice in the matter anymore. Without this wedding, our families and all the wealth and position that we hold may really fall apart after so many generations of success.
It was a wedding for both of our families to survive.
“3…2…1. Best of luck!” the staff member said to signal my queue to enter the church.
Snapping out of my deep thoughts, the vivid sights and sounds of the situation around me came back to me again. I quickly realized that two men dressed in polite black suits were already pushing open the luxuriously decorated large double door of the church where I would make my entry with my father. The band was already playing the wedding march to signal the entry of the bride and that bride was me.
Suddenly, the dress that I had on felt too tight around the chest and waist, and the high heel shoes that I had on felt so uncomfortable. My father tugged on my arm slightly to urge me to take a step forward into the church where all the honorable guests were waiting to witness our wedding and the eventual joining of our families.
This isn’t just about me. Although it was supposed to be, this isn’t for my family. This is for my twin sister…and for me!
This is for you, Dina.
I love you, Dina. Thank you for always loving me and being there for me.
The light from the spotlights that shone down on me to highlight my entrance into the church felt blinding. It felt quite relieving in a strange way that I wasn’t able to see the many spectators gathered in the church to witness our wedding. Relatives that shunned me almost all my life, business partners who only wanted to benefit from my family’s social standing, and unknown reporters and members of the press. Camera flashes went off as I tried my best to plaster a beautiful smile on my face while feeling thankful that my face was still partially obscured by the veil that I had on.
The walk down the aisle felt unreal, and each step felt like I was walking on clouds. Most of that was because I could barely feel my legs under me anymore. I cursed silently as I trained my eyes to stare forward while my mind wondered why the church had to be so large and the walk to my groom so long.
--To be continued…
After what felt like a short eternity, we finally arrived in front of the altar where my groom was waiting for me. It felt like time had stopped and in that moment nothing else in the world mattered when I laid eyes on him. Just taking a peek at him from the other side of the veil that I had on made my heart race dangerously in my chest. “Do your job properly. This is going to be all over the news,” my father whispered close to my ear. Honestly, he didn’t need to tell me that because I knew from the moment that we made our agreement that I had to do my best to uphold my end of the bargain. Once again, I reminded myself that I wasn’t doing it for them, but I was doing it for my elder sister and for myself. My poor excuse of a father walked away from my side, and I was left alone to face my groom. Seeing him again right in front of me in the flesh reminded me that we had been apart for far too long. The day I left this country, I never thought that I would one day return and I defini
That’s right, we have to kiss…I felt like I was lost in a daze as Anthony turned to face me. He gently placed his hands on my shoulders before his hands slowly slid down my arms. My body felt frozen in place as a fluttering feeling developed in the pit of my stomach when I realized that he was going to kiss me. Even if it was supposed to be just a ceremonious kiss to seal our wedding vows, it was still a kiss and it would be our first kiss ever. It wasn’t like I didn’t have experience with men but standing in front of Anthony made me feel as nervous and anxious as if I was a young virgin girl all over again.Without saying a word, Anthony pulled me closer to him as his face approached mine. I felt his large manly hands slide down to the small of my back as he pulled me even closer to him. We were so close that our bodies were pressed together, and I could feel the heat of his body against mine. My eyelids instinctively slid closed as I offered my lips to him in sweet surrender and ac
**Roughly a week ago**It all started when I received an unexpected phone call. To be honest, it was also a phone call that I dreaded. After being sent abroad by my family and breaking things off with them, I had not heard from my parents for more than four years. The only person from my ‘old life’ that I kept in touch with was my elder twin sister and that felt like more than enough for me. It was hard but I had moved on with my life and I was working hard toward building what I hoped would be a bright and free future for myself.“You’re working so hard again today. Don’t stay too late, ok?” Louise turned to tell me with a sweet smile on her lips.After graduating with a degree in business, I was lucky to have found a job in sales and planning in a decent-sized company in the city. On top of that, I had a very supportive team leader who always looked out for me.“Thank you but don’t worry about me or the work. I’ll definitely get it done by tonight,” I replied with confidence.“Hones
Even when it came to her absolute favorite daughter the family’s reputation still came first. Something about what she said bugged me and I gasped out loud when I finally realized what it was. She mentioned that they were running out of time, and she was right.“Wait! Isn’t her wedding in less than a week?!” I exclaimed before my hand flew to cover my agape mouth.I can still recall the call that my sister gave me to tell me that she was finally getting married to Anthony, her long-time fiancé. Ever since my sister and I were around ten years old, our family and the Vulkan family made an agreement for their only son to marry the eldest daughter of our family and that was my twin sister.“You’re not completely stupid after all…” my mother replied sarcastically.We have to find her, and we have to find her as fast as possible.“I’ll do what I can,” I replied begrudgingly while trying to seal away my pride.My mother did not say anything, and the line went silent for a few seconds. Just
