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Wedding Preparations 2
Last Updated:
2025-04-08 04:47:30
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The Substitute Bride's Revenge The Ceremony (1)
ARIAThe morning of my wedding day dawns with perfect, manufactured precision: clear skies, seventy-two degrees, not a cloud in sight.The Harrington Estate has been transformed overnight into a fantasy landscape of white roses and crystal, five million dollars manifested in cascading floral arrangements, imported marble dance floors, and custom pavilions erected solely for this one-day spectacle.I stand motionless as four stylists work on me simultaneously; one on hair, one on makeup, one adjusting the complicated undergarments that squeeze my flesh into submission, and one making final adjustments to the Marchesa gown that has been altered seven times in the past week."Stop breathing so deeply!" snaps Genevieve, yanking at the corset laces with unnecessary force. "You're expanding the ribcage and ruining the line."I try to comply by reducing my breathing to shallow sips of air that leave me light-headed.The corset is a marvel of engineering, steel boning and industrial-strength
Last Updated : 2025-04-08The Substitute Bride's Revenge The Ceremony (2)
ARIAThe walk to the ceremony pavilion is a blur of white roses and curious stares.Five hundred faces turn once I appear linking arms with my father's.I feel their eyes cataloging every detail. The dress, the jewelry, the transformation of Robert Taylor's unremarkable daughter into Xavier Harrington's bride.The pavilion itself is a marvel of design. A crystalline structure is erected specifically for this day, its transparent walls offering views of the estate's manicured grounds while protecting the guests from any hint of natural disorder. White roses climb the supports, their scent almost overwhelming in the enclosed space.And at the end of the aisle, waiting beneath an arch of yet more white roses, stands Xavier Harrington.He is perfection incarnate in his custom tuxedo. His dark hair is immaculately styled and his posture military in its precision.He is everything a bride could want. Handsome, wealthy, powerful.And he isn't looking at me.I process down the aisle on my fat
Last Updated : 2025-04-08The Substitute Bride's Revenge Wedding Night
ARIAThe Harrington penthouse occupies the top three floors of a sleek glass tower in Manhattan, its floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of the city that never sleeps.At one in the morning, those windows reflect my solitary figure as I stand in the master suite, still wearing my wedding gown, waiting for a husband who isn't here.Xavier has disappeared as soon as we'd arrived, muttering something about "checking messages" before vanishing into what I presume is his office.That has been two hours ago. The suite is silent except for the distant hum of the city below and the occasional ping of my phone as congratulatory messages arrive from people who have no idea what my marriage actually entails.The wedding coordinator had arranged for a maid to help me out of my complicated gown, but I've sent the woman away, preferring to be alone with my thoughts.Now I struggle with the dozens of tiny buttons running down my spine. My arms ache as I twist to reach them, my fingers c
Last Updated : 2025-04-08The Substitute Bride's Revenge Wedding Night (2)
ARIAI stand motionless for several minutes, shock and humiliation warring with a cold, growing anger.This is worse than I had imagined and more degrading than I had prepared myself for. Not just a loveless marriage, but a complete denial of my humanity, my worth, my very existence as anything other than a contract obligation.I move to the door Xavier had indicated when I can trust my legs to support me, opening it to find a beautifully appointed suite that is nonetheless clearly secondary to the master bedroom.It is smaller with fewer windows decorated in muted tones that wouldn't draw attention. A place designed for invisibility, for someone to be tucked away when not needed for public display.I close the door without entering and turn back to the master suite. If Xavier wants me invisible, I will become so. However, not before understanding exactly what I'm dealing with, what weapons might be available in this cold war he has declared.I didn’t take the time to thoroughly read t
Last Updated : 2025-04-10The Substitute Bride's Revenge New Home
Morning light filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the guest suite, lighting up dust particles dancing in the air. Proof that despite how perfect the Harrington penthouse looks, even here, imperfection exists if you look close enough.I stand at the window, watching the city wake up thirty stories below. My reflection's like a ghost on the glass.The woman staring back at me is a stranger. Dark circles under my eyes, my natural curls fighting back after yesterday's straightened wedding style, and my brown skin looking ashen from exhaustion.Xavier took off for Tokyo at exactly 5:30 AM, not bothering to tell me himself only to have Michael knock on my door at 7:00 AM, his face professionally blank as he hands me a thick folder."Your schedule and transportation details for the week, Mrs. Harrington," he says, using my new name like he's been saying it forever. "The car will arrive at 9:00 AM to take you to the estate. Your belongings have already been moved to your assigned q
Last Updated : 2025-04-11The Substitute Bride's Revenge The Harrington Family
