The Bride He Never Chose

Chapter three

I startled awake at the sound of a knock. My brain was immediately alert the second I realized I was somewhere foreign. I glanced around the room with blurry vision, and it hit me.

I’m married, and I'm still in my wedding dress.

“How nice,” I whispered to myself.

With all the crying I did last night, you would’ve thought I’d actually gotten a good sleep, but I was still restless the whole night, tossing and turning. I want the life I had before all this.

20 missed calls.

I got twenty missed calls from Noah.

I couldn’t bring myself to answer. Breaking up with him over text made me a coward, but hearing his voice would’ve shattered whatever strength I had left.

I got a few texts from my parents, but I totally ignored them. A wound too fresh to reopen.

It wasn’t the multiple calls and texts I got that bothered me.

It was that there was no text from Dara.

The knock came again, and I hurriedly went to the door. “Yes?” I called out warily. Would Collin really come to meet me?

The door opened up to a woman; she appears to be in her forties and looks somewhat kind. She looked me over: “Ma’am, your dress”. I felt embarrassed remembering I’d opened the door still in my wedding dress. I quickly spoke, “I was too tired last night, so I kind of just crashed.” I lied.

She smiled, and a light crinkle formed around the corners of her eyes. “It’s okay; your luggage has just arrived, so just change out of this, and I’ll get you ready soon enough.” It warmed my heart to know there was at least one nice person over here.

She turned to leave, but I called out to her. “Please.” She turned to me, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Please just call me Allie, and what shall I call you?” Her brows rose, and she smiled. “I’m Dorotha.”

The door closed, and I turned to take in my surroundings. I never had the chance to do that since I was too busy crying.

Morning sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the room in a warm glow. The bedroom was bigger than my parents’ entire apartment. Cream walls, polished marble floors, and a king-sized bed made it feel less like a bedroom and more like a luxury hotel suite. It was breathtaking and painfully unfamiliar.

I let the blankets drop from my shoulders as I quickly rushed into the bathroom to get myself clean. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and nearly screamed. I look like a hot mess.

I ripped my wedding dress off my body, becoming suddenly aware that it clung to my skin. That is the last thing I want to see, a constant reminder of what I’ve been reduced to.

Finally done showering, I stepped out with a solid plan for today. I managed to convince myself to have a positive day today. I would simply go back to work and avoid him all day long to save both of us the trouble.

New, fresh clothes lay in the bed waiting for me. I changed into them and headed downstairs for breakfast, silently praying that he was already off to work.

Instead, he was sitting at the front of the dining hall. I internally groaned at the sight of him. I wondered if I should greet him good morning, but I decided against that. He doesn’t deserve a good morning from me.

We ate our breakfast in awkward silence, well, at least for me. I decided that I wanted some coffee, but that’s a little hard since I don’t yet know my way around here.

“Where can I find the coffee?” I don’t get an answer; I sneak a glance over my shoulder to see him reading a newspaper, completely ignoring me.

“Coffee,” I repeated a little louder than the last. “Do you mind telling me where it is?”

He looks up with a scowl. “Do I look like someone who runs the kitchen? If you need help, ask the maids.”

“You know you could just tell me where it is and save yourself the trouble,” I said. “For someone pretending to be my husband, you’re surprisingly unhelpful.”

“I don’t care how husbandly I look to you,” he said in a heartbeat. How can one be so cold and aggravating at the same time?

“You know what? Forget it. “I told him, opening and closing many cupboards till the last one, and then I finally found the coffee. I set the pot while I waited for it to brew.

I checked my watch and realized I was going to be late soon if I didn't start leaving. I unfolded my jacket from my arm and started to put it on.

“You going somewhere, wife?” came his cool question, adding wife to aggravate me.

“I’m going to work; figured it’d be easier to stay off each other's hair”. I said, buttoning the wrists of my leather jacket.

Working as a waitress wasn't glamorous, but it was mine. The familiar faces, the scent of coffee, the rush during breakfast hours, it was the only other place I could call home.

“Work?” His tense voice reached my ears, and I heard footsteps growing closer to me. “And who told you you can do that?”

This felt like a slap in the face. “You can’t possibly do this- you marry me against my will, and now you’re restricting me from working; that’s unfair,” I said angrily.

He shrugged. “Life’s unfair; you now reside under my roof and, because of that, you’ll have to do what I command.”

“Absolutely not; wouldn’t it be better for us- we won’t have to see each other at all?” I said, grasping at empty strings.

“You will no longer be working. I won’t say this again,” he said with a tone of finality.

“If you walk out that door, there will be consequences.”

His gaze met mine.

“And don’t forget who keeps your family afloat.”

I groaned in frustration. “Tell me one reason why you won’t let me work.”

