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

He smiles at me before lifting his gaze to nod at Sierra. “Leave everything to me,” he tells her as
she places her hands on my shoulders. She squeezes tightly before stepping away, and my gaze
follows her through the room. What has she done? She can’t truly believe I’ll be walking down that
aisle, can she?
I watch through the mirror as Sierra leisurely steams Hannah’s dress, a smile on her face. Today,
more than ever, it’s clear just how crazy my bestie is. She should be concerned about Ares and me,
but she’s barely stopped smiling all morning.
Enrique starts working on my makeup while a hairdresser starts to work on my hair, and nerves
finally truly set in. This can’t be happening, can it?
I grab my phone and try to ring Hannah again, for the fifty-seventh time today. Hannah disappeared
after I left her apartment, and last I heard she’d been spotted on a beach in St. Tropez. I really hope
she realized what she did and came to her senses in time. If she doesn’t get here within the next hour,
she’ll make a mistake she can never undo.
“You look beautiful,” Enrique tells me as he puts the finishing touches on my makeup. He’s done
my makeup for every single gala and awards ceremony throughout the last few years, but he’s outdone
himself today.
For one single moment, I wonder what Ares will think when he sees me, but then I shake my head
and mentally berate myself for the thought. Today must be torment for him. Until the moment he sees
me at the end of the aisle, he’ll be expecting Hannah. It isn’t wonder he’ll look at me with. It’ll be
disappointment and resentment.
I sit up at the sound of a knock on my door, my heart dropping. The door opens, and my mother
walks in. I look at her wide-eyed, and she hesitates for a moment before shaking her head. My
shoulders deflate as treacherous relief sinks in. She isn’t here.
“I’m sorry,” Mom says. She glances at Enrique and his crew before pressing her lips together for
a moment. “I’m sorry your sister won’t be here on such a special day. I’m not sure what’s gotten into
her, and I hope she won’t come to regret this.”
“Me too,” I murmur. What happens once she realizes she’s made a mistake? What if she goes after
Ares and begs him for forgiveness? His promise to me is nothing compared to the hundreds of
promises they must have made to each other throughout the years. Am I condemning myself by
agreeing to this?
Mom walks up to Sierra, and together they hold up Hannah’s wedding dress for me, helping me
into it carefully. I designed this for her, so it doesn’t fit perfectly, but it’s not far off. This isn’t what I
would’ve created for myself, and it’s yet another reminder that I’m merely taking Hannah’s place.
Everything I’m experiencing today should’ve been hers, and it sickens me.
“You look gorgeous,” Mom says, but she can’t quite make herself look me in the eye. “Thank you,
sweetheart,” she whispers. “I know this isn’t easy for you. I’m sorry that it’s come to this, but perhaps
it is fate, you know? Initially, Ares’s fiancee was supposed to be you. Maybe Grandma Anne was
right, and this will all work out for the best.”
I look at her and clench my jaw. “Is that what you tell yourself to justify the position you’ve put
me in? Is that what you’ve convinced yourself of to ease your guilty conscience?”
Mom winces and looks down, drawing a shaky breath. “Raven,” she whispers. “I… I truly am
sorry. If Dad and I hadn’t spoiled your sister the way we have, this wouldn’t have happened. I wish…
I wish I’d treated you better. I wish I hadn’t taken you for granted. If I hadn’t, then perhaps this
moment between us would’ve been different. It wouldn’t diminish your sacrifice in any way, but
perhaps I’d have known how to console you, how to encourage you.”