CHAPTER ONE: AUDREY.

Audrey stood in front of the mirror as she looked over herself for the umpteenth time which made tears well up in her eyes. This was not what she planned or even wanted but here she was, dressed in a wedding gown and getting ready to walk down the aisle.

This was the most insane moment of her life, how did she become the bride instead of the chief bride’s maid?

A knock on the door called her attention and she hastily cleaned her eyes before the door pushed open and a woman in her early fifties sauntered into the room looking all dressed up. A bright smile was lingering on her face.

“You look so beautiful my dear”

“Thank you Mrs Henandez” Audrey answered.

The woman moved closer to her ane envelope her in a hug, “i know this is hard for you Audrey but this is the only way out”

Audrey was silent for a while, a lot was going on in her mind.

“Maybe Vanessa will be back, we can’t rush into things like this ma’am” she wanted this wedding to be called off, Audrey didn’t want to get married especially to a man she has never met.

The only thing she knew about him was the fact that he dated her twin sister and they were about to get engaged but she was not too close to her family for such details but today her father asked and begged her to become the bride. How Insane was this?

Mrs Henandez slowly disengaged from her but her hands still held onto her shoulders softly,

“You don’t have to be scared Audrey, I will not allow any injustice to be done to you okay?”

“But..”

She tried to talk but the old lady interrupted her, “I can hear the bells already. We shouldn’t be late” and like that, she sauntered out of the room again leaving the devastated Audrey to herself.

She wished this was a dream and she would wake up from it soon.

This was a conspiracy to her and she didn’t want to be a part of it, the groom was sure to know that she was not his bride. The stunt everyone was pulling was bound to backfire.

Another knock on the door claimed her attention again and this time it was her father who entered. He looked superb in his black tux and gray hair while the smile on his lips would not go away. His daughter was getting married after all.

“Are you ready?”

“Dad, this is madness. How can we deceive him like this?”

“This is the only way we have sweetheart, Vanessa left without a trace and we can not embarrass the Hernandez family like this, once she is back you both can switch places. Remember we are not in this alone”

Audrey threw her hands in the air helplessly, “but…”

“No ifs or buts” her father interrupted, “you have always said you wanted to make it up to me right?”

This was what he used to hold her on a leash and she couldn’t do anything about it.

When the twins were fifteen years old, Audrey had gone out with her mum to get something and a car was coming fast at them. Her mother pushed her out of the way and she in return was crushed into pieces. Since then Audrey blamed herself for the death of her mother and promised to make it up to her father. Now she found it hard that he was using this card against her.

“Just get married princess and moreover, he is a very rich man”

Audrey rolled her eyes and turned to the mirror before filling her lungs with air again, it seems she was getting married then.

“Ready?”

“Ready” came her reply.

This was all because of Vanessa who ran away on her wedding day, what the hell was her twin sister even thinking?

*****

Wedding bells were ringing as Audrey made her way down the aisle, her hand neatly tucked away under her father’s and her veil hiding how nervous she felt. This was it, she was getting married at the age of twenty four. This wasn’t a dream she had.

“Smile honey” her father’s voice filtered into her ears, “everyone is watching”

“Hmm” she nodded and plastered a fake smile across her lips, she didn’t have a choice by the way.

The man she saw standing by the altar was a little less than what she was expecting and she almost gagged. Was this the man Vanessa was in love with?

He was of average height and fat, he looked more like Rickcross but thankfully he had a handsome face.

“Is this him?” she whispered to her father who didn’t say anything but just smiled and continued to walk.

Audrey began to wish something would happen and the wedding would be called off, how could she marry a man like him? He looked so….so fat and not even her type.

As they got to the man, her father gently placed her hand in his before walking away and Audrey almost went mad with uncertainty. How could he be like this? From the way Vanessa always talked about him, she felt like his handsomeness would be out of this world but here he was. Looking all fat and stupid in his black suit.

“We are gathered here today to witness the holy matrimony between Nathan Hernandez and Vanessa Baxter and we pray the Lord blesses this union…..”

And just like that she was married to the fat man.

Now she understood why Vanessa ran away, she could not face the humiliation of being his wife.

Nathan Hernandez was America’s richest man from what she heard, he owned the famous clothing brand of Avanti but Audrey had never had the luxury of seeing him and he always kept his face out of public view but who would have imagined that he was fat and stupid?

“Hey” her train of reverie was cut short when she heard a voice beside her and she turned to see it was her so called husband, “we should probably leave”

“Leave?” Now this was getting creepy, they just got out of the church and had not even gone for their reception yet and he was talking about leaving. Was he a social nerd?

“Why do we have to leave?” Audrey asked again, “it is our wedding and we are just going to run away?”

The man scoffed, “we should leave, we don’t have time”

“What time?”

“My lovely daughter in law” Mrs Henandez walked up to the two of them and she had the most beautiful smile on her face. Well who wouldn’t be? Her son just got married, right?

“Congratulations baby” she hugged Audrey again.

“Thank you ma’am”

Audrey was waiting for her to also hug Nathan but she completely ignored his existence like was not there, what was actually happening?

“Is everything ready?” Mrs Henandez finally asked the fat man who nodded.

“I think you should get ready my dear, your flight is in an hour”

Now Audrey had to believe that these people were nuts. How the hell is her flight in an hour? Why was she even traveling?

“What is actually going on?”

“Don’t worry honey, I will explain everything to you in the plans okay? You should say your goodbyes and we leave”

Without waiting for her response, the old lady walked away as her heels clicked on the marble floor.

Audrey had an inkling that something was wrong but she couldn’t pinpoint it. Everyone was acting suspicious and the fat man beside her didn’t even look like he cared.

……and that was how Audrey found herself on the plane to God knows where. It was not like she had any friends to say goodbyes to and her father was more interested in the party than even listening to her. For the first time since her mother died, she regretted it.