Sunday arrives with the weight of inevitability.The family dinner I've been dreading all week looms before me like an execution.For six days, I've followed the punishing schedule set out for me: enduring Trainer Mateo's obvious contempt as he pushes my body to its limits, suffering through Genevieve's increasingly frustrated attempts to alter clothes that refuse to hang properly on my curves, submitting to endless lectures on Harrington family history and protocol.Now, standing in my suite as a stylist applies the finishing touches to my hair, I study my reflection with detachment.The woman in the mirror is a constructed illusion. My natural curls are tamed into what Patricia deemed a "more sophisticated" style, my makeup applied to emphasize my cheekbones and "minimize the fullness" of my lips, my body poured into a navy blue dress that Genevieve finally declared "acceptable if you don't move too suddenly.""Mrs. Harrington will be pleased with the improvement," the stylist murmur
Last Updated : 2025-04-12The Substitute Bride's Revenge The Harrington Family (2)
ARIAXavier, who has been studying the contents of his glass with apparent fascination looks up at this. "Aria's academic credentials were thoroughly checked before the arrangement was finalized, Grandma. She meets all the specified requirements."The delivered assessment as if I'm not standing right here, is more painful than Sophia's open hostility. To Xavier, I'm a checklist of requirements, nothing more."Dinner is ready, Mrs. Harrington," announces a staff member from the doorway, providing a momentary reprieve from the tension.The dining room continues the theme of intimidating opulence. A massive table that could seat twenty but is set for only five, crystal chandeliers casting cold light over Limoges china and sterling silver place settings, fresh flowers arranged in towering displays that ensure conversation requires leaning around them.Eleanor takes her place at the head of the table, with Harold and Xavier flanking her. Sophia moves to sit beside her brother, leaving me th
Last Updated : 2025-04-13The Substitute Bride's Revenge The Matriarch
ARIADays crawl by with agonizing slowness, and I often catch myself wishing time would just move faster. Everything stays quiet after that dinner with Xavier’s family last Sunday—until Tuesday, exactly at 3:00 PM, when a new summons arrives."Mrs. Eleanor Harrington requests your presence for tea in the east garden at 3:30," Mrs. Prescott delivers it with the gravity of a royal decree.Her tone makes it clear this isn't an invitation but a command. "Appropriate attire would be a day dress, nothing too casual."I glance down at the tailored slacks and silk blouse I've been permitted to wear for my morning session with the etiquette coach and nod. "I'll change right away.""Very wise," Mrs. Prescott replies. "Mrs. Harrington appreciates punctuality and proper presentation."As the housekeeper leaves, I move to my closet, surveying the limited selection of Harrington-approved garments.I've learned to read the subtle hierarchies embedded in every interaction, every instruction, every exp
Last Updated : 2025-04-13
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The charity luncheon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is exactly the kind of event I've come to dread. A gathering of the capital’s elite women, ostensibly raising money for arts education but primarily engaged in the subtle warfare of social positioning.Three months into my marriage, I've learned to navigate these waters with a smile that never quite reaches my eyes, making small talk about designers and vacation properties while the women around me assess every aspect of my appearance and background for weaknesses.Today's event is hosted by the museum's board of trustees, which includes Eleanor Harrington among its most influential members.I've been "invited" to attend via a terse note from Victoria, who continues to serve as Eleanor's proxy in managing my public appearances. The subtext is clear: show up, look appropriate, say little, and don't embarrass the family."Mrs. Harrington, how lovely to see you," greets the event chairwoman, an elegantly preserved woman in her sixtie
The Substitute Bride's Revenge Unsolicited Advice
ARIAThe walk back to the guest house is a blur of hurt and anger… of tears threatening to fall but held back by sheer force of will.I refuse to give anyone who might be watching the satisfaction of seeing me cry.Inside the guest house, I strip off the wet swimsuit and stand under the shower's hot spray, finally allowing the tears to come as the water washes away the chlorine and the shame.Later, dressed in jeans and a sweater that haven't passed Genevieve's approval but are the most comfortable items I've managed to smuggle into my suitcase and I sit on the small porch of the guest house, staring out at the mountain vista without really seeing it.The beauty of the landscape seems to mock my misery.A movement at the edge of my vision catches my attention. An elderly man in work clothes makes his way along a path that skirts the edge of the property.He moves with the unhurried gait of someone who knows every inch of the grounds, pausing occasionally to inspect a plant or adjust a
The Substitute Bride's Revenge Cruel Cousins
The Harrington family compound in Aspen sprawls across thirty acres of prime mountainside real estate, a collection of rustic-luxe buildings that manage to appear both authentically alpine and obscenely expensive.The main house was a 15,000-square-foot structure of reclaimed timber and glass. It commands views of the surrounding peaks that feature prominently in architectural magazines and the I*******m accounts of the various Harrington family members who use the property as backdrop for their curated public personas.I've been dreading the annual family retreat since Michael added it to my schedule three weeks ago. Two weeks at the Aspen compound with the entire extended Harrington clan including Eleanor, Harold , Sophia, and a host of cousins, aunts, and uncles I've yet to meet seems like an exercise in prolonged humiliation."It's tradition," Xavier explained curtly when I asked if my presence was truly necessary. "All Harrington spouses attend. Your absence would be noticed."Tra
The Substitute Bride's Revenge The Matriarch
