Two
877 Words
Elena stood before the full-length mirror, her fingers grazing the smooth fabric of the wedding dress, as if she were already touching a future claimed.
The ivory gown hugged her perfectly, elegant, refined, untouchable. She tilted her head, examining herself, then smiled softly.
“Oh… Julius,” she whispered, almost to herself.
She turned slightly. “How do I look?”
Julius lifted his eyes, caught in thought he didn’t want to finish. He forced a smile.
“Perfect,” he said.
Elena’s smile widened. She stepped closer, skirt whispering across the floor, slipping behind him to wrap her arms around his waist. Her chin rested lightly on his shoulder.
“Our wedding,” she murmured, dreamy, “will be the talk of the town.”
“It will,” he said, but his tone lacked conviction.
She noticed. Always. Her arms tightened just a fraction. That distant look, the one he wore around Aria—flickered again.
She released him, stepping to face him. “You’re quiet. Worried about something?”
He shook his head. “No.”
Lies come easily now.
Elena studied him, eyes narrowing for a heartbeat. Then she softened her expression, smoothing the dress over her waist.
“I was thinking about Aria today,” she said casually.
His body stiffened.
She watched, mirrored, as his reaction unfolded. “So sad,” she continued, voice soft, deliberate. “Your cousin… gone so young.”
She tilted her head, voice gentle. “Doctors say waiting, monitoring… but six months is long, Julius.”
He swallowed hard.
“No response,” she added, turning to face him fully. “Nothing. It’s not your fault… life moves on.”
The words sank deep.
Julius exhaled, rubbing his hands together. “I know.”
Elena stepped closer, lowering her voice. “You can’t stay trapped in the past. Aria wouldn’t have wanted that.”
A beat. Then she struck.
“And now,” she whispered, placing his hand gently on her cheek, “there’s so much ahead. For us.”
Her skin was warm, real. Present.
“You have a responsibility,” she added softly. “Not just to me… but to the life we’re building.”
He looked at her—really looked.
She was everything the world expected. Educated. Poised. Powerful. A wife who strengthened him in every room he entered.
She squeezed his hand. “This marriage will bring it all together. Family. Business. Legacy.”
She smiled, perfectly. “It’s what everyone wants.”
Everyone.
Except the part of him that remembered Aria’s laugh. Her simplicity. Her eyes, believing him enough, no titles required.
Julius ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t keep holding onto what’s gone. It’s not fair.”
Elena’s lips curved slowly. She stepped closer, cupping his cheeks. “Exactly,” she whispered. “You deserve happiness again.”
He covered her hands with his.
For a heartbeat, they were perfect. Reflected in the mirror. Hands intertwined. Faces calm. A picture the world would praise.
Elena smiled. Julius smiled back.
And neither noticed how easily one lie had replaced another.
—
Her fingers curled slowly against the sheet. Her body felt heavy, foreign, like she had been dropped back into herself without instructions.
“Why…” her voice came out hoarse, barely more than air. She swallowed and tried again, louder this time. “Why are you all not telling me anything?”
The nurse standing near the door froze.
Another nurse avoided her gaze entirely, busying herself with the IV drip though nothing was wrong with it.
Aria’s heart began to pound.
“Where is Julius?” she asked, her voice trembling now. “Why won’t anyone answer me?”
The doctor standing at the foot of the bed exchanged a look with the nurses, quick, uneasy.
“Aria,” he said carefully, “you’ve just woken up from a long coma. You need to remain calm—”
“I am calm,” she snapped, anger flashing through the weakness.
Silence.
> “Breaking news: business mogul Julius Bernice is set to tie the knot in what is already being called the wedding of the year…”
Hearing Julius name Aria's attention shifted to the television on the wall
Her eyes locked onto the screen.
There he was.
Julius.
Standing tall in a perfectly tailored suit.
And beside him—
Elena. Her own cousin.
Wearing white. Smiling brightly. Her hand wrapped around his arm as cameras flashed endlessly.
> “…sources confirm the engagement to Elena Smith, daughter of the late industrial tycoon…”
“No,” she whispered. “That’s… that’s not possible.”
Aria’s vision blurred.
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs as realization crashed down on her with brutal force.
Tears spilled freely now as she stared at the screen, her fingers shaking, her body frozen between pain and disbelief.
“Elena… It's my wedding” she whispered, her voice breaking.
The nurse quickly turned off the television, but it was too late.
The world seemed to stumble, then freeze.
The man she had trusted with her future was standing there—
his hand close to the woman who shared her blood.
Her cousin.
Aria’s tears came suddenly, silent and uncontrollable.
- Writer
