ARIA'S POINT OF VIEW
Today is supposed to be the happiest day of my life.At least, that's what everyone keeps telling me.
I stare at my reflection in the floor-length mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at me. The white lace gown hugs my body perfectly, the sweetheart neckline shimmering under the soft lights of the bridal suite. My makeup is flawless. My hair falls in elegant curls over my shoulders.
I look like a bride.So why don't I feel like one?My fingers tremble as I smooth invisible wrinkles from my dress.
"It's just nerves," I whisper to myself.That's what every bride experiences, right?Cold feet and butterflies.The overwhelming realization that your life is about to change forever.
I force a smile, but it doesn't reach my eyes.A knock sounds at the door.
"Come in."My best friend, Mia, peeks inside with a grin.
"There you are!" she says.
."I've been looking everywhere. The guests are arriving, and your mother is asking for you."I let out a shaky laugh.
"Is she still angry?"Mia's smile falters.
"You know how your mom is."Yes....I know exactly how she is.Nothing I ever do is enough.When I graduated with honors, Chloe deserved more attention because she'd won a dance competition.
When I landed my dream job, my parents reminded me Chloe was still "finding herself."When Marcus proposed, my mother hugged him longer than she hugged me.
Sometimes I wonder if I was switched at birth.I shake the thought away,Not today.....Today is about love.....Today, I become Mrs. Marcus Brooks.
Just thinking his name calms me.
For five years, Marcus has been my safe place. The man who held my hand after my grandmother died. The man who promised we'd grow old together.The man who looked into my eyes six months ago and said......
"I'd choose you in every lifetime, Aria."
"You okay?" Mia asks softly and I nodded.
"I just want today to be perfect."
"It will be."I smile, hoping she's right.
The ceremony starts in thirty minutes.
The wedding planner rushes in and out of the room, giving instructions to everyone except me.I suddenly realize I haven't seen Marcus all morning......That's unusual.
He always sends me a message before important moments.A simple.......I love you.
Can't wait to marry you.See you at the altar but now........Nothing.Maybe he's busy, I thought so I reach for my phone.
But there was no messages,not even a missed call.A strange knot tightens in my stomach.
"Mia..."
"Hmm?"
"Have you seen Marcus?"She hesitates.
"I... I think he was getting ready with the groomsmen."Think?She doesn't sound sure.
"I'll go check on him."
"Aria, you shouldn't see the groom before the ceremony."I laugh nervously.
"I don't believe in bad luck."If only I knew what real bad luck looked like.
The hallway outside the bridal suite is quiet.
Most guests are already seated.My heels click against the polished floor as I make my way toward the groom's room......Halfway there, I hear laughter.
A woman's laughter,Soft and familiar so I stop walking......No,It can't be.I tell myself I'm imagining things,Then I hear Marcus's voice.
"I've wanted this all morning."A cold chill crawls up my spine.The door isn't fully closed.....There's a narrow gap,Just enough to see inside.
I shouldn't look,Every instinct tells me to turn around,To trust him,To walk away but Instead...I push the door open.
Immediately time stops.My bouquet slips from my hands,White roses scatter across the floor. Marcus is kissing someone.No........Not just someone,My sister........Chloe.
She's sitting on the makeup table, her dress pushed above her thighs.Marcus's hands are on her waist.His lips are on hers.
Their eyes snap toward me and immediately there was silence.The room becomes impossibly still.
I couldn't breathe,I coudn't blink,I couldn't move.My entire world crashes without making a sound.
"Aria..." Marcus said.
He said my name like I'm the one interrupting something important.Chloe slowly climbs down from the table with an eyeroll.She doesn't even look guilty.....Instead.....She sighs.
"As I was saying," she mutters,
"she always finds out eventually."Eventually?.....Eventually?My knees nearly give out.
"What..." My voice cracks.
"What did you just say?"Marcus runs a hand through his hair.
"It's not what it looks like."I laugh.The sound doesn't even resemble laughter.
"It looks like my fiancé is kissing my sister."
"No......"
"So explain it."Neither of them speaks......The silence tells me everything.
"How long?"Chloe folds her arms.
"It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me!"My voice echoes through the room.
"How long?"She rolls her eyes.
"Probably a year."The words hit harder than a slap.....One year.Three hundred and sixty-five days.I stare at Marcus and chuckled dryly.
"You've been cheating on me... for a year?"He lowers his eyes.
"I'm sorry."Sorry......One tiny word.As if it could stitch together a heart that's just been ripped from my chest.
"Why?"
"I never meant to hurt you."
"Then why?"Before Ethan can answer, Chloe speaks.
"Isn't it obvious......Because he loves me."I slowly turn toward her and saw her smile.
"I didn't steal him, Aria."She tilts her head.
"He chose me."Something inside me breaks.Like glass cracking beneath pressure.I spent my whole life trying to be enough.....Enough for my parents,Enough for my career,Enough for Marcus.
And somehow......I was never enough,I took a shaky step backward.
"I hate both of you."For the first time, Chloe's smile disappears.I turn around before either of them can stop me......I ran
I don't care that my veil catches on the door,I don't care that my makeup is streaking down my face....I don't care that people are staring,Everything hurts.......Everything.
I don't know how long I run before someone grabs my arm.....I whirl around and saw that It's my mother.
"Aria! What on earth are you doing?"I choke on a sob.
"Marcus..."
"What about Marcus?"
"He's with Chloe."My mother's expression changes....Not to shock,Not to anger,To... annoyance.
"You found out."My blood turns to ice.
"...Found out?"She exhales impatiently.
"We were hoping it'd be after the wedding."The hallway begins to spin.
"We?"She avoids my eyes.
"Your father knows."
"No..."
"Your aunt knows too."
"No..."
"They're better suited for each other."I stare at her.
"You knew?"She doesn't answer.
"You all knew?".I let out a broken laugh.
"So today..."I swallow hard.
"I walked down the aisle while everyone knew my fiancé was sleeping with my sister?"My mother's jaw tightens.
"Lower your voice."I look at her as if she's a stranger.
"No."
"You're embarrassing this family."I blink.
"I'm embarrassing the family?"
"Chloe is pregnant."The words slam into me.
Pregnant?My sister......Is carrying Ethan's baby.
"And Marcus has decided to marry her instead."My ears ring.
"I'm sorry, Aria, but this is what's best."Best.....Best for who?
Then, from somewhere behind me, a deep male voice cuts through the silence.
"So you knew he wants to marry Chloe why didn't you guys tell me..... why make me a fool on my wedding day?"I screamed and the guest gasped.
Then, from somewhere behind me, a deep male voice cuts through the silence.
"Interesting."Every head turns.A man in a perfectly tailored black suit slowly approaches, his expensive wheelchair gliding effortlessly across the marble floor.
Silver streaks his dark hair......Looks like he's one of the guest.
His sharp gray eyes settle on me.....not with pity, but with quiet calculation.He stops a few feet away....Without looking at anyone else, he says calmly,
"If your groom no longer wants to marry you..."He extends a gloved hand toward me.
"...then perhaps I should."
