I had no idea how many strings were pulled and how much money was spent. In the end, I returned back to school and spent my days with Diana as if nothing had happened. I wasn’t regarded the say way again since that incident, but it didn’t really bother me.“So, Dahlia didn’t tell you anything?” she asked.“No, she didn’t,” I replied as I wondered when she would just move on.Although I knew that she called me here to talk about this incident, I had hoped that she might have already come to terms with it and moved on. I was willing to help her in any way that I could now that I was literally in Diana’s shoes. I could help introduce her back into society or link her up with suitable suitors or any of Diana’s friends. Although Diana never regretted what she did, there was a part of me that wished that we didn’t need to part ways with Daphne like that. After confiding in me about the details of what really happened that day, I could tell that she was confident that she did the right thing
She closed the distance between us so rapidly that I was certain that she had already regained full and normal usage of her legs. In a flash, she was standing right in front of me, and her hand was raised.She’s going to slap my face…My instincts told me to dodge or lift my hand up to block the blow; however, I consciously decided against it. It was a small price to pay for all the years she had to go through without the use of her legs. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact. Her slap sounded much louder than it hurt.“Are you satisfied now? If you’re done, I’m going to leave,” I said curtly.I had no idea why she was keeping the fact that she could walk a secret from everyone. Perhaps it was an idea that she came up with to catch me off-guard. I smirked thinking that it wasn’t so bad of a plan given that it was Daphne that we were talking about.“I’m not done with you yet,” she said with her voice dripping with malice.I let out a loud sigh as I wondered what else she wa
Staying by his side seemed like the best place to be at that moment, although I hated to admit that the rule that he had set was right all along. I wanted to scream out loud that she was lying through her teeth while my frustration started taking over. I wondered why Bradon couldn’t see through her act right away.“You must have someone out for your life if you have this many guards at an event with high security like this. It makes me worry a little about your safety. Feel free to let me know if there’s anything that either me or the Vulkan family can help you out with. It would be a pleasure to help one of my wife’s friends,” Bradon said before smiling warmly her way.“Thank you. You are so kind…” Daphne replied softly.“Not at all. So, tell me Miss Wanderwalt, did Diana do something to offend you or hurt you in anyway?” Bradon asked.I turned and narrowed my eyes at him as I wondered why he was asking a question like that. Did he think that I did something wrong simply because I sn
Daphne’s legs seemed to cease to function at his words as she crumbled to the ground. The way she sobbed and then wailed made me pity her a little. It was probably killing her to be caught and seen like this by the eyes of the man that she is probably still in love with. On top of that, she was probably shocked beyond belief at how Anthony was acting. Bradon didn’t seem to care just how out of character he was acting at that moment. Although he acted like we were a sweet and doting couple by expressing his concern and care for me, his use of violence wasn’t at all like Anthony.“I guess you don’t know the truth either…” Daphne said before her eyes glared up at us.I wanted to stop her from telling Bradon about the incident, but I couldn’t think of a way to stop her at that moment. It was already too late. Whether I liked it or not, Bradon was about to hear about it.“She was the one who pushed me down the stairs. Because of her, I couldn’t walk and had to go through therapy for years!
I could tell that Diana thought that what she did was correct.“She really got way ahead of herself. Asking me over and over about Anthony without even bothering to hide her interest in him. It grosses me out. He’s still my fiancé whether I like it or not so how can she say those things to me so blatantly?” Diana said before pulling her face into a look of disgust.“I guess she did mention it a couple of times…” I murmured as I seemed to recall the many instances that that had happened.I couldn’t side with Daphne, but I also knew that she was one of many girls who wished that they could end up marrying Anthony instead of Diana. Even though everyone knew that he was engaged, they all didn’t hesitate to give it their best shot in dating him with the hope that they might be able to change his mind. Little did they know that this matter was beyond just changing Anthony’s mind or making him fall in love. Even if Anthony wanted to marry a woman of his own choice, I doubted that it would be
“Bradon…listen…” I murmured as I tried to recall the words that I had strung so perfectly together.Now that it was time to deliver them, I found it hard to even remember what it was that I planned to tell him. The way that his blue eyes were glaring at my face so intensely only made me feel even more nervous as my throat and chest tightened at the same time. I could tell that he couldn’t wait to make me pay for putting both of us through that episode with Daphne and her bodyguards earlier. He couldn’t even wait for us to ascend the stairs and that was why we ended up in the room on the first floor of the mansion.“I…I can explain…” I said softly while trying my best to sound calm and collected.It wasn’t really my fault…or was it?The way Bradon’s blue eyes narrowed at me made me wince and told me that he wasn’t at all interested in any explanations or excuses that I wanted to state in my own defense. It felt almost as if I could see and feel the mood around him darken. The words tha
