I let out a tired sigh as I sank into the leather seat of the car that was finally taking us home. Well, not my home, Nathaniel's.

The wedding reception had dragged on far longer than necessary. People kept coming up to congratulate us, most of them strangers, offering warm wishes and a happy marriage. If only they knew it was temporary, one year and it would all be over.

Before we left the reception venue I'd spoken to my mum briefly. She told me she was proud of me and that she was glad I hadn't caused a scene. Not that it even crossed my mind to do that, I felt hopeless during the ceremony. And my thoughts were all over the place. I didn't know how I was supposed to be a wife to someone I barely knew. Marriage came with responsibilities I wasn't ready for. And pretending to be okay with that already felt exhausting.

I leaned back further into my seat and closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. The nerves hadn't left me since morning and I didn't think they'd be going away anytime soon.

"Your name is Ellen, right?"

My eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice beside me. I turned to meet curious green eyes watching me. He hadn't said a word to me all day and now he was asking for my name and getting it wrong.

"Elena." I corrected, giving him a pointed look.

He studied me for a moment, brows furrowed. "You look nothing like your sister."

That caught me off guard. "You know my sister?"

"Of course I do." he said, raising an eyebrow. "I was supposed to marry her, remember? We met once before she disappeared. Guess she wasn't a fan of the whole wedding idea either."

Right. That made two of us. Except she got out of this bizarre plan and I didn't.

The silence that followed was welcomed. My thoughts drifted to Eleanor, where she might be, what she was doing. A part of me was upset. Her escape had turned me into a replacement and had taken a year of my life. Now I was married to someone who wasn't even sure of my name until five seconds ago.

I hated everything about this. The urge to curl up and cry grew stronger with every passing minute.

Eventually, we pulled up to Nathaniel's house, a luxurious estate that made my modest apartment look like a shoe box. As we drove through the iron gates, the setting sun cast a warm glow over the manicured lawn. Everything looked polished and expensive. I could almost picture myself lounging on the grass with a book while I  soaked up the sun. Or pretending I was in Greece with Kaylor, just relaxing and sipping cocktails with her.

A petite lady in a black-and-white uniform hurried down the steps as the driver parked the car in front of the house and killed the engine. As she got closer I realised she was an older woman, maybe in her early forties, with rosy cheeks and red hair that was barely contained by a loose scarf she had wrapped around it. 

"Good evening, sir.  It's good to have you back." she said her tone rushed as her brown eyes flickered to me with mild curiosity.

"It's good to be back, Velma." Nathaniel replied. "This is Ellen. She'll be staying here now, so please take her bags and show her to her room."

"Elena." I corrected again, offering her a small smile which only earned me a curt nod as she moved to retrieve my bags. I followed them into the house, trying not to gape at the glossy banisters, towering pillars and the grand chandelier that lit the foyer. There was also a sweeping staircase curved upward, leading to the floors upstairs.

I kept quiet as I absorbed my new surroundings. I wasn't great at adjusting to unfamiliar places, especially with unfamiliar people.

Velma led me upstairs to the last room at the end of a long hallway. I blinked in surprise at how pretty it was; creamy wallpaper, a king-sized bed, pendant lights in each corner and large windows framed by elegant curtains. I noticed a dresser beside a wide vanity mirror that stood against one wall. Upon closer inspection I realised it was empty. For me that was a relief, because it meant this wasn't Nathaniel's room and I could have it all to myself.

"The bathroom is over there, ma'am." Velma said, gesturing to a door near the vanity. "You can take a shower and come down for dinner when you're ready. Or I can bring it up to you."

I studied her carefully. She wasn't unfriendly, but her tone felt rushed, like she had somewhere else to be. Or maybe she was just nervous and I certainly didn't want to be a bother on my first day here.

"I think I'll skip dinner tonight,  I'm pretty full already," I said honestly. Despite the nerves, I'd made sure to eat well at the wedding reception. It was my wedding day, after all.

"Are you sure, ma'am? I can prepare anything you like."

I smiled and shook my head, reaching down to remove my heels. "I'm sure. I'll just shower and call it a night. It's been a really  long day."

Velma hesitated, then gave me a tight smile and without a single word left the room.

I let out a heavy sigh as I eyed the large, inviting bed in the middle of the room. Guess it was time to curl into a ball and have a good cry session. But first, I needed to get out of this wedding dress.

I stepped into the bathroom and flicked on the light. The tiles were cool beneath my feet as I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection. Tired eyes, smudged makeup and a wedding gown that looked droopy from the long day. 

I reached behind me to undo the buttons, fingers fumbling with the lacy fabric. As the dress slipped off my shoulders and pooled around my feet, I felt the first tear slide down my cheek.

