The substitute wife

Elena's POV “Sophi-can... Anyway um, do you need something?” I stuttered. “Now should I approach her or go away?” I mumbled to myself. Just then, I noticed she was seeing me from the whole length of the mirror that was placed in front of her. And there was an expression on her face: displeasure. "Why are you looking at me? Trying to cast an evil eye on me?" My cheeks were red with shame. "No. I was just... admiring you." She rolled her eyes. "Admiring? Please get lost for f***s sake. I don't want you here today. You bring bad luck, Elena. And besides, I don't need you anymore. You must go; whatever you were to do has been done by now." My mouth opened to defend myself, but the words remained stuck in my throat, and my feet refused to move, shame swallowed me whole as the team of hair stylist and make up artists cast weird looks at me before they turned their attention to Sophia once more. It was then that the door swung open and in walked my father. "Princess," he said warmly, going straight to Sophia as though I did not exist, which to me was something I can never get used to. He bent down, kissed her forehead, and smilingly asked, "How are you feeling?" I tried to greet him, but it almost came out inaudibly. "Good noon, Father- " He did not so much as look my way. The smile disappeared from my father's face upon seeing me. Rage crept in. "Elena. Come here. Now." I swallowed hard and took a step forward, the steps getting heavier with every heartbeat. "You will apologize to your sister for upsetting her today", he commanded. I looked at Sophia in the mirror, and she smirked at me. My throat burned, but I forced my words out. "I'm sorry, Sophia." She waved her hand like a queen dismissing a slave. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the suite in silence. The grip was painful as he threw me into a small room, away from Sophia’. He turned to me and brows furrowed together in rage. "Do you have an inkling of how important today's event is? No, of course not. You never do. My company is going down, Elena. This wedding is the only thing that can help it. Once Adrian Blake marries Sophia, he has promised to help me.“ "You're using her to fix your company?" I stammered, either from the shock of his intentions or pure shock from being included in something that concerned him, for the first time since I came back to his house after my mother passed away. "Using?" He barked with laughter. "That’s crazy. These two are in love. They dated for a month, and now they're getting married. It works out nicely." Inside, I revolted. "She had a boyfriend for a month, and I had no idea?" He scoffed. "You know nothing. You never do." Something inside me snapped. "That's not fair! You never treated me as a part of this family; never told me anything!" He took another step closer, his voice sharp as a blade. "And do you know why? Because you are useless. A stupid mistake born from my drunken sleep with a lowly stripper. You should never have existed. After your mother died, I was forced to take you in, and even then, you bled me dry with your medical school fees. Do you realize how much faster you pushed me toward bankruptcy?" Those words crashed against me. My heart drummed; my legs were paralyzed, and I couldn't even find breath. All through my life, I would tell myself from time to time, perhaps someday, he might take a softer view of me; perhaps someday, he might come to think of me as an actual daughter. But the moment he spat this truth to my face snuffed out any last flickering hope within me. Coldly, he said, "You will think carefully about the choices you make in life" and exited through the door. He locked the door from the inside. "Wait!" I yelled out, and panic started to set in. "Why are you locking me in?" That smile returned to his face. "So you won't wander about and embarrass me. I can't have someone see you. No drama today, Elena." My hands were shaking. "So... that means I'm not going to the wedding?" Wheeling around, he cackled heartily. "The wedding? You were kept hidden for two years, Elena. What made you think I would let you ruin the most important day of my life? Of Sophia's. Don't be stupid." The words lodged in my throat. It felt heavy to speak. The rejection pressed down, almost suffocating. Almost. Everything rejected tried to burst out from within me. He left, locking the door behind him. I collapsed onto the bed, lost. With every breath, the walls of the room seemed to close in on me. To distract myself from this wretched reality, I picked up the phone and began to scroll. One headline after another: The Wedding of the Century-An A-list actress, Sophia Carter marries business tycoon Adrian Blake. Pictures after pictures of Sophia glowing, perfect, and loved by the world. And I?? Just a shadow in the locked room. Time stretched:seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. I walked to the window, and the sun seemed to be setting. “The wedding must have started by now.” I mumbled to myself as I laid down on the bed, and soon gave in to exhaustion. An abrupt loud noise at the door jolted me awake. I sat up and blinked the sleep away from my eyes. The door swung open and in came Father. But now he was different. His face was ghostly pale, gray. Trembling hands. A wedding gown in his arms. Sophia’s wedding gown. The one she wore just hours ago. My chest tightened. "Father? What...what happened?" He stared at me, his lips trembling. "She is gone."