The Billionaire's Substitute Bride

Karen stood before the mirror, her breath catching in her throat.

The woman staring back at her looked like a stranger. Dressed in delicate lace and flowing satin, she looked flawless-too flawless. Elegant. Serene. Like a porcelain bride in a wedding magazine.

But on the inside, she was crumbling.

Today, she was married. Legally bound to Bryan Capel-the man she had secretly loved for over ten years. The man she had never thought she would touch, let alone marry.

But this wasn't her wedding.

Not really.

The bride he had chosen, the one he had agreed to marry, was her twin sister, Karel. But here she was, standing in her place. The substitute. The lie wrapped in silk and diamonds.

Her fingers curled slightly at her sides. The weight of the diamond ring on her finger felt more like chains than jewelry. She couldn't breathe.

Her family had made the decision. Karel had played the victim, feigning illness, sobbing about needing more time. Their parents had turned to Karen, begging her to step in. "Just for today," they'd said. "Just for the ceremony. You'll make it right later."

Only it wasn't just for today. The documents had already been signed. The vows already exchanged.

And now, Karen was his wife-in name, on paper, and soon... in body.

Her heart pounded at the thought. Not with excitement, but dread. Bryan had no idea who she truly was. What would he do when he found out?

A sound outside broke her spiral of thoughts-the low purr of an engine cutting off.

Her blood turned cold.

He was home.

She spun away from the mirror, her hands trembling. She didn't have time to think. She quickly touched up her curls, smoothed the front of her gown, and forced herself to inhale deeply.

"You can do this," she whispered. "Just pretend... like always."

She moved downstairs quickly, heels clicking on the marble floor, her stomach twisting with every step. The front door opened just as she reached the bottom of the staircase.

There he was. Bryan Capel.

Broad-shouldered, sharp-jawed, impeccably dressed-except for the slight misalignment of his tie and the unmistakable scent of alcohol that hit her before he even stepped fully inside.

Her smile faltered.

"Baby, you're back..." she said softly, trying to sound natural.

Bryan didn't respond.

He barely glanced at her before walking past, his steps heavy, his expression unreadable. He ignored the slippers she had laid out for him. He didn't stop. Didn't even nod.

She swallowed hard and followed him up the stairs, the silence between them almost deafening.

In the bedroom, he peeled off his jacket and threw it carelessly on a chair. Then his shirt followed, revealing the hard lines of his chest, the defined muscle across his abdomen. But it wasn't the sight that made her heart race-it was the tension in the air. The coldness radiating from him.

"Bryan..." she said quietly, "Are you okay?"

He turned slowly, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"What's your name?" he asked.

She blinked. "Sorry?"

"I said, what's your name?" His voice was low, sharp. Too calm.

Her throat closed up.

He knew? She wondered.

She had prepared herself for this moment, but nothing truly prepared her for the way his words landed-like knives, not questions.

"...Karel," she whispered.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips.

"That's funny," he said, stepping closer. "Because Karel doesn't have a birthmark under her ear. You do."

Karen's hand flew up instinctively to her neck. She froze.

"Still want to play this game?" he asked.

Her legs felt weak beneath her. "I didn't mean to lie-"

"You didn't mean to?" he snapped. "So you accidentally married me?"

She flinched. "I only did it because-because... I didn't want to disappoint anyone-"

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Of course. The obedient one. The desperate one."

Her lips parted in protest, but he cut her off with a single step forward.

"You think I didn't know? You think I'd fall for this act?"

He gripped her wrist-not painfully, but firm-and pulled her closer. His breath was warm against her face. "You stood there, wearing her dress, saying her vows... acting like my wife."

"I never wanted to deceive you," she said, voice cracking. "I didn't expect this to go so far. I thought-"

She stopped herself. She couldn't tell him the truth. That she had said yes not out of duty-but out of love. A love he would never return.

He stared at her for a long moment, and something flickered behind his eyes. Not quite rage. Not quite pain.

Silently, he raised a hand and brushed a loose curl from her cheek. She shivered.

"Tell me to stop," he murmured.

Her breath caught.

She couldn't.

She should. She should tell him to walk away, to get out, to never touch her again. But instead, she stood frozen, wanting and terrified.

His hand moved to the back of her neck, his touch still firm-but now gentler, burning where it landed.

He leaned closer, eyes locked on hers. "If you say no, I'll walk away."

Karen swallowed hard.

"Do you want this?" he asked.

She hesitated. "Yes," she whispered. "I want you."

His lips crashed into hers-hot, demanding, hungry. It wasn't soft. It wasn't gentle. It was the kiss of a man who felt betrayed and furious, yet still drawn to the woman in front of him.

Their bodies pressed together. He lifted her easily, carrying her to the bed, lowering her onto the soft sheets.

The gown fell away, piece by piece, until nothing stood between them. His hands explored her skin with heat and possession. She gasped beneath his touch-shocked not by the act, but by how much she wanted it despite everything.

He took her that night-not cruelly, not lovingly, but somewhere in between. Like a man desperate to forget and a woman desperate to be remembered.

Karen clung to him, her body trembling as their breaths tangled. She knew he wasn't making love to her.

He was trying to erase someone else.

Still, she gave him all of her.

Because even if he never truly saw her, she would remember this night forever.