The Substitute Bride: Unveiling the Paralyzed Don

4

A Silent Departure

The night before the wedding felt like the eve of an execution for Harper. Inside the small pavilion at the back, isolated from the opulence of the main Vargas mansion, Harper packed her belongings into a single wornout suitcase. There were no designer dresses, no sparkling jewelry—only a few simple clothes and the notebooks that had been her entire world.

The bathroom door creaked open. Sarah stepped out, frail and trembling, clutching a bottle of sedatives just delivered by one of Arthur’s couriers—proof that her grandfather was, for the moment, keeping his word.

"Harper, honey..." Sarah’s voice was raspy, followed by a fit of coughing she fought hard to suppress so as not to alarm her daughter.

Harper immediately set her clothes aside and guided her mother to the edge of the bed. "You need to rest, Mom. Try not to move around too much."

Sarah gripped Harper’s hand, tears tracking down her gaunt cheeks. "Forgive me... Forgive me for being so weak that you have to sacrifice your future. You have to go to that terrible place in Chloe's stead."

Harper offered a gentle smile—a forced expression meant to soothe the woman who had brought her into this world. She wiped her mother’s tears away with her thumb.

"You don't need to apologize, Mom. Marrying into the Moretti family means I’ll finally be out of this cursed house. Isn't that a good thing?" Harper tried to joke, despite the heaviness in her heart. "Besides, Grandfather is moving you to the main hospital tomorrow morning. Dad will be there with you, too. I won't have to worry anymore."

David entered the room with a weary gait. He looked ten years older tonight. As a father, his pride had been shattered into pieces, unable to protect his own daughter.

"I’ve checked the schedule, Harper. Early tomorrow morning, a car from the Moretti family will pick you up directly at the back gate. They... they won't even allow us to hold a proper reception or blessing," David said, his voice choking with unshed tears.

Harper took a deep breath, steeling herself. "It’s okay, Dad. This marriage is just a business transaction to them. It’s better if it’s done quickly and quietly."

The next morning, Chicago was cloaked in thick fog and a bonechilling cold. The gray sky seemed to mirror Harper's departure.

At the back gate of the Vargas estate, a luxurious black RollsRoyce stood idling, its engine humming softly. Two men in black suits, broadshouldered and expressionless, stood by the passenger door. They were Moretti enforcers—executioners ready to take a life at a moment's notice.

David and Sarah hugged Harper for the last time. Their grip was desperate, as if fearing this might be their final meeting.

"Take care of yourself, my child. If anything happens... let me know immediately," David whispered, his voice trembling violently.

"I’ll be fine, Dad. Take care of Mom for me," Harper replied steadily.

As Harper turned to head toward the car, the sharp clicking of high heels broke the morning silence. Chloe approached from the garden, accompanied by her mother, Diana. Both were dressed in expensive casual wear, eyeing Harper with undisguised disdain.

"Well, look at the substitute bride," Chloe sneered, arms crossed over her chest with a smug smile. "Your clothes are pathetic, Harper. But I suppose they’re appropriate for a man who is paralyzed and practically rotting in a wheelchair."

Diana chuckled cruelly, chiming in. "Remember your place there, Harper. You are there to serve as Chloe’s shield. Don’t dream of enjoying the Moretti wealth, because if that crippled husband of yours dies at the hands of his enemies, you’ll be dragged into the grave right along with him."

Harper stopped just before the car door, which had been held open by the Moretti guard. She didn't get in immediately. Slowly, she turned and looked at Chloe and Diana with eyes that were suddenly as cold as ice.

There was no fear on Harper’s face—only a flash of resilience that made the smile on Chloe’s face slowly fade.

"Thank you for your concern, Chloe, Aunt Diana," Harper said, her voice calm yet heavy with intimidating emphasis. "But you’d be better off worrying about yourselves in this house. Enjoy the remaining comfort you have now. Because when I am at the Moretti mansion..."

Harper paused, glancing at her wornout suitcase already in the trunk before turning back to Chloe with a thin, mysterious smile.

"...I will ensure that every ounce of suffering you’ve inflicted upon my parents is returned with heavy interest. Pray that my paralyzed husband doesn't destroy the Vargas family at my request."

"You!" Chloe started to snap back, but Harper had already turned gracefully and stepped into the luxury vehicle.

The door slammed shut with a solid thud. The darktinted windows instantly cut off Harper’s view of her greedy family. The black car slowly moved through the Chicago fog, carrying Harper toward her new fate inside the golden cage known as the Moretti Mansion.