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

before pulling away and holding up her birthday present.
“Ares,” she says, smirking. “I can’t wait to see what it is!”
Her friends surround her as she opens the box, all of them equally excited. All of Hannah’s
friends are actresses too, so I can never tell whether any of their reactions are genuine or not.
“It’s beautiful,” she says. “Can you help me put it on?”
I nod and take the necklace from her, closing the clasp at the back. “Looks stunning on you,” I
murmur, even as my mind flashes back to Raven holding it up against her.
She looks into my eyes and smiles. “I was wondering why there were paparazzi photos of Raven
and you floating around. The two of you being spotted at a jewelry store sparked some really weird
rumors. Turns out it was because of this.”
I nod. Ever since Raven became famous, she stopped going out as much, and I can see why. The
media goes wild when they do catch her outside. These days I only really see her at the Windsor
Estate or when she’s with Hannah. Fame hasn’t changed her the way it did Hannah — instead, it made
her even more of a recluse.
Hannah’s friends all surround her as she shows off her necklace, and I sigh as I take a step back.
It’s so rare for her to have a night off with her closest ones that I’m more than happy to give her space.
I’ve got all night with her, after all.
I grab myself a drink and walk toward the swing in the corner, not even remotely surprised when I
see Raven sitting on it, her eyes glued to her tablet. She’s no doubt drawing new designs for her
fashion brand, and I smile to myself.
I sit down next to her, pushing the swing into motion, and she looks up, her eyes finding mine.
“Ares.” There’s something about the way she’s always said my name. It feels different. It’s a
strange kind of addiction.
“Why are you sitting here all by yourself, Cupcake?”
She laughs then, the sound soft and refreshing amongst the fake laughter that surrounds us. “Are
you really going to call me that for the rest of our lives?”
I nod. “I still vividly remember your cupcake keychain, the t-shirt, the pin on your bag. You were
really into cupcakes.”
She glares at me, but there’s no malice in her expression. “I was fourteen, and I was going through
a phase, okay? I guess I should be glad we didn’t meet when I was going through my emo phase. That
would’ve been a disaster.”
I smile and glance at the evening gown she’s drawing. It’s always astounded me just how talented
she is. “You didn’t answer my question,” I remind her. “Why are you sitting here by yourself?
Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your sister?”
She locks her tablet and turns to look at me. “I tried.” Her voice breaks, and she forces a smile to
her face.
Yeah, she probably did try. Raven always does. It never made much sense to me, but her parents
have always favored Hannah, making her the center of everything. The first time Raven and I met was
because she came on a family holiday with Sierra, because her parents had canceled their vacation in
favor of accompanying Hannah to an audition.
Hannah does it too. She takes Raven for granted, and I think she knows it. Raven has organized
almost every single detail of our wedding, and even tonight, she’s sitting here because she knows
Hannah would be upset if she didn’t show at all, yet Hannah isn’t putting any effort into ensuring
Raven is included.
“I’m sorry, Cupcake. I guess we’re in the same boat tonight.”