The-Wrong-Bride-Ares--Raven’s-story-(Maura,-Catharina)_bibis

Brb, I have something really important to do.
A soft giggle escapes my lips, and I press my lips together. He’s crazy, and he’s the exact same
guy I once fell in love with. The one I thought I’d lost over the years.
“Raven?”
I sit up at the sound of Hannah’s voice, my smile melting away. She walks into my office, her
expression unreadable. She hasn’t sought me out since she asked me to speak to Ares on her behalf,
but I should’ve known the premiere would force her to come to me. I didn’t intend for it to be, but she
would’ve seen it as a declaration of war. Everything is always a battle for Hannah.
“What can I do for you, Han? Do you need a dress for an event?”
She stares at me as she sits down opposite me, her expression chilling. “Why are you acting like I
only ever come to you when I need something? There’s no one here, Raven. You don’t need to pretend
to be the good girl, the aggrieved sibling.”
I tense as I suppress the hurt I feel at her words. “I’m sorry, what?”
She crosses her arms. “Is that why you fucked my fiancee? Because you wanted revenge for the
way I’ve treated you over the years?”
“I… I…” I clear my throat and wrap my arms around myself, my heart racing.
“Why did you show up at all, Raven? Why did you show up on my wedding day? You know as
well as I do that Grandma Anne never would’ve let your company fail, not even if Mom and Dad took
away your funding. You never had anything to lose. If you’d just stayed away, they’d have had no
choice but to reschedule the wedding. Why did you do this to me?”
I look away, unsure of what to say. I knew we’d have to have this conversation eventually, and
I’ve gone over it in my head so many times… but now that I need them the most, I can’t find the words
I need.
“You know as well as I do that Ares values duty and loyalty above everything else. Do you think
he’s suddenly in love with you? So quickly? After the years he spent with me? Or do you think he’s
making the best of a tough situation and getting laid while he’s at it? You’re his wife now, so he feels
he needs to make you happy, no matter what that means for his own happiness. He’ll pretend till the
very bitter end if it makes his family happy — which, in his mind, now includes you.”
She chuckles. “Do you know why we grew apart, Raven? It’s because I’ve always seen the way
you looked at Ares. What kind of woman would lust after her sister’s fiance the way you did? It
always disgusted me. Did you know Ares and I used to joke about your little crush on him? He used
to think it was childish, but cute. He never once even saw you as a woman. But let me guess… you
wore him down by seducing him?”
My thoughts turn to the various outfits I wore around the house in an attempt to make him notice
me, the things I said and did.
“Hannah,” I murmur, my voice soft. “What do you want? What does it all matter? I’m married to
Ares now.”
She smiles at me and lifts her hand to her chest, twirling around the ring on her ring finger. My
blood runs cold when I recognize the ring she’s wearing. It’s her original wedding ring. The one Ares
put on my finger the day we got married.
“Not for long,” she tells me. “You might be the one he’s married to now, but once his duty to you
is over, he’ll come straight back to me. I will always be the one he truly wants, the one he wishes
walked down that aisle. And you, my darling sister? You’ll always be my replacement, the one he
was forced to settle for. You chased after him knowing exactly what kind of damage you’d cause, but
you failed to account for the damage it’ll cause you in the end. No matter what you do, you will never