His phone buzzed.

He glanced down at the screen.

Whatever he read seemed far more important than me, completely ignoring my question.

He slipped the phone into his pocket.

“This conversation is over, I have some important matters to attend to,

“A grand ball is coming up soon, and we have to play the part of a happy married couple”. He said, already halfway outside the door.

He looked back at me, and his lips curved up slightly, telling me he was enjoying this. “Try not to f**k it up.”

The door closed with a soft clink

I stared at the closed door in disbelief.

That arrogant jerk.

I sagged to the floor, burying my face between my knees and unable to catch my breath.

*********************************************************

Dorotha ordered me to suck in another breath as she pulled on the last string of my corset, leaving me struggling to breathe.

A month passed faster than I expected, and we’ve managed to do a good job of completely avoiding each other. Our rooms are so far apart; sometimes I forget he actually exists in this house.

With nobody to speak to other than Dorotha, she’s the only thing keeping me from going off the iceberg. Every morning, I wait for him to leave before coming down for breakfast, or Dorotha brings the food up to me. It has seemed to work well for both of us.

I’m bored out of my mind here, and the last thing I’d want to do is to be f*****g dressing up and go to a ball I know nothing about.

Dorotha finished up with my dress and turned to look at me. An audible gasp escapes her lips. “Oh wow, you look gorgeous!”

Unsure, I glanced down at my dress, and I was surprised myself. The dress was unlike anything I’d ever worn. Rich emerald satin skimmed my figure before flowing to the floor in soft waves. The off-the-shoulder neckline left my collarbones bare, while the fitted bodice

My hair was pulled into a high ponytail to complement my bare shoulders. I turned to face Dorotha, who in this past month has become someone I could call my friend. “Oh, I don’t k ow dorotha, are you sure I'm meant for this?”

She frowns slightly. “Don’t you ever doubt yourself again; you look absolutely perfect for this.” She smooths out a few wrinkles on my dress, then sighs. “You’re all set; he’s waiting for you downstairs.”

I descended the stairs and saw him making a phone call, but when his eyes flickered to me, he abruptly ended it, but I caught a few words. “… I know, Father, but you’d have to be patient.”

Patient for what?

He catches sight of me. His eyes paused on me for a fraction longer than usual, and I could’ve sworn I saw a hint of surprise in his eyes and something else I couldn’t quite read.

I reached the end of the stairs, and I stood awkwardly in front of him, waiting for the next instructions, but he just stared at me. I’m unable to figure out what he’s thinking.

“Aren’t we late for the ball, or are we just gonna be staring at each other?” I managed to spit it out.

He blinks multiple times. “Right, let’s get to the car.” He went back to ignoring me, stalking towards the car with long strides. The door opened for us before we even got close enough.

The ride to the ball was in utter silence, but I refused to let this happen every time.

I cleared my throat. “So what exactly happens at these things?”

He didn’t even glance at me. “People talk,” he said flatly

“Okay…” I said, urging him to continue. He sighed. “They drink, connect, and most importantly, they judge,” he said, looking directly at me now.

“Judge?” I asked, confused.

“We are a newly married couple in a competitive business field, so yes, eyes are going to be on us, exactly why we have to play the part as a loving couple.” He said. “So try not to kill me with your eyes every time you look at me.”

Heat rose to my cheeks for some odd reason.

The car slowed to a smooth stop before a sprawling estate that looked more like a palace than a hotel. Golden lights spilled from every towering window, illuminating the cream-colored stone walls and grand marble staircase leading to the entrance. Crystal chandeliers glowed behind the enormous glass doors while fountains danced on either side of the driveway, their water shimmering beneath the night sky.

Luxury cars lined the circular drive, one after another, each arriving with another guest dressed in designer gowns and tailored tuxedos.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the chauffeur stepped out and opened Collin’s door.

He emerged first, straightening the sleeve of his black tuxedo with effortless elegance.

A moment later, my door opened, and I looked up, expecting the familiar face of a chauffeur, but instead, I saw Collin with a bright smile on his face that i’d never seen before.

It almost looked convincing.

He offered me his arm, I hesitated for a second, and a flash of irritation showed in his face for a split second before I slipped my arm into his.

Cool evening air brushed against my skin as I carefully stepped onto the red carpet, smoothing my dress before lifting my gaze.

The chatter stopped.

Camera flashes erupted like lightning.

His hand settled against the small of my back, guiding me inside.

“Mr. Laurent!”

“Over here!”

“Look this way!”

“You’ve got a fine lady on your arm, Mr Laurent.”

My breath caught in my throat.

Together, we turned toward the grand entrance and climbed the marble steps as hundreds of curious eyes followed our every move.