ARIADays crawl by with agonizing slowness, and I often catch myself wishing time would just move faster. Everything stays quiet after that dinner with Xavier’s family last Sunday—until Tuesday, exactly at 3:00 PM, when a new summons arrives."Mrs. Eleanor Harrington requests your presence for tea in the east garden at 3:30," Mrs. Prescott delivers it with the gravity of a royal decree.Her tone makes it clear this isn't an invitation but a command. "Appropriate attire would be a day dress, nothing too casual."I glance down at the tailored slacks and silk blouse I've been permitted to wear for my morning session with the etiquette coach and nod. "I'll change right away.""Very wise," Mrs. Prescott replies. "Mrs. Harrington appreciates punctuality and proper presentation."As the housekeeper leaves, I move to my closet, surveying the limited selection of Harrington-approved garments.I've learned to read the subtle hierarchies embedded in every interaction, every instruction, every exp
The Substitute Bride's Revenge The Harrington Family (2)
ARIAXavier, who has been studying the contents of his glass with apparent fascination looks up at this. "Aria's academic credentials were thoroughly checked before the arrangement was finalized, Grandma. She meets all the specified requirements."The delivered assessment as if I'm not standing right here, is more painful than Sophia's open hostility. To Xavier, I'm a checklist of requirements, nothing more."Dinner is ready, Mrs. Harrington," announces a staff member from the doorway, providing a momentary reprieve from the tension.The dining room continues the theme of intimidating opulence. A massive table that could seat twenty but is set for only five, crystal chandeliers casting cold light over Limoges china and sterling silver place settings, fresh flowers arranged in towering displays that ensure conversation requires leaning around them.Eleanor takes her place at the head of the table, with Harold and Xavier flanking her. Sophia moves to sit beside her brother, leaving me th
The Substitute Bride's Revenge The Harrington Family
Sunday arrives with the weight of inevitability.The family dinner I've been dreading all week looms before me like an execution.For six days, I've followed the punishing schedule set out for me: enduring Trainer Mateo's obvious contempt as he pushes my body to its limits, suffering through Genevieve's increasingly frustrated attempts to alter clothes that refuse to hang properly on my curves, submitting to endless lectures on Harrington family history and protocol.Now, standing in my suite as a stylist applies the finishing touches to my hair, I study my reflection with detachment.The woman in the mirror is a constructed illusion. My natural curls are tamed into what Patricia deemed a "more sophisticated" style, my makeup applied to emphasize my cheekbones and "minimize the fullness" of my lips, my body poured into a navy blue dress that Genevieve finally declared "acceptable if you don't move too suddenly.""Mrs. Harrington will be pleased with the improvement," the stylist murmur
The Substitute Bride's Revenge New Home
Morning light filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the guest suite, lighting up dust particles dancing in the air. Proof that despite how perfect the Harrington penthouse looks, even here, imperfection exists if you look close enough.I stand at the window, watching the city wake up thirty stories below. My reflection's like a ghost on the glass.The woman staring back at me is a stranger. Dark circles under my eyes, my natural curls fighting back after yesterday's straightened wedding style, and my brown skin looking ashen from exhaustion.Xavier took off for Tokyo at exactly 5:30 AM, not bothering to tell me himself only to have Michael knock on my door at 7:00 AM, his face professionally blank as he hands me a thick folder."Your schedule and transportation details for the week, Mrs. Harrington," he says, using my new name like he's been saying it forever. "The car will arrive at 9:00 AM to take you to the estate. Your belongings have already been moved to your assigned q
The Substitute Bride's Revenge Wedding Night (2)
ARIAI stand motionless for several minutes, shock and humiliation warring with a cold, growing anger.This is worse than I had imagined and more degrading than I had prepared myself for. Not just a loveless marriage, but a complete denial of my humanity, my worth, my very existence as anything other than a contract obligation.I move to the door Xavier had indicated when I can trust my legs to support me, opening it to find a beautifully appointed suite that is nonetheless clearly secondary to the master bedroom.It is smaller with fewer windows decorated in muted tones that wouldn't draw attention. A place designed for invisibility, for someone to be tucked away when not needed for public display.I close the door without entering and turn back to the master suite. If Xavier wants me invisible, I will become so. However, not before understanding exactly what I'm dealing with, what weapons might be available in this cold war he has declared.I didn’t take the time to thoroughly read t
The Substitute Bride's Revenge Wedding Night
ARIAThe Harrington penthouse occupies the top three floors of a sleek glass tower in Manhattan, its floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of the city that never sleeps.At one in the morning, those windows reflect my solitary figure as I stand in the master suite, still wearing my wedding gown, waiting for a husband who isn't here.Xavier has disappeared as soon as we'd arrived, muttering something about "checking messages" before vanishing into what I presume is his office.That has been two hours ago. The suite is silent except for the distant hum of the city below and the occasional ping of my phone as congratulatory messages arrive from people who have no idea what my marriage actually entails.The wedding coordinator had arranged for a maid to help me out of my complicated gown, but I've sent the woman away, preferring to be alone with my thoughts.Now I struggle with the dozens of tiny buttons running down my spine. My arms ache as I twist to reach them, my fingers c
