Twice The Lies

Chapter 2. “Yes, I do.”

Chapter 2. “Yes, I do.”

Later that evening.

I sat calmly beside Alexander at the head table of the reception, reminding myself to smile whenever I was smiled at and nod at the guests who occasionally stopped to share how they felt.

Earlier on, after I had said yes to him, for some weird reason, Alexander had decided to skip the ‘You may now kiss the bride’ part, which actually surprised the entire church, except him. He simply turned to the priest and nodded, as if the omission meant nothing at all.

Although a part of me felt relieved, I couldn't ignore the other part of me, which wondered how the taste of his lips on mine would feel. Then again, there was another part of me that wondered why he had decided not to kiss me.

The reception hall, however, was a grand spectacle. There were tables everywhere, filled with several kinds of food. An orchestra played in the corner, entertaining a sea of guests who chatted about their wealth and power.

I was still lost in thought when a tap on my hand pulled me back to reality.

“Are you okay? You're awfully quiet tonight.” Alexander murmured loud enough for only me to hear.

I straightened up, resuming the fake smile I had been wearing right from the moment we walked down the aisle as husband and wife.

“Yeah. I'm okay. I'm just tired, that's all.”

“Sure about that?” His voice was questioning.

“Yeah.” I smiled harder when my eyes met his, and for a moment, he seemed to buy it.

Alexander leaned back in his seat. “You know, for a moment there I thought all this was real.”

I frowned. “What do you mean by ‘real’?” I asked, remembering the moment at the altar when he mentioned something about having a deal with Valeria.

“Well, I know th—" Alexander barely finished his sentence when one of the guests approached where we sat, interrupting our conversation.

“Hello, Mr. newlywedded asshole!” A deep male voice cut through the chatter, playful enough to turn a few eyes towards us.

Our heads snapped up in rhythm to see a tall, handsome man approaching the table, grinning from ear to ear with a glass of champagne held lazily in one hand.

He looked about Alexander's height, with broad shoulders and sharp features. He even wore the same black suit as Alexander's; only his tie was carelessly undone, which added to his carefree attitude.

“Marcus,” Alexander said with a dry chuckle. “The only person here walking around without a brain.”

"…and a chick to bang tonight," Marcus corrected. “I'll take that as an affectionate insult.” He emptied the rest of the wine into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. “You know, I never thought I'd live to see the day you actually got married.”

“Neither did I,” Alexander smirked. I caught him stealing a glance at me at the very second.

Marcus shifted his playful attention to me, mischievously widening his grin. “And you, my darling, must be the woman who managed to chain this man down. Mrs. DeLuca, right?”

“That's me,” I responded softly, matching his grin with mine. “It's nice to meet you.” I extended my hand.

Marcus took it and bowed playfully. “You look like God's greatest creation, darling.”

“And you,” Alexander cut in, “look like God’s failed experiment.”

For the first time in forever, I chuckled. It was the first genuine smile I'd managed all evening.

This seemed to catch Alexander's interest as he focused on me, watching the excitement on my face while I laughed. It was as if he had just seen me for the first time.

Just when I thought I could loosen up, my eyes met my mother's sharp, watchful stare fixed on me from across the hall. She was pretending to converse with an elderly woman who had absolutely no idea of what was going on.

I managed to look away, but I could still feel her eyes on me, watching me, reminding me of the fact that I was only here to act like the real bride. The thought of it alone was enough to once again steal the happiness away.

***

I had retired to our wedding suite when I couldn't take it any longer. My body felt like I had been hit by a truck countless times over. I was exhausted, and my cheeks screamed from the effort of holding up the fake grin.

The scent of lilies hit me the moment I stepped into the room that screamed luxury. The bed was well laid, and even the lighting was warm pink, just enough for comfort.

I sat at the edge, covering my mouth with my palms in an attempt to scream my frustration out, but the diamond ring on my finger caught my attention.

For heaven's sake, it looked so beautiful I wished it were mine. And the makeup, the dress, and the vows—for a moment, I wished they were all mine.

Alexander, on the other hand, could never be mine. He married Valeria—not Victoria, which meant that once my sister was back, she would claim her rightful place as his wife, and all this would be over.

The phone on the nightstand buzzed, distracting my thoughts. At first, I thought it was my mother, but when it rang again, I glanced at the screen, and my stomach dropped.

“Valeria! Where the hell have you been?" I barely even answered the call when I screamed into the phone.

A giggle came from the other end, light and carefree. “Relax, twinnie. You sound tense. How did the wedding go? Please tell me it went well.”

“‘Relax’? Are you telling me to relax? I just f*****g married your husband! Do you even know the gravity of what I just did?"

I could hear Valeria laughing mockingly. “My husband? Oh, please, Victoria. You're making this sound so dramatic. Who told you I ever wanted to be tied down by marriage? The whole thing was our mom’s stupid idea.”

My grip tightened around the phone. “So why didn't you stop it? Why did you leave me to fix this?

“Because, dear twinnie,” Valeria said childishly, “I had other plans. Besides, I'm with my boyfriend, Eugene. Remember him?”

I frowned in disgust. “You mean your crackhead gangster who was caught molesting a female minor? I thought he was in jail?”

Oh, please, St. Victoria. Who said minors don't enjoy the s*x they get? Besides, he's out of prison, and he wants to throw this huge party I can't afford to miss for anything, so I had to leave.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Are you listening to yourself? You abandoned your marriage for someone who barely even loves you!”

“Hey, don't talk about him that way. Eugene is three times richer than Alexander.”

I rolled my eyes. If there was anything Valeria loved other than herself, it was money. Lots of money.

Valeria continued, “Eugene is a sweet, wild, and exciting hot stallion. Not some rich control freak who wants a wife to babysit his child.”

I paused. “Wh…what are you talking about?" My tone changed, brows furrowing in confusion.

“Don't worry, sis, you'll survive this. Just keep on pretending to be me for a couple more days. I know you're good at it. You always are.”

“Hey, wait! Hold on…” But the call had already gone silent. I stood there, rooted to the spot, letting the anger sweep through me like a wave.

“Who were you talking to? Alexander's cold voice cut through the silence from behind.

I froze. I had just been caught red-handed.