THE DAY HE CHOSE MY SISTER

*THE DAY HE CHOSE MY SISTER* _By [Al alory]_ *CHAPTER 1: The Wedding That Wasn't Mine* My name is Elena James. And I was supposed to get married today. The church was full. My white dress was perfect. I designed it myself. But the groom didn't look at me. Daniel stood at the altar, holding my sister Amelia's hand. "Elena, I'm sorry," he said into the microphone, so everyone could hear. "I love Amelia. I have always loved Amelia. I can't marry you." Laughter. Whispers. My mother fainted. I ran. Out of the church, into the rain, in my wedding dress. And I bumped into a black car. A man in a black suit came out with an umbrella. "Are you Elena James?" he asked. "How do you know me?" "Because I'm your husband. If you want me to be." *CHAPTER 2: The Contract* The car was warm. My dress was dripping water on his expensive leather seats. Adrian Cole didn't look at me. He just drove. "You don't even know my name," I whispered. "I know everything about you, Elena James. 24. Graduate of Unijos. Your fiancé Daniel stole your design and gave it to your sister for her promotion. You have 2,300 naira in your account." I froze. "How do you know that?" "Because Daniel works for me. And I never hire a man without investigating his weakness. You were his weakness." He stopped in front of a massive mansion in Rayfield. I had seen it on i********:. Everyone said it cost 500 million. "This is your house?" "Our house. If you say yes." Inside, his lawyer was already waiting with papers. *CONTRACT MARRIAGE - 1 YEAR* 1. We will marry legally for one year. 2. You will live as my wife in public. 3. You will receive 10 million naira after divorce. 4. You must live in my house. In my room. 5. You must NEVER fall in love with me. I signed: _Elena James Cole._ "Welcome home, Mrs. Cole," he said. *CHAPTER 3: The Family Dinner* I didn't sleep that night. One bed. One room. In the morning, there was a red dress and a diamond ring. "We are going to your parents' house for Sunday lunch. Your sister and Daniel will be there." Two hours later, we pulled up to my parents' small house. Everyone was outside. They saw me in the red dress. They saw the diamond. And they saw Adrian Cole holding my hand. "Elena?" Amelia whispered, her face turning white. "Who is this?" "Good afternoon," Adrian said calmly. "I'm Adrian Cole. Elena's husband. We got married last night." Silence. "She's doing perfect, Mrs. Cole," he whispered to me. But Amelia was staring at my ring with jealousy. And that was exactly what I wanted. *CHAPTER 4: The Sister Who Wants Everything* My mother pulled me into the kitchen. Outside, Amelia sat too close to Adrian. "My wife is the designer I need," Adrian said coldly. Daniel stood up. "Elena, can I talk to you? Alone?" "No. Anything you have to say to my wife, you can say in front of me," Adrian said. Amelia shouted: "This marriage is fake!" Adrian stood up. "Come to our reception next Saturday at the Hilton. Black tie. 200 guests. Then tell me if it's fake." He looked at Daniel. "And Daniel, you are fired. You don't get to humiliate my wife in church and then keep working for me." "And one more thing. Elena's designs? They were good. So good that I'm giving her her own department in my company. As Head Designer." He looked at me, his cold eyes softening. "You didn't think I would just give you a ring, did you, Mrs. Cole? I give my wife an empire." In the car, he whispered: "Rule number 5 says you must never fall in love with me. But it says nothing about me falling in love with you." *CHAPTER 5: The Photo In His Drawer* Inside his nightstand was a small, old wooden box. Inside was a faded photograph. A little girl, 6 years old, with curly hair and a missing front tooth. Yellow school uniform. It was me. "Why do you have my childhood picture?" I asked. "I've known you for 18 years, Elena. You don't remember me, do you? You were 6. I was 14. The boy who lived next to your house in Bukuru." "Michael? Micky? The boy who promised to marry me when we grew up? We made rings from grass!" "I kept my promise," he whispered. "It took me 18 years, but I did." Just then, his phone rang. "It's the hospital. My mother. She's awake after 2 years in a coma." *CHAPTER 6: The Mother Who Hates Me* At the hospital, his mother saw me and screamed: "YOU! Take her out! She is the James girl! Because of her, you almost DIED! Her father set fire to our house! My husband died in that fire!" I ran out, took off the ring. "Here. Take it. This contract is over." I put the ring in his palm and ran into the night. *CHAPTER 7: The Truth About The Fire* I ran to my parents' house. "Papa! Did you kill Adrian's father?" My father cried: "It's true. I set the fire. But not out of greed. Mr. Cole was lending money with high interest. We borrowed 50,000 naira for your school fees. He came drunk that night in 2008. He said if we can't pay, he will take you. A 6-year-old girl to work in Lagos. Micky tried to stop his father. His father beat him. I poured kerosene on their house to scare him. The fire spread. He didn't come out." Headlights lit up our compound. Adrian. He knelt before my father. "Thank you. Thank you for saving her. My father was a monster when drunk. You saved her. You saved me too." He put the diamond ring back on my finger. "You ran away without shoes again. Just like when you were 6. Will you come home? Not as a contract wife. As my real wife. Forever." "Yes. Take me home, Micky." *CHAPTER 8: The Real Wedding - No Contract* One week later, his mother asked to see me. "Forgive me. Will you come to our real wedding?" Saturday, The Hilton, Jos. 500 guests. I wore yellow. Same color as my school uniform. Adrian stood in white. He took a small box from his pocket. Inside were two rings made of dry grass. The ones we made as kids. He kept them for 18 years. "Elena James, when you were 6, you said you would marry me if I kept these safe. I kept them safe. Will you keep your promise? No contract. No money. Just you and me. Forever." "Yes, Micky. I will." He slid the grass ring onto my finger. Then the diamond on top. In the back, near the door, Amelia and Daniel stood, not invited, watching through the glass. Then they left. No one noticed. Because this was a story about a girl who lost a boy in a church, and found her destiny in the rain. *THE END.*