MARRIED TO THE WRONG TWIN

Chapter 3 - The wedding night

The suite was silent.

Too silent.

The laughter and music from the reception still rang in my ears, but now it was just us. Me, trapped in white silk. Him, standing by the window with his back to me, the city lights painting his sharp features in silver.

Adrian Kane didn’t look like a groom. He looked like a king surveying a kingdom he had just conquered.

I clutched the hem of my gown, the satin heavy between my fingers. My heart pounded louder than the clock ticking on the wall.

Finally, he spoke.

“Take off the veil.”

The words were quiet, but they struck like a command. My hands trembled as I lifted the lace, revealing the face he thought belonged to Elara.

His eyes flicked to me, unreadable. He studied me too long, as though searching for something… or noticing something different.

“You’re quieter than usual,” he said at last, his tone clipped. “Where’s the sharp tongue, the arrogance? Tonight you act like a lamb.”

My breath caught. Did he notice? Did he know I wasn’t her?

“I’m just… tired,” I whispered, lowering my gaze.

Adrian’s lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. It was a warning disguised as charm. He crossed the room, each step echoing against the marble. When he stopped in front of me, the scent of his cologne — dark, clean, powerful — stole the air from my lungs.

He lifted my chin with one finger, forcing my eyes to his. His touch was deceptively gentle, but his gaze was pure steel.

“Listen carefully,” he murmured, his voice low and intimate. “I don’t care what games you’ve played before. I don’t care how many men you’ve fooled with that smile. But you’re mine now. Do you understand?”

A shiver coursed down my spine. He thought I was Elara — the adored, selfish twin. If I denied it, my family would collapse. If I confessed, he would destroy me.

So I nodded. Slowly.

His eyes searched mine, lingering on my lips as if testing my truth. For a moment, I thought he might kiss me. My heart hammered, torn between fear and something I couldn’t name.

But then he pulled back, releasing me as though I was poison.

“Good,” he said flatly, removing his watch and setting it on the dresser. “This marriage is a contract. Nothing more. Don’t expect love from me, Elara. I don’t believe in it.”

His words sliced deep, though they weren’t meant for me at all. I wasn’t the sister who had betrayed him — yet I was the one paying the price.

Adrian loosened his tie, turned away, and unbuttoned his shirt with calm precision. He didn’t even glance at me again as he disappeared into the bathroom.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, the gown suffocating me. My fingers clutched the sheets, and my chest burned with the weight of a secret that could ruin everything.

I wasn’t Elara.

But to survive Adrian Kane…

I had to become her.