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

Ares follows my gaze and freezes. “I…” He cups the back of his neck, his gaze contrite. “I wasn’t
thinking, Raven. It was all so sudden. Until this morning, I was hoping… I haven’t had a chance—”
I shake my head and place my hand on his arm. “It’s okay,” I tell him, steeling myself before I look
up at him. “But you should know that I don’t want her hand-me-downs. I don’t want to be surrounded
by the remains of your relationship with her. Our marriage might not be a conventional one, but I’d
still like to ask you for a basic level of respect. I won’t live in her shadow throughout our entire
marriage.”
“Of course,” he says, his voice soft. “I understand. I’m sorry. I’ll have her things packed up and
delivered to her. How about that?”
I nod and look away, my heart aching. I wish I could tell him the full truth — that I don’t want to
be reminded of how much he loves her, of the life he expected to build with her. I wish I could tell
him to look at me and truly see me, just once.
Instead, I inhale shakily and walk toward the mirror, pausing in front of it. “I’m exhausted, and I
honestly just want to go to bed.” I don’t have it in me to keep up the facade. “Can you help me with
the buttons on the back?”
Ares walks up to me and stands behind me, his eyes on mine through the mirror. His touch is
gentle as he pushes my hair over my shoulder, exposing the long row of buttons on my wedding dress.
Even the dress I’m wearing tonight isn’t mine. I designed this for Hannah. It’s almost as though I’m
stealing everything that used to be hers, and it doesn’t feel right.
Ares hesitates for a moment before unbuttoning the top button on my dress, a tormented expression
on his face. He is no doubt thinking of Hannah, and how amazing she would have looked in this. What
expression would he be wearing if it was Hannah standing in front of him tonight?
He pauses halfway through and looks up, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “How far do you
want me to unbutton this?”
I force a smile onto my face and try my hardest to pretend that my heart isn’t racing, that I’m not
affected by his touch. What does he see when he looks at me? Does a small part of him find me
attractive at all?
“All the way,” I murmur. “The fabric is quite delicate, so I don’t want to damage it by trying to
undo the buttons myself.”
He nods and tears his gaze away, refocusing on his task. Doesn’t he feel a single thing as he
undresses me? The way he kissed me during the ceremony allowed me to pretend that our wedding
wasn’t a farce, but the coldness he treated me with afterward took away any hope he’d inadvertently
given me.
A shiver runs down my spine as his fingers brush against my skin, and I let my eyes fall closed for
a moment, pretending tonight isn’t pure torment for him. In my fantasies, Ares wants me as much as I
want him, his thoughts filled with nothing but me.
If things had been different between us, would he have laid me down on his bed, his touch
impatient and heated? Instead of the carefulness he’s handling me with, would he be rough and frantic,
the way he was so many years ago?
Ares takes his time unbuttoning my dress, until the back falls open. I expected him to step away,
but instead he wraps his hands around my shoulders. I glance at him through the mirror to find him
looking at me in a way he never has before. His eyes meet mine, and for a single second, I could’ve
sworn I saw lust in them. What would he do if I turned around now and kissed him? I’m terrified of
what might happen once Hannah realizes that I truly married Ares in her stead. The moment she comes
back and asks for his forgiveness, my chance of making this marriage work will be gone.