That night, I returned to my apartment after rushing to complete my work. I sent my boss an email apologizing for my sudden request to take leave for ‘urgent personal matters’. After packing some clothes along with a few things that I thought I would need into a small suitcase, I was ready to take the next flight back to where I was born and raised.…Standing in front of the tall gates in front of the estate where I grew up made me feel uneasy inside. I bet that not so many people felt the way that I felt when they returned to the place that was supposed to be their home. No one was there to greet me, but the gate was left unlocked showing that they were expecting me. Nothing much had changed at all about the estate and the large mansion was still in great condition and the large gardens well-tended to. The money from Anthony’s family along with his generosity was truly being put to good use here, I thought sarcastically as I pushed the gate and entered.Soon I was standing in front
“You can’t sell my things! I won’t ever allow that…” my mother countered as her face transformed into a mask of shock.“We don’t have any other choice. Stop acting so selfish!” my father screamed back.“Me? Selfish? How can you blame this on me when you’re the one at fault!” she shouted back while pointing her index finger at her husband accusingly.“Contact your brother or someone from your family. I’m sure they have some money to lend us,” my father suggested.“Stop! I won’t let you embarrass me any further. This is already bad enough for me…” my mother said through gritted teeth.I had never seen her so openly angry before and she never spoke this way to my father. Normally, she was obedient toward him, and it seemed like the only person in our family whom she would direct harsh words toward was me. I felt my sister’s arms around my waist as she hugged me close. That was when I realized that I was scared of what was happening and also about what was going to happen to us in the fut
“There’s no need to threaten me. I’ll do my best to find her even if it’s not for your sake,” I replied in a flat voice.Back then, I had no idea what he had in mind when he told me that I would have to take responsibility if I couldn’t find my sister.…**The next day**Despite telling my parents that I would try my best to find my sister, I still didn’t have any solid idea where I would find Diana or why she had suddenly decided to disappear. The timing was just too perfect because it was so close to her upcoming wedding. The only source of comfort for me was my gut feeling that told me that she was doing fine wherever she was. If she was truly distressed or if she needed help, I was sure that she would have tried to get in contact with me by now.After making my escape from my parents and out into the long hallway of the mansion, I ran into one of our oldest housekeepers. The way her eyes lit up told me that she was pleasantly surprised to see that I had returned. Lauren must have
After thanking Lauren again and giving her a brief hug, I quickly made my way out of the mansion. The sun would be setting soon, and I wanted to take a stroll in the city for a while to take some photos for what I needed to do next. Although I wasn’t absolutely sure what Dina was up to, I had a very good guess.The city center felt even busier that early evening when I arrived than I remembered the last time that I was there. It seemed like a few more shopping malls had popped up and some new skyscrapers that were under construction the last time that I was there had opened up as well. As usual, the crowd was a good mix of people ranging from couples, university and high school students and regular working adults. I used to come here with my sister all the time to hang out after high school or whenever we were allowed or had the time.After finding a good spot in front of one of the shopping malls that my sister and I liked to frequent, I took out my mobile phone and snapped a few sel
"You should go to bed," Bradon told me the moment that we stepped into the mansion. I knew that his suggestion was spot on because sleep was exactly what I needed to deal with what was to come. The media and everyone had undoubtedly gone wild as they both communicated and speculated on what was the truth and what were twisted lies from all the events that happened in the past that I shared with my sister.I switched off my phone when it wouldn't stop vibrating, without bothering to read the caller ID on the screen. I could already guess who would be calling me and also exactly what they had to say."It feels like my head is ready to explode," I confessed before smiling weakly at Bradon."Which is precisely why you should stop thinking or caring about anyone else and just get some shut-eye," Bradon said as he peeled away the mobile phone that I held in my hand. I let him do so without putting up any resistance because all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide under the sheets wit
"My name is Diana, which can only mean that the Diana standing over there is, in fact, my twin sister, Dahlia. In fact, for the past months, I wasn't present, and the Diana that you knew had always been my sister acting out in my place," Diana explained as if it was something to be proud of.The crowd went wild, but I decided to focus my attention on the two figures that seemed so intent on ruining my life along with my sister’s. Our father had officially become our enemy, and at that moment, he looked like he might have started to regret pushing both of us over the edge. Mr. Malton, who, after all this time, clearly never regretted his actions and never realized that he should have been man enough to take responsibility. I was certain that even now, he was willing to destroy our reputation and our future—all for the sake of the money undoubtedly promised to him by our father. Desperate times truly call for desperate measures; that applied to our father but also to us as well.I could
I found myself praying silently that Desmond could bring everything under control, but my prayers probably fell on deafened ears. Instead of Desmond stepping up to the podium, it was my sister who approached it instead."What is she doing?" I asked in a shaky whisper as I felt myself breaking into a cold sweat. It felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as I continued staring in bewilderment and disbelief at my sister, who stood with a beautiful smile behind the podium, the microphone very close to her lips. I turned to stare at Desmond and managed to lock gazes with him. I could tell that he was staring right back at me, and the way he nodded his head reassuringly was supposed to bring me some relief and keep me at ease, but it only made me even more nervous.I could tell that everyone in the crowd was staring daggers at my sister, even from where I was standing. It wasn't surprising, considering that everyone thought Diana was me. It felt like tight knots had formed
