Chapter 4: The accidental bride
1191 Words
The fire alarm turned out to be false.
Apparently one of the smoke detectors behind the reception hall had malfunctioned after maintenance work earlier that morning and once the venue staff confirmed there was no fire, the tension outside slowly began to settle.
Guests who had rushed out in panic moments ago now stood around murmuring amongst themselves while venue staff apologized repeatedly for the disruption.
Lena let out a quiet breath she had not realized she was holding.
At least nobody got hurt.
Beside her, Shane looked far from relieved.
His jaw was tight as he adjusted the cuff of his suit, irritation practically rolling off him in waves. It was obvious he hated every second of this. The disruption. The confusion. The fact that his wedding had not gone perfectly.
“This is ridiculous,” he muttered. “How does something like this even happen?”
“Shane.” His mother, Gloria Lawson stepped closer, placing a calming hand against his arm. “Relax. The important part is already done.” She smiled lightly. “The vows are finished. All that was left was signing the certificate.”
Shane exhaled sharply but said nothing.
“An ordinary false alarm,” Gloria continued. “That is all this is.”
A few feet away, Lena’s mother immediately pulled her into a brief hug.
“Are you alright?” she asked softly.
“I’m okay.”
Her father looked relieved too. “Scared us for a second there.”
Before Lena could answer, the officiant stepped outside holding the marriage documents with an apologetic smile on his face.
“Again, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience,” he said politely. “Thankfully everything is alright.” He lifted the certificate slightly. “There’s really no need for us to continue inside since the marriage documents have already been signed.”
A small smile crossed his face.
“Congratulations to the newlyweds.”
The silence that followed was immediate.
Shane frowned. “What?”
The officiant’s smile held. “Both signatures are on the document, sir. Everything is in order.”
Confusion spread across several faces instantly.
Lena stepped forward first. “That’s not possible.”
The officiant looked down at the papers again. “I assure you—”
“No.” Lena shook her head slowly. “I signed it, yes. But when Shane was about to sign, the alarm went off and everyone left.”
The officiant’s expression shifted.
He looked down at the certificate again more carefully this time. Then his brows slowly pulled together.
“Well…” He turned the paper slightly. “There is definitely a signature here.”
Lena moved closer instinctively, trying to see the document properly, but Shane snatched it from the officiant before she could.
His eyes scanned the page once. Then widened.
“Who signed this?” he asked.
Nobody answered.
Shane looked up sharply. “Who the hell signed this?”
The guests around them exchanged confused glances.
Lena frowned slightly. “I don’t know.”
Shane looked at her immediately. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I mean exactly that.” Her confusion was beginning to turn into frustration too. “I left after you did, remember?”
Shane stared at her. “So what? A ghost walked into the registry and signed the marriage certificate?”
Several people shifted awkwardly.
Lena took a steady breath before speaking again. “The marriage is obviously void anyway.” She pointed lightly toward the document still clutched in his hand. “Your name is typed there, yes. But that signature doesn’t belong to you.” She frowned slightly. “Legally, I’m not married to either of you.”
“Bullshit,” Shane snapped immediately.
The sharpness in his tone startled a few nearby guests.
His eyes locked on Lena’s face. “You planned this.”
Lena stared at him in disbelief. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“That’s enough.” Gloria stepped in quickly before the situation escalated further. Her expression remained calm but firm as she looked at her son. “Shane, control yourself.”
Shane laughed once under his breath, but there was no humor in it.
“This doesn’t even make sense.”
Gloria gently took the certificate from his hand and looked at it herself. The confusion on her face deepened slightly but unlike her son, she stayed composed.
“We’ll figure it out,” she said carefully. “Standing outside arguing in front of guests will not solve anything.”
Shane dragged a hand through his hair roughly, still visibly furious.
Lena stayed quiet after that.
Because honestly?
She had no idea what was happening anymore.
Inside the car, Miles looked like he had aged five years within the last thirty minutes.
_____
Roman, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed.
He sat comfortably in the backseat with one arm resting against the door while the city moved past outside the tinted windows. There was the faintest trace of amusement at the corner of his mouth like the entire situation was still entertaining him.
Miles turned around from the passenger seat again. “Do you actually realize what you’ve done?”
Roman barely looked away from the window. “You’ve asked me that three times already.”
“Because you don’t seem concerned!”
Roman finally glanced at him. “Should I be?”
Miles stared at him. “You illegally signed someone else’s marriage certificate.”
Roman corrected calmly, “Technically, I signed a marriage certificate.”
Miles looked genuinely stressed now. “That is not the point.”
Roman looked forward again.
Miles continued, “Do you understand the kind of mess this could become if someone traces it back to you?”
“That sounds difficult for them.”
Miles nearly scoffed. “For them? Sir, you are included in ‘them.’”
Roman said nothing.
Miles rubbed his forehead slowly before continuing. “There could be legal consequences. Public consequences. Your mother is going to lose her mind if she ever hears about this.”
That finally earned him a small reaction.
Roman leaned back slightly before speaking.
“Let’s not forget she’s the one who wanted me married.”
Miles blinked once. “Not like this.”
Roman’s mouth curved faintly.
“With a woman you don’t even know,” Miles added.
Silence settled briefly inside the car after that.
Roman’s fingers tapped lightly once against the armrest before he finally spoke again.
“Actually…” His gaze lowered thoughtfully for a moment. “I think that’s the interesting part.”
Miles turned around slowly. “There is nothing interesting about fraud.”
Roman ignored that completely.
Instead, he adjusted slightly in his seat before finally looking at Miles properly.
“Find out everything you can on her,” he said. “The woman from the wedding.”
Miles looked at him.
“Everything,” Roman said. “Where she’s from. What she does. Who she is.” He turned back to the window. “I want to know who I just married.“
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD