Chapter 1: The Deception
719 Words
"Dad, why isn't that cripple Julius Murphy here yet? I hope he's not onto us."
"Impossible! You and Maeve are identical twins. No one can tell you apart except me!"
"I snuck a peek at Julius the other day. He's old and hideous, carried around by bodyguards like a fragile doll. Looks like he's one foot in the grave... What if Maeve finds out she's only marrying him because the godfather said she can suppress his illness? Do you think she will run?"
"Once the deed is done, she won't be able to run even if she wants to!"
"Hmph, that jinx is useful for something, after all. But since Maeve is marrying him under my name, once Julius kicks the bucket, his inheritance will be mine."
"Good, good!"
Outside the partially concealed door of the private room, Maeve Smith stood frozen in her white wedding gown, eyes wide with shock as she listened to the conversation between her father, Zion Smith, and her sister, Maya Smith.
Three days ago, her father whom she had never met, had found her at her maternal grandmother's house in the countryside. He said her twin sister, who was abroad, couldn't make it back for her wedding and asked her to take her place.
He was her biological father. Her mother had an easy delivery with her sister, but her birth was long and arduous. Her mother had hemorrhaged and died.
The godfather who baptized her declared her a bad omen. If her grandmother hadn't pleaded for her life, her father would have smothered her in her cradle.
She had lived with her grandmother in the countryside for 22 years, believing she would never meet her father's family. She never expected him to seek her out, apologize for neglecting her all these years, and even promise to bring her and her grandmother to the city for her grandmother's medical treatment.
It was all a hoax! If she hadn't come to the lounge to retrieve her forgotten phone, she would never have heard this appalling conversation.
"Bang!" Maeve kicked the door open.
Startled, the father and daughter, who were drinking and chatting by the bar counter, spun around.
Maeve marched in, ripped off her veil, and flung it at Maya. "Since the real bride is back, I, the imposter, will take my leave! I wish you a happy widowhood!"
She spoke calmly, her eyebrows raised in indifference. She retrieved her phone from under a cushion, called an Uber, and walked out.
Maya panicked. She threw down her glass and ran after Maeve. "Maeve! Stop right there!"
She grabbed the unsuspecting Maeve, pulled her back, and slammed the door shut. "You're marrying him whether you like it or not! Don't forget, your grandma is still in the hospital waiting for us to pay for her treatment!"
Looking at the face that was identical to her own yet twisted with malice, Maeve felt a mixture of despair and anger.
They were identical twins, yet their lives were worlds apart. Their first meeting was tragically ironic.
Her hands clenched into fists, but she suppressed her sorrow and said calmly, "Maya, she's your grandmother too!"
"So what? She raised you, not me! Her life and death are none of my concern!" Maya sneered.
Fury burned in Maeve's eyes, but she forced a smile. "Fine, let's play it your way. If anything happens to Grandma, I'll tell the Murphy family everything I just heard!"
Smack!
Zion slapped Maeve hard across the face, his eyes blazing with rage. "You little b***h! How dare you threaten us?! I should have let you die all those years ago!"
Maeve's ears rang, and her vision blurred. The searing pain on her face was nothing compared to the agony in her heart.
She looked up at her enraged father and laughed. "Don't worry, you'll regret your 'kindness' soon enough! You didn't kill me, and I will ruin you all!"
With that, she flung the door open and ran out.
"Dad, what do we do? What if she exposes us?" Maya cried, stamping her foot.
Zion patted her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, go hide! I have a plan. No one will believe she's the real Maeve!"
A sinister glint flashed in his eyes as he yelled towards the door, "Help! The bride has run away!"
- Writer
