Chapter 2

"Yes! How did I not think of that?!" The woman I called mom was the first to stand up and clap her hands in excitement. Her eyes shone brightly as she stared at me, making my stomach churn, as they reminded me of how a dog would look at a fleshy bone.

The description could be considered very disrespectful, especially when the person in question was my biological mother, but that was just how I felt.

I heard her continue saying, "Nessa and you happen to be identical twins and most importantly, when we made the agreement with that man, we never specified which daughter it would be!"

"Shut up!"

"Mom!"

The moment my mom finished saying the last sentence, my dad and Aaron both shouted simultaneously at her and for some reason, their reactions made my heart sink.

If I hadn't seen it wrong, they seemed afraid and anxious...

But afraid of what?

Those two weren't people who would lose their composure normally..

Wait!

What had her mom just said?

'... and most importantly, when we made the agreement with that man, we never specified which daughter it would be!'

Yes, that sentence. It seemed to be what made her dad and Aaron react so.

Initially, I had thought that it was that devil who had somehow seen Nessa and then gotten infatuated with her, but now, from the look of things, that doesn't seem to be the case...

Because if it was, how could that man not have specified the exact bride he had intentions about to my parents.

It simply didn't make any sense.

At first, I really didn't think too deeply into what mom had just said but with Aaron's and Dad's somewhat intense reactions, I had to. Yet, the moment I did, a terrible guess couldn't help but occur to me.

But..

I shook my head in denial. That was impossible. They wouldn't do that to me.

Yet, the looks on their faces told me that I might be right. I could accept the fact that they wanted me to replace my sister in marriage, I could even forgive them for it. But I couldn't bear the other possibility.

"No, no, no! That can't be. Please tell me that what I am thinking is wrong. Please... Just.. Please," I asked with humble pleading in my voice and hope in my eyes as I stared from my mom to my dad, then finally at Aaron through blurry eyes.

But I didn't get a reply from any of them, instead I saw my dad turn to look at my mom and say with strong dissatisfaction while giving her a fierce glare, "You really can't get anything done right!"

By now, my mom had also realized that she had said something wrong, though she was likely unsure of what exactly that was. Still, she no longer dared say anything more for fear that she would end up saying something wrong again. So, even though she saw my pleading eyes, she pretended not to see it.

'Anyways, I have no idea what exactly is going on," I read the look on her face as she tried to convince herself.

It wasn't that she had no feelings for her daughter rather, it was because her luxurious lifestyle was all dependent on her husband and therefore didn't dare to go against him.

Meanwhile, when I heard dad say that to mom, I could almost feel my heart turning into ashes but even with that, I still wasn't ready to give up the tiniest possibility.

So, I stared fixedly at my mom as I called out softly, "Mom?" But she only lowered her head even more. On seeing that, I turned to look at my dad, "Dad?" And then watched him turn his face away.

Finally, I turned to look at Aaron. Maybe not even me myself knew just how desperate I now looked as I called him in a soft voice, just like I did many years ago when we were still kids.

"Brother?"

And just like many years ago, he smiled warmly at me but this time, I could no longer feel the warmth but rather only a deep chill.

Why?

Because I saw affirmation in his smile.

It was true. It really turned out to be true.

I closed my eyes in despair and a lone tear slid down my cheeks.

For me, in fact I was rather willing to accept and convince myself that my family were only willing to push me out as a substitute bride because they had no choice than to believe that it has always been me all along.

There was no substitute bride.

Every single one of them, maybe except for my mother who seemed unaware had schemed and plotted against me. My dad, brother and even my twin sister.

How laughable!

I slumped to the ground looking pathetic as I laughed and cried at the same time. How could I have been so stupid? !

I bet they had all been watching me walk into their trap step-by-step like a clown while I myself had been feeling quite satisfied with myself for fighting the 'injustice'.

Hahaha.

No wonder, I thought to myself. No wonder it has been so easy to help Vanessa escape. How could they all not have known my personality and temper? How could they not have known that I wouldn't have been able to tolerate marrying Vanessa to that devil?

They knew it. They all knew it and used it against me! Made me help Vanessa escape so that I would have no choice but to marry that man myself no matter even if I am willing or not.

After all, I was the culprit who caused the mess, right?

What a calculated scheme! What a good family I had!

I should have never came home in the first place after hearing the news of Vanessa's marriage. I should have known that they wouldn't be that willing to marry her off to an 'old and probably ugly man' whom no one had ever seen before—even if he was notoriously powerful and filthy rich. I couldn't deny that my father and Aaron might have been tempted by the thought if Vanessa was their only daughter(sister) but not so much when there was another alternative, albeit rebellious and disobedient.

It was simply getting rid of two birds with one stone. First, they get to get rid of me, the black sheep of the family who was 'ruining' the family's stellar reputation and at the same time, they manage to benefit from it.

I cried and cried until I no longer had the energy to do so before finally stopping. The moment I did, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

'Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to marry that man after all..'