“Listen, I can explain…” I murmured before biting hard on my lower lip.“All you had to do was stay by my side. It was a simple rule that you agreed to, and you couldn’t follow it,” he stated coldly.“I have my own reasons for doing this…” I replied as I tried desperately to keep my voice from shaking.“We made an agreement, Dahlia…” Bradon said through clenched teeth as he glared right into my eyes.I knew well that it was my fault for encouraging and allowing the two of us to get separated; however, I didn’t think that Bradon would get so furious about me breaking the rule that we had agreed on. In the end, everything turned out fine and we weren’t away from each other for that long. Even after all that had happened, I still didn’t want to tell Bradon about what happened between Daphne and me. It was all in the past and I didn’t want to bring it up. If he didn’t know about it, then all the better that we could keep it that way.“Listen, I know that you’re angry and I guess you have
“Stop playing these games,” he warned as his hand tightened again on my upper arms.It was as if he thought that if he held me tighter and shook my body, his words would sink right into my head and an understanding would form between us. Sadly, things weren’t at all that simple.“Why? Do you regret saving me now that you know the truth?” I demanded to know as I glared back at him.“Dahlia…” he hissed my name.“You think I’m a horrible person, don’t you? I hurt Daphne and I even used you. I knew you would come and save me whether you liked it or not. You can’t let me get hurt…” I stated while I wondered just how much of those words were true.“Don’t ever do something like this again,” he warned, and I could tell that he was dead serious.“Aren’t you shocked…that I really pushed her down the stairs?” I asked before I could stop that foolish question from escaping my lips.Of course, I already knew the answer. I even knew that his answer would somehow end up hurting me, but I just wanted
I needed to leave him and as soon as possible, but I didn't know how I could achieve that. My past experiences have taught me quite directly that I couldn't truly run away from Bradon. Escaping from the mansion was unquestionably impossible. I could not run away, so that meant that I needed to get Bradon to agree to let me leave. My legs already felt weak, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and shut my eyes to escape reality. I knew that I needed to talk to Bradon about ending our fake marriage as soon as possible, although I had no idea how to bring up the topic. Something told me that it might prove to be difficult to get Bradon to agree, and there was always a risk that he might react unpredictably.However, if everything he did was simply him just acting out his role and his feelings for me didn't truly exist, then that might be the solution to all of my problems. If he felt no attachment to me, then he should have no problem letting me go just as planned. After all
The party ended early, yet it was quite eventful, at least for Bradon and myself. I felt like there was a storm raging inside of me all the while that we rode back to his mansion. It felt like there was something right at the tip of my tongue that I wanted to say, but yet I couldn't bring myself to say it. There were times when I thought that I fully understood myself and what I wanted, and yet at the very same time, I felt so confused and lost. The feelings that were struggling to take dominance inside of me did not make sense, and it made me feel as if my thoughts and my feelings were heading in the direct opposite direction of one another.Bradon's words of defiance as he confronted my father came back to me loud and clear:"Dahlia is not your daughter anymore, and neither am I one of the Vulkans. I will never let you take my wife..."I should have known that entering into this contract marriage with Bradon, while taking my sister's place, would somehow lead to blurring the line be
"But..." I mumbled, but I could not bring myself to say anything else when my eyes met his. His beautiful lips curved into a teasing smile, and there was a certain sparkle in the depths of his eyes that captivated my attention. That was when I knew that although he probably disapproved of what I had just done, there was a part of him that was actually quite pleased. I found myself smiling sweetly back at him like I was some fool."You hit me? You vile bitch! I'm your father. I raised you!" my father screamed at me at the top of his lungs. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had forgotten where we were and the fact that we were surrounded by other high-profile guests who were attending the party."Dahlia, how could you do something like that? How could you hurt your father? We never raised you to become like this," my mother said, with clear disappointment and shock on her facial features."Really? Because here I honestly thought that I was already disowned. Well, to be more accurate
I was certain that just as many people hated her and blamed her for going against societal norms, there were probably just as many people who admired her, either openly or secretly as her fans. Perhaps to them, our sisterly duo act was the spice they needed in their endlessly boring lives."Don't you feel better from just seeing how everyone is welcoming us with open arms?" Diana continued before she raised her hand to wave at someone that she knew."Fine. I admit that you got your point across," I said as my eyes scanned the crowd that had gathered for the party. I could feel Bradon tensing at my side, and I knew that he had just spotted the two people that I least wanted to see at that moment. "Did you know about this?" I turned to ask Diana without hiding my shock."That they'll be here? I guess not, but why does it matter? You'd have run into them sooner or later. If you ask me, the sooner the better," Diana said with a careless shrug of her shoulders.I narrowed my eyes as I gla
"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.