THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE FOR THE MAFIA DON

“You can’t do this to me, Amelia!” Maxwell’s voice thundered, breaking under the weight of his own despair. “I’m sorry, Maxwell… my hands are tied,” I whispered, forcing myself to turn my back on him before my heart betrayed me. If I faced him again, I knew I would run back into his arms and confess everything, tell him how much I still loved him, tell him that I was doing this to save my family. But instead, I walked away. Each step felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest. His sobs, loud, broken, and raw echoed in my ears long after I left the room. My legs trembled so badly I thought I might collapse. I reached my car, slipping inside quickly as though the world might catch me in my weakness. Leaning forward, I pressed my head against the steering wheel. My breath shook, tears blurring my vision. And then the memories crashed over me. Three weeks ago, I came home from school to find my parents sitting in the parlor, their faces clouded with shadows. “Mum? Dad? Where’s Cynthia?” I asked, but neither answered. The silence was thick, suffocating. “Come, my daughter. Sit. We have something to discuss,” my father said at last, his tone heavy, almost pleading. Confused but unsuspecting, I obeyed. “Erm… my daughter,” he began, clearing his throat nervously. “Talk to me, Dad. You’re scaring me.” I would later realize that urging him to speak was the worst mistake of my life. “Your sister… she has eloped with her boyfriend,” he said slowly, watching my face for the reaction he knew was coming. “And their wedding is around the corner.” “What?!” The scream tore from my throat before I could stop it. My heart pounded wildly, rejecting his words. “She left this note,” mum said stretching a short piece of paper to me. I collected it with trembling hands my heart pounding loudly in my chest. “I’m gone with my boyfriend, I can’t be forced into a loveless marriage while I’m inlove, your obedient daughter can do it,” I shuddered as I read that line of course I’ve always been the foolish daughter. The one who wants to please everyone but got nothing in return. Dad reached for my hand, his voice trembling. “Please… you have to replace her.” I stared at him, my world tilting. “What about Maxwell? What will happen to him, Daddy?” My voice broke, quivering like glass on the verge of shattering. “Maxwell will be fine, darling. But if he ever finds out the truth, we are dead. Please… do this for your mother. Do this for us.” And I… the obedient daughter who never learned how to say no, the pushover who always put her family first… I agreed. I agreed to go into a marriage with a man I knew nothing about except for the fact that he is a dangerous man, just because I want to save my family. And now the wedding is tomorrow. Tomorrow my fate would be sealed. A fresh wave of tears streamed down my face as memories of Maxwell flooded my mind. He had been so good to me, we had plans. After college, we were supposed to get married, start the life we dreamed of together. And now, here I was, the one tearing it all apart… all because of family. Family that only knows how to use me. I cried until my throat burned. Even the resemblance between me and my sister felt like a curse. I wanted to claw this face off, erase every trace of her from me. And Father… I hated him for this. Of all people, why did he have to get tangled up with a mafia boss? A ruthless man who kills without flinching. A man who doesn’t understand love, only possession, collecting women like cattle. And if he ever discovers I’m not who he thinks I am… I’ve heard enough to know he despises deception. My family’s lives depend on me, but the price may as well be my head. Desperate, I grabbed my phone and dialed Cynthia’s number again, for what felt like the two-hundredth time since she vanished. As always, no answer. You had every chance to escape, but you stayed. Now you’re whining? Deal with your choice, Sofia, my subconscious snapped at me. I exhaled shakily, wiped the tears from my face, and shoved my phone aside. Turning the key in the ignition, I pressed down on the accelerator, the engine roaring as I sped away. When I finally pulled up at our mansion, everything felt… strange. The walls that once felt like home now looked like prison gates. Inside, everyone was busy, moving, decorating, arranging, each person caught up in preparations for the “big day.” My heart sank. Their smiles, their laughter, their excitement, it all stabbed at me. To them, it was a celebration. To me, it felt like a funeral march. As if they were cheerfully escorting me to my grave. I dragged my feet across the tiled floor, ignoring the cheerful remark tossed my way by my loudmouthed uncle. His laughter grated against my ears, so out of place with the storm raging inside me. My gaze met my mother’s. Pain flickered in her eyes, mirroring my own, but she didn’t move, nor did she speak. What could she do? At least she felt my pain. Father, on the other hand, didn’t care. He never did. He was too selfish, too hungry for power, to ever consider what this cost me. I made it to my room and collapsed face-first on the bed, the soft sheets doing nothing to ease the weight on my chest. My phone buzzed in my pocket. With a groan, I pulled it out and glanced at the screen, I saw Two messages. One from my sister. One from Maxwell, my boyfriend. Or… maybe I should start calling him my ex. I read Maxwell’s text first and felt my blood run cold. Then I read my sister’s own and my heart shattered all over again, tears threatened to spill, but I blinked it back why should I cry over a spilled milk?