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

I take in his expression, the spark of hope that lights up his whole face. It hurts. It kills me that he
so desperately wants to be with her, even now.
“Three years will fly by,” she says, her tone desperate. “I’ll focus on my career for the next three
years, and once you two get a divorce, I’ll retire and marry you. I see it now, Ares. I don’t need my
career as much as I need you. I’d never have walked away if I thought they’d make you marry Raven.”
She turns to me then, her eyes filled with sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Rave. This… it’s all my fault.
Having to marry your brother-in-law… I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you. I know it’s too
late for apologies, but I truly am sorry. I’ll set this right, I swear. I know three years seems like a lot,
but you’ll walk away with Mom and Dad’s company.”
Brother-in-law. Part of me wants to snap at her and tell her that he’s my husband now, and her
brother-in-law, but I don’t have it in me to hurt her that way. Instead, I nod, unsure how to respond. I
might be Ares’s wife, but I have no rights to him. Standing here in front of my sister, the woman he
loves and wants to spend his life with… I can’t hurt her any more than she’s already hurting.
Hannah inhales deeply and looks at Ares before turning to me. “I trust both of you,” she says, her
gaze drifting between us. She smiles at Ares, her gaze filled with longing. “I know you’ve been put in
a difficult situation, but I won’t doubt the love between us, Ares. We’ve been together for five years.
In the grand scheme of things, three years is nothing — not compared to the rest of our lives.”
She turns to me then, a pleading look in her eyes. “Had it been anyone else, I’d have been
insecure and scared, but I know you’ll never hurt me. You would never betray me in that way, and I
know you’ll never see Ares as your husband, no matter what label the world is forcing you two to
wear.”
I nod, giving in. This isn’t a battle worth fighting. Besides, Ares might be my husband for now, but
he’ll end up being hers in the future. I can see it in his eyes. Even now, it’s her he’s imagining a future
with. The promises he made me crumbled the second he laid eyes on her. They always have.
Hannah hesitates, her eyes on mine, and for a moment I wonder if she’s seeing straight through me,
if she can sense my reluctance, my heartbreak. “Raven,” she says, her voice tense. My heart starts to
race as I force a smile on my face. Just before she’s about to speak again, her phone rings, saving me
from questions I might not have an answer to.
Hannah glances at her phone and grimaces. “I need to go,” she says reluctantly. “I’m supposed to
be on set today.”
Ares tenses, hearing the words she isn’t saying. If she’s expected to be on set, then she must have
known long ago that she wouldn’t be on her honeymoon today. What kind of game is she playing, and
how long is Ares going to let her get away with it?
I watch as Hannah walks up to him. She rises to her tiptoes to kiss him, and I grit my teeth, pure
venom rushing through my veins. Ares averts his face at the last minute, making her lips brush against
his cheek instead.
She narrows her eyes at him, but in the end, she chooses to remain quiet. “I’ll see you later,” she
tells him, her voice soft. “Let’s have dinner and talk things through, okay?”
He nods and watches her as she walks away, leaving both of our futures in disarray. The door
closes behind her, and Ares inhales deeply as he takes a seat on the sofa, his gaze unfocused.
I should give him space, and I should respect his boundaries, but I won’t. This is war, and I won’t
go down without a fight.
My steps are filled with confidence as I walk toward him and place my knee on the sofa between
his spread legs, leaning in the way I did yesterday. The regret with which he looks at me has me
hesitating, but in the end, hope wins.