The Trap Unveiled
1232 Words
Listening to the chuckles coming from inside the church, I stared down at my hands. My dress—everything well prepared. So expensive. My dad by my side with his fake Jesus mouth, putting on the most expensive suit which Julian had personally gotten for him. Of course, he felt proud suddenly.
“Elena, I know you can do this, okay? You just have to make sure he does not realize a thing. He doesn't even know anything about Slowing. We did not even go as far as telling him her name. And we never told him you were a twin. Anytime Slowing comes back, we will make her realize and pay for her mistakes. I promise you that,” he mouthed to me as I did not bother saying a word.
Instead, I tried everything in me to fight back every tear that wanted to pour out of my eyes. Holding it in, I wouldn't let them see my weakness. After all, I just had one of the most expensive makeups done at the most expensive makeup artist studio. At this point, I had to be careful with everything because I didn't even know the kind of person Julianne was going to be.
At that moment, my phone made a dinging sound in my dad's hand.
“Give it to me,” I instructed.
“Oh, now you can talk.” He tried to make a point, but instead, I jacked the phone from him and opened it to see it was Elias. I hadn't told him a thing. I had not even informed him of what was going on, of the fact that I was about to get married to someone I had never really discussed a word with.
I gave it back to my dad, and just at that moment, the door opened. I placed a fake smile on my face immediately as I made my way towards Julianne. Yes, he was drop-dead handsome. But he wasn't the man I wanted to be with. He wasn't the person I wanted to spend my life with. It was Elias.
And at this moment, I didn't even know how that was going to work. How I would end up being with the man I dreamed my whole life to be with. Now, it seemed I was just going to be stuck here, moving back and forth with a man who wouldn't help me in any way.
After our little vows, I stayed in the room, hoping that a miracle would happen. At this point, I didn't care if Slowing just stormed in, ruined everything, and let me go back to the States.
“Elena Vance, do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?” they asked again. I looked around, my face fixed on my dad and my mom. My mom immediately nodded to me. I could tell she was frightened, scared I would quit now.
But I wasn't going to do it, or else they would make every day of my life a living hell.
“I do,” I replied as he exchanged the ring, and just when he was about to kiss me, I bent a little, and he pulled me closer by my waist, pecking me gently on the lips.
I felt nothing. Instead, my head was filled with disgust and mostly an imagination of what our first night would be like. He then pulled me closer and whispered in my ear, “You are meant to be a perfect life in the public. The next time you do something like this, expect to meet your dad's leg broken.”
With that, he let go of me, smiled, and clapped with the crowd. The wedding was over.
Our drive back home was one of the most boring encounters I had experienced. We gave ourselves so much distance in his Maybach. Of course, it was expensive. I had never been in one before, but I was crying inside. Slowing should have taken this position. This was her place, and yet she threw it all to me.
I will never forgive her for this.
I stood at the mirror, staring out as the car drove past buildings, and soon we got into one of the most expensive estates in Texas. Of course, he was Julian Vane. What was I expecting? How was I going to cope?
Sloane took my life from me. They cheated me, took everything from me. I was still meant to be the perfect daughter. Why, why? Why do I have a twin who makes my life miserable?
I got out of the car, still fighting back those tears as I stared at the huge mansion. My dad's house would have to be built tenfold to compare to Julian's mansion. He looked at me more, just once, and I did not see him again.
Throughout that day, I was stuck in my room, pacing back and forth, trying to call Elias, but he did not answer at that moment. I was scared. He had gotten the news. He had found out I betrayed him. He came to Texas because of me. He was here because of me. And yet, I married another man right under his nose.
Just then, the door barged open as Julianne made his way towards me. He was already clad in his nightwear. He took a seat on the sofa that was right in front of the bed, and at that point, I was scared.
I ended the call and threw my phone on the bed, standing there shivering.
“Elena Vance, you're quite pretty. I thought you were this naughty brat, but you seem so quiet and diligent. Your parents... That is what I need. I want you to remember that every day you are in my life for a specific reason, and I'm only here to make you understand why you've been married to the most powerful man there is. You have to follow every rule,” he said as I shivered.
“Why? Why do I have to follow every rule?” I said, unable to control my own tongue.
“Because you are nothing but a trophy I want to play around with,” he shouted.
As I clenched my dress tightly, he added, “This marriage is fake, and you're stuck in it. I don't want anything to do with you. You disgust me.”
With those words, he left.
What have I gotten myself into?
I stood frozen in the center of the room, the silence of the massive mansion feeling heavier than the diamond ring on my finger. I reached for my phone, desperate to call Elias—the only person who knew my real name—but my hand stopped mid-air.
On the bedside table, right where Julian had been sitting, lay a single gold key and a printed list of “Household Expectations.” I picked up the paper, my eyes scanning the lines until they hit the very bottom. I realized I was trapped, caught in a web set by my own parents.
For now, I would wait. I would play their game. But I would never, ever forget.
Then, just as I was about to close my eyes, my phone buzzed again. This time, the screen flashed a name I hadn’t expected—and my heart skipped a beat.
- Writer
