THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE: HE MARRIED THE WRONG SISTER

Chapter 5

“You f*****g b***h!!!” Nikolai's roar shattered the morning silence like a gunshot.

“You stole the marriage meant for your sister!!!! How the hell did you pull this off? You might have the same face as her but do you think you can fool me? And you let me f**k you last night while I called out her name? You planned this, didn’t you? You scheming, gold-digging w***e!”

I sat on the bed with fear pulling the duvet up to my chest. My body ached in places I didn’t want to think about. My eyes were swollen from silent crying. Before I could even sit up, Nikolai was already towering over me, his face twisted in pure, explosive rage.

I gasped as he shoved me hard against the nearest wall. My back hit the cold surface with a thud, the duvet bunching up around my legs. Pain shot through my spine, but I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Nikolai’s hand pinned my shoulder, his grip bruising, his dark eyes blazing with hangover-fueled fury and betrayal.

“I didn’t plan anything!!!” I begged, my voice cracking. “Please, listen to me.”

He didn’t calm down. If anything, my words made him angrier. He pushed me harder against the wall, his face inches from mine, breath still carrying the sharp scent of last night’s whiskey.

“Bullshit!” he roared, the sound vibrating through my chest. “You expect me to believe that pathetic story? You knew I was drunk. You knew I wouldn’t notice the difference in the dark. You saw a billionaire and you grabbed him with both hands. Admit it, you greedy b***h!”

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I looked up at him, pleading. “I begged them. I cried and pleaded not to be forced into this marriage. I never wanted you. I never wanted this wedding gown or this life. Please believe me. I’m telling the truth…”

Nikolai's laugh was bitter and dangerous. He released my shoulder only to grab my chin, forcing me to look directly into his furious eyes. “You’re good. I’ll give you that. The tears, the trembling voice, the ‘poor me’ story. But I’m not stupid. You could have spoken up at any moment. Instead, you spread your legs and let me use you. That’s not a victim. That’s a calculated gold-digger who saw her chance and took it.”

“I didn’t,” I begged again, my voice breaking. I never wanted to steal anything from Aria. I never wanted this marriage. I’m begging you now… don’t do this. Don’t push me like this. You’re hurting me…”

He laughed coldly, his face still inches from mine. “Hurting you? You deserve it. You stole a marriage. You tricked me into bed. And now you have the audacity to beg? You worthless little thief.”

“I’m not a thief,” I muttered, voice soft and desperate. “I’m telling the truth. Please, believe me…”

He looked at me with his face filled with disgust. “You are so cheap. A fraud. You may have cheated your way into my bed, but you will never find your way into my heart."

“Please…” I whispered, more tears falling.

He stared at me for a long moment, his jaw clenched, breathing heavy. His grip on my shoulder remained firm, keeping me pinned against the wall.

Then he suddenly released me and stepped back, putting on his pant before grabbing his phone from the nightstand with a violent motion.

“I’m calling your parents,” he growled, “Right now. They have a lot of explaining to do.”

As soon as he left the room, I slowly slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor, knees drawn to my chest. The tears that had been falling during our argument now came freely, silent and exhausted. I hugged my knees tighter, burying my face inside the duvet.

Why didn’t I fight harder? Why didn’t I scream?

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, but they kept coming. I buried my face in my knees, letting the tears soak into the fabric. The room was too quiet now. Too big. Too empty. I was alone in this luxurious prison. The weight of that reality pressed down on me until it was hard to breathe.

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe slowly. In. Out. In. Out. But the tears kept coming. I felt scared. Living here like a ghost. Unseen. Unwanted. Spoken to only when necessary. The thought made my stomach twist. I had already lived like that in my own family’s house. Now I would live like that here too.

“Why me?” I asked no one in particular.

I breathed out.

I felt humiliated. The memory of last night kept flashing in my mind. His hands on me. I felt so worthless.

I stayed like that for a long time, sitting on the cold floor, letting the tears fall freely. The pain in my shoulder, the ache in my back, the tightness in my chest, everything hurt.

Then I heard voices downstairs.

My mother’s voice. My father’s.

“…she’s always been difficult,” my mother was saying, her tone sounding so emotional. “We tried to reason with her, but she’s jealous of Aria. She always has been.”

My father’s voice was firm. “I never knew she would go this far.”

I hugged my knees tighter, letting the tears fall freely as the weight of their betrayal pressed down on me. The voice faded away as they moved from where they were before and the room was silent now, but their words kept echoing in my head.

I felt hollow. Betrayed. Completely shattered.

My own family had stood outside that door and lied about me without hesitation. They all painted me as the jealous, greedy sister who had schemed to steal the marriage. They threw me under the bus to protect Aria and save their precious company alliance.

I hugged my knees tighter, rocking gently as fresh tears fell. How could they do this to me? How could the people who shared my blood, stand there and sacrifice me so easily?

Then I heard footsteps approaching the door.

Heavy. Angry. Familiar.

My heart skipped a beat. Nikolai was coming back.

The door opened.

He looked at me. “They confirmed it. You planned this. You locked your sister away and took her place because you wanted the marriage. You wanted me.”

The room went deathly silent and all the blood in my body turned ice.