I didn't bother wiping it away.

The next morning, I woke up with a snot stain on my pillowcase and a pounding headache. I won't lie, I'd slept soundly through the night and I wasn't sure if it was because I was completely drained from the day before or because the new bed I found myself in was just that comfortable. 

Whatever the reason was, I was grateful for the well- deserved sleep. My heart felt a little lighter and even though I was still unhappy about my current marital situation, at least I could face it with a less tired look on my face.

Before I could stretch my limbs and give my body the wake-up it needed, a sharp knock echoed from the other side of the door.

"Come in." I called out, voice still groggy from sleep.

Velma poked her head through the doorway, offering me a polite smile. "Good morning, ma'am. I hope I didn't wake you up?"

I shook my head quickly, sitting up straighter. "No, no, you didn't." My eyes darted to the pillow, heat rushing to my cheeks at the thought of her spotting the stain from where she stood.

"I just wanted to let you know that I've laid out breakfast in the dining room. Mr. Sinclair usually eats around eight o'clock whenever he's home." she  paused. "But if you're not hungry now, I could bring yours up to you later. Or perhaps you'd prefer to have it in the garden?"

"I think I'll just eat downstairs with Mr. Sinclair." I replied, trying to get the sleepiness out of my voice.  I didn't want to seem like a bother to her especially since this was my first morning here, I wanted to give her a good impression. 

Besides, I was pretty hungry. And even though I'd rather have eaten alone, I didn't want to seem rude to my host, who I assumed was waiting for me downstairs.

Or so I thought.

"Uh, Mr. Sinclair isn't around at the moment." Velma said. "He left with the driver right after I brought you to your room last night."

Oh. "I see." I said, trying to hide the bit of confusion in my voice. "Well, in that case, I'd really appreciate a setup in the garden. But let me take a shower first then I'll be right outside."

~~~~

"I'm surprised you actually went through with it." Kaylor's voice rang through the other side of the phone. "Part of me thought your parents were joking."

"Well, with the way they threatened me with financial doom, this was far from a joke." I sighed, popping a strawberry into my mouth and chewing slowly. "Trust me, Kaylor, if there was any way I could've gotten out of this ridiculous plan, I would've taken it."

"You should have run away like your sister did." she chuckled and I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. "Then your parents would probably find some distant cousin of yours and marry her off to the guy."

"Ha, ha. Very funny." I was genuinely relieved to be talking to my best friend. Especially after everything that had happened in the past 24 hours; the wedding ceremony, coming to my new home, then later finding out Nathaniel hadn't even bothered to spend the night. 

There was definitely a lot for me to process. And having Kaylor to vent to was exactly what I needed. 

"And the wedding itself? What was it like? Or was it more of some rushed courthouse thing?"

I took another strawberry from my bowl. "Definitely not a courthouse thing, it was a full ceremony. Nice venue, flowers everywhere, the reception even had a string quartet."

Kaylor giggled. "How fancy."

"Yeah." For something that had been thrown together in like a week, it was pretty amazing.  Maybe if it was someone else's wedding I attended I would have liked it even more. "The music was great and the food was pretty decent." I paused. "I'll admit I enjoyed myself a tiny bit. At least more than Nathaniel did."

"He hated it, huh?"

"It didn't seem like he enjoyed himself at all." I shrugged. "He looked bored the entire time. And he kept excusing himself like every five minutes, he was all over the place. Can't blame him though, my nerves were just as bad."

"But wait," Kaylor paused me, her voice laced with curiosity. "Is he cute? Or is he just your typical rich white guy with no personality?"

"He's hot." I said without hesitation, making her squeal. "Tall, tanned, nice features. I think he's mixed with something, maybe Hispanic?" Sinclair didn't sound like a Hispanic name, but who knows.

"Ugh, I've been manifesting this for you since high school." she said dramatically. "I love you, but your taste in men is trash. Remember Joe Fisher?"

Ah, Joe. Eleventh grade. How could I forget? Especially since he crashed the car I got for my sixteenth birthday. The jerk had the nerve to blame me too, said I distracted him while he was driving. Mind you, he was the one that refused to stop at a red light. Long story short, my parents called his parents, they paid for the repairs and my pretty Audi was taken away for some time as punishment.

 Lesson learned.

"Speaking of trashy men." Kaylor continued, "Remember that sexy hunk I met at the resort the first night I arrived? Well turns out... he has a wife."

"What?!"

"And a daughter. too She's probably around five."

"Oh my goodness, that's insane!" I said, eyes widening. "Imagine if you'd actually taken him up on his offer that night  and hooked up with him."

"Ugh, trust me Elena, I almost did." she groaned. "But I was so tired that night and the wine at the bar had made me really drowