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

couldn’t bear seeing her with him. The last thing I want to do to her is make her feel my pain. No one
should have to go through that.
“Raven!” Mom calls again.
I inhale deeply as I make my way to the kitchen, my mind on Hannah and Ares. I have no doubt
she’ll try to get his attention, and it makes me feel uncomfortable. Is this what the rest of our lives
will be like? Will I be at odds with my sister forever? Ares and I might be okay right now, but this
entire situation is taxing for all of us.
Mom smiles at me and points to the sink. “Do you think you could quickly help me load the
dishwasher?”
I nod and get to work quietly. I wait patiently, knowing she wouldn’t have called me in here if she
didn’t have anything to say to me.
“Rave,” she says eventually. “Don’t you think it’d be good for Ares and Hannah to talk through
their issues? Their breakup was messy, and it affected us all. I’d really like to go back to a time when
there was harmony in our home.”
Harmony. I suppose that’s what everyone but me experienced here. For me, this home has always
been filled with longing. I wanted to belong, to be loved. First by my parents, then by Ares. This is
the home that has always left me feeling inadequate, the home that took until I lost myself.
I remain silent as Mom stares at me. The truth is that I don’t have an answer for her. Yes, it would
be nice to have harmony, but for who? In the scenario we’ve found ourselves in, someone is bound to
get hurt, and for once, I won’t let it be me.
“Oh,” Mom says. “Good. They’re talking.”
I tense and follow her gaze. The kitchen window looks out to the veranda, where Hannah and
Ares are standing, lost in conversation. The way he’s looking at her makes me feel sick. I know that
half smile. It’s how he’s always looked at her, as though he finds everything she does endearing.
I try so hard to be strong, but watching the two of them from here, where they think we can’t see
us, fills me with insecurity. He was so assertive and drew a clear boundary between them that day in
the theater, but was that just because I was there? Was he just doing what he considered the right thing
to do?
I bite down on my lip harshly, annoyed with myself for doubting him. This is what this home does
to me. It fills me with insecurity and heartache. It doesn’t matter how much I grow as a person. Every
single time I go home, it feels like I’ve taken ten steps back.
I grit my teeth and wash my hands, leaving half the dishes in the sink as I walk out of the kitchen.
“Raven!” Mom shouts, her tone angry. I ignore her and walk onto the veranda, finding Ares and
Hannah by the swing in the corner.
They both look up at me, and Hannah tenses. “Raven,” she says, forcing a smile. It hurts that this
is what our relationship has become. When I look at her, it isn’t my sister I see anymore.
I let my eyes roam over her leisurely, pausing on her hand for a moment. “You’re not wearing your
wedding ring,” I say, my tone nonchalant. “You know, the one you told me Ares gave you?”
Her eyes widen, and she shoots him a furtive look before looking back at me. “No, I stored it
away safely. I didn’t want to risk anyone asking questions about it.”
Ares grabs my hand and lifts it to his lips, kissing the back of my hand and positioning it so my
wedding ring sparkles in the light just right. “Just wear it if you want,” he tells her. “It’s a relatively
simple piece of jewelry. It’s nothing but a relic from the past.”
Hannah clears her throat and stares at my ring for a moment, before looking down at the floor,
leaving me feeling torn. I don’t want to knowingly hurt her, but I want the reassurance that Ares’s