THE SUBSTITUTE WIFE HE NEVER FORGOT

I knew something was wrong the moment my mother asked me to sit down. Not because she looked worried. My mother rarely looked worried when it concerned me. She looked annoyed. That was worse. I stood in the doorway of the dining room, one hand still wrapped around the strap of my handbag. My father sat at the head of the table. My mother sat beside him. And Erica was there too. Of course she was. Erica was always there when something important happened. She was wearing a cream-colored dress that probably cost more than everything currently sitting in my wardrobe combined. Her long hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and she was scrolling through her phone as if none of this had anything to do with her. I looked from her to my parents. "Why did you call me?" My father didn't answer immediately. He folded his hands on the table. "Kara, sit." I almost laughed. Whenever my father used that tone, something unpleasant usually followed. I pulled out the chair farthest from Erica and sat. My mother stared at me. Then she said, "You're getting married." I blinked. For a second, I genuinely thought I'd heard her wrong. "What?" "You're getting married." There was no excitement in her voice. No smile. No congratulations. Nothing. Just a statement. I looked at my father. He didn't correct her. My stomach tightened. "To who?" My mother exchanged a glance with my father. Then she said the name. "Richard Duncan." The room seemed to go quiet. I knew that name. Everyone knew that name. Richard Duncan was the eldest grandson of the Duncan family and the heir to the Duncan Group, one of the most powerful business empires in the country. He was also the man who had been lying unconscious for the past three years. I stared at my mother. "You mean..." "Yes." "Richard Duncan?" My father nodded. I swallowed. "The Richard Duncan?" "How many Richard Duncans do you think there are?" My mother's voice was impatient. I ignored the comment. "He's still unconscious." No one answered. I looked at Erica. She had stopped scrolling. Her face had gone strangely pale. And suddenly, I understood. I wasn't supposed to be the one getting married. I looked back at my parents. "What happened to Erica?" Silence. My mother sighed. "Erica doesn't want the marriage." Of course she didn't. Nobody would. Not even for the Duncan name. Not when the man she'd be marrying couldn't walk, speak, or even acknowledge her existence. I slowly leaned back in my chair. "And because Erica doesn't want him, you want me to marry him?" My father finally spoke. "This is not a discussion." Something inside my chest tightened. I looked down at my hands. I had spent years learning that in this house, some things weren't negotiable. My clothes. My education. My choices. Even the food on my plate. But marriage? Surely that was different. Surely— "Kara." My father's voice brought me back. "This marriage will help this family." I stared at him. "And what happens to me?" He didn't answer. That was enough to answer. I laughed quietly. It wasn't because anything was funny. It was because if I didn't laugh, I might cry. I looked toward Erica. She wouldn't meet my eyes. For once, I didn't blame her. She had always been the daughter they wanted to protect. I had always been the daughter they could sacrifice. My mother pushed a folder across the table. "The papers are inside." I didn't touch it. "You already prepared everything?" "Yes." "So you decided this before speaking to me." "We knew you'd understand." I looked at her. Something about that sentence hurt more than it should have. Understand. That was what they always called it when they wanted me to accept something I didn't want. Understand that Erica needs this. Understand that money is tight. Understand that your sister has a future. Understand that you should be grateful. I looked at the folder. Then my father. "Do I get a choice?" My father was silent for several seconds. Then he said, "You can refuse." My heart lifted. Just slightly. Then he continued. "But if you refuse, don't expect this family to protect you from the consequences." There it was. The threat hidden inside the choice. I lowered my eyes. I thought about the years I'd spent in this house. About all the things I had wanted to become. About the plans I'd made before my family decided that my future was something they could trade. And then I thought about what would happen if I said no. I already knew the answer. I would still be the unwanted daughter. Only this time, I would also be the daughter who had cost them everything. My fingers slowly closed around the folder. "How soon?" My mother finally smiled. "Very soon." I opened the folder. The first page carried a name. Richard Duncan. I stared at it for a long time. I had never met the man. I had never spoken to him. I didn't know what he looked like. I didn't know what kind of person he was. I didn't know what had happened on the night of his accident. I didn't know why his own family seemed willing to marry him off while he lay unconscious. And I certainly didn't know why my family was so desperate to put me in his place. All I knew was that by the time I signed those papers... I would become Richard Duncan's wife. Even if he never opened his eyes to see me.