He knows
1416 Words
Elena’s POV
“Where is Vivienne?”
The question was barely a whisper yet somehow, it was louder than the orchestra, louder than the hundreds of conversations surrounding us, louder than my own heartbeat.
I stared at Damian and for a second, I couldn’t breathe.
He knew! Well of course he knew.
How could I have been stupid enough to think otherwise?
My fingers tightened around the bouquet.
“I…” My voice failed me totally but Damian’s expression didn’t change.
He looked completely composed, as though asking me where his missing bride was the most ordinary question in the world.
I glanced toward the guests and nobody seemed to notice anything weird.
The officiant was still standing between us, waiting.
Victoria was watching from the front row and Margaret looked pale.
Nicholas stood a few seats away, his usual amusement completely gone and beside him was a man I’d never seen but in pictures, Damian’s ruthless lawyer friend, Ethan Cole.
He was dressed in a dark suit, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the scene with unsettling attention. I bet he already noticed something was off.
I hope I don’t end up in jail for impersonating.
“I’m waiting” Damian leaned closer.
“She…” I swallowed.
My eyes darted toward Margaret and she was shaking her head almost unnoticeably.
My chest tightened. “I don’t know where she is.”
“You don’t know?” Damian’s jaw tightened.
“No.”
“Then why are you wearing her dress?” He asked and my eyes burned.
Because your family gave it to me and her mother begged me and your mother ordered me and apparently, everyone in this room had decided that I was expendable enough to sacrifice.
I thought to myself but none of those answers seemed safe.
“I was told to put it on.” I answered.
“By whom?” I looked at him.
But he already knew the answer, I could see it in his eyes.
“Mrs. Laurent.” I answered, I couldn’t antagonize his mother yet.
A muscle in his jaw moved and he glanced toward Margaret. She looked away then his eyes returned to me.
“And you agreed?”
“No.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“I didn’t agree.”
“Yet you’re standing here.”
“I hadn’t really been given a choice.” I answered naively.
Not after Victoria had walked into that room and ordered me into the dress, not with hundreds of guests waiting, not with two powerful families watching, not when saying no could cost Vivienne’s family everything.
Damian studied me for another moment then he turned toward the officiant.
“Continue.”
My head snapped toward him but he didn’t even look at me.
“You heard me.” He said to the officiant while the officiant hesitated.
The man’s gaze moved between us before he nervously cleared his throat.
“Dearly beloved…”
I stared at Damian, he was actually going through with it.
He knew I wasn’t Vivienne and he was still going to marry me.
My eyes stung so I leaned toward him.
“Why?”
His eyes finally met mine.
“Because if we stop this now, everyone downstairs will know she’s gone.”
I froze. “You don’t want them to know?”
“Not yet.”
There was something in his voice, something I couldn’t understand.
“You knew she would leave?”
“No.”
“Then why aren’t you angry?”
His expression hardened. “Who says I’m not?”
Before I could answer, the officiant continued.
The words became a blur.
Marriage, commitment, forever and I wanted to burst out laughing. Forever? I didn’t even know this man’s middle name.
My hands were trembling so badly that I had to hide them beneath the bouquet.
Then the officiant asked Damian the question.
“Do you, Damian Sinclair, take Vivienne Laurent to be your wife?”
Dead silence then Damian looked at me.
Not at my dress nor at my face but at me but into my eyes
“I do.”
My heart twisted then it was my turn.
“And do you, Vivienne Laurent, take Damian Sinclair to be your husband?”
My mouth went dry and I looked at Margaret.
She was staring at me desperately while Victoria sat beside her, expressionless.
Nicholas looked uncomfortable while Ethan was still watching me and everyone was waiting.
I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t lie to all these people but I opened my mouth still.
“I” and Damian used his hand to suddenly cover mine.
His fingers were warm and firm while his gaze remained on me.
“Say it.” He whispered while my eyes met his.
It sounded like it was a threat and an instruction which made it even worse.
“I do.” The words came out barely above a whisper and the room erupted into applause.
Music filled the ballroom and people stood immediately, cameras flashed brightly and I realized I had just married a stranger. A stranger who knew I wasn’t his bride.
The moment we stepped away from the altar, people surrounded us.
Congratulations, smiles, handshakes, cameras, everyone was everywhere. Someone pressed champagne into my hand and I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d eaten.
“Smile,” Margaret whispered through clenched teeth so I forced my lips upward.
“Where is Vivienne?”
The voice came from behind me and I turned immediately.
A woman I’d seen several times during the wedding preparations stood there.
It was Charlotte Sinclair, Damian’s cousin.
Her eyes narrowed and she looked at me carefully. “Something seems different.”
My stomach dropped right beforeNicholas appeared beside her.
“Charlotte.” He called out.
“What?”
“Don’t.”
“I was only saying” she frowned.
“Not here.”
Charlotte looked between us then she smiled but it wasn’t friendly.
“Of course.” She walked away then I exhaled.
Nicholas leaned closer. “You should probably stop looking like you’re about to faint.”
I stared at him. “You know?”
He shrugged. “I know something is wrong.”
“Are you going to tell everyone?”
His expression softened. “No”
“Why?”
“Because my brother isn’t telling anyone either.” I looked toward Damian and he was speaking with a group of businessmen, his expression perfectly calm.
“Why?”
Nicholas gave me a strange look. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Before I could ask anything else, Ethan approached.
He stopped beside Nicholas.
“Damian wants her upstairs.” He announced and my empty stomach dropped.
“Why?” Then Ethan looked directly at me.
“You should ask him.” Nicholas glanced at Ethan.
“Ethan.” Nicholas called out.
“What?”
“Maybe don’t terrify her.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“You have a terrifying face.”
Ethan sighed.
“Congratulations, by the way.” He greeted
I stared at him. “Thank you.”
He gave me a small smile. “Enjoy it while it lasts” then he walked away.
I watched him disappear into the crowd.
“Who is he?” I asked Nicholas.
“Damian’s best friend.”
“Why did he say that?”
Nicholas smiled faintly. “You’ll learn.” That wasn’t reassuring at all.
The two families and their guests started to discuss their businesses and kind of forgot about us so I left the scene.
…
Damian was waiting in the study.
The moment I walked inside, the door closed behind me.
I stood near it while he stood behind his desk.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke, then he started to remove his cufflinks, slowly and calmly.
As though he wasn’t standing in a room with the woman who had just impersonated his missing bride.
“You lied to me.”
I looked down. “I know.”
“You lied to everyone downstairs.”
“I know.”
“You married me under a false identity.”
My eyes snapped up. “I didn’t plan any of this.”
“I know.” He came again.
“Then why did you let it happen?”
He looked at me. “I wanted to know how far this would go.”
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?”
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