Back to the present"Homewrecker! Homewrecker! Homewrecker!"The violent chanting continued and began seeping into my consciousness, dragging me back to the present. Disaster seemed to be staring me right in the face."Leya..." Bradon whispered my name right beside my ear.His presence close to me reminded me that, unlike that day back then, I wasn't alone. I had Bradon by my side, and, on top of that, everyone was here with me: Desmond and my sister. I suddenly felt a surge of confidence that made me believe that there could be a way out, one that would save us all from this dire situation my father had plotted against us.I had to admit that after leaving the country, I hadn't spared much thought for what would unfold after my departure. I never took care to follow up on any news-not that they would be made public-related to Mr. Malton's wife and child. I had no idea what happened to him or his family after that incident. My parents completely cut me off, and there was frankly no on
"What have you done? Have you completely lost your mind?" my father yelled at me immediately when our family was gathered in private. His face was completely red with anger as his voice echoed in the room. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I could tell that she was more worried about our family rather than her own daughter. "News of your ridiculous and scandalous behavior is now all over the place!" my father continued yelling. As if to drive his message home, his mobile phone began ringing non-stop. One glance at the name displayed on the screen drove my father to the brink before he switched off the phone and threw it onto the floor. My mother let out a scream at my father's sudden violent outburst before sinking down onto the sofa as if she had lost all strength in her body.I took the opportunity to slowly take a seat, and Diana was by my side in an instant. I knew that the best way to brave out this storm was to keep quiet and not let his words get to me.
Not having the experience of being a criminal before, I wasn't quite sure how one was supposed to be treated, but the experiences that I went through might have indeed been close. I thought that I was used to disappointing my parents and the people around me. I thought that I was used to seeing the look of disappointment and disapproval in their eyes before it became a look of resentment and then complete apathy and lack of care. I thought that I could deal with everything without getting my emotions involved because, after all, I was supposed to be used to this kind of treatment, and that was why I was caught utterly off guard by how quickly things escalated.Thinking back on it, my memories were quite blurry. Either it was simply too much for me to take in at the time for my brain to form any clear memories, or it was simply too shocking and too harsh for me to take. Either way, everything seemed to fly by me and over my head.Although every single teacher and the principal tried to
Just thinking that the fool right in front of me dared to say he was in love with my sister, while he couldn't even tell the two of us apart, made my blood boil. It took a lot of effort to repress the urge to reach out and strangle his neck right then and there. I reminded myself that I had a part to play and quite an audience to impress."No... this can't be..." Mr. Malton whispered hoarsely from a distance, stepping even further away from me. I stood up from the table, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to my side as I glared up into his face."It's actually quite simple to fool you. All I had to do was dress up in my sister's clothes whenever I met you and talk a little more sweetly..." I said, letting out a hysterical laugh. I could still feel everyone's eyes on us as the attention in the room escalated even more than before.Mr. Malton was speechless as he tried to pull his arm away from my grip, but I wasn't about to let him get away so easily."Well, now I guess the secret is
I had no idea how Diana managed to keep the girls silent up until that point so that the news wouldn't spread; however, I knew that it wouldn't be too long before everyone in school knew about this illicit affair. We would be extremely lucky if this news did not spread beyond the school walls. Despite the gravity of the situation, Mr. Malton was already ready to make his retreat."What if they don't believe us? I feel so scared. I don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to leave me," I said pleadingly just to see his reaction."You know that I would never do that. It would just be temporary until everything blows over. I promise that I will never leave you. How could I possibly leave you? I love you so much," he declared his love for me boldly.The more dramatic things became, the more I felt that his act of adoration was completely fake. No matter how many times he claimed to be in love with my sister, it seemed like he couldn't even tell us apart. I wondered what kind of face h
"Leya, you need to help me find a way out of this. Diana simply cannot make this kind of mistake," my sister told me slowly and clearly as she stared directly into my eyes."You're right. You can't afford to make these kinds of mistakes," I agreed solemnly."No one else must find out about this. We have to do something before word gets out because word is definitely going to get out,," my sister stated calmly, and I could tell that she had returned to her calm and collected self."Can't we tell them that they simply misunderstood and that it's not true?" I asked, daring to harbor a little bit of hope."They probably won't believe what we tell them, but they might believe what we show them," Diana replied, and I could tell her mind was made up.Without using any more words, it seemed like an understanding had formed between us, and once again, it felt like it was us against the entire world....**The Next Day**As I pushed open the back door to the building that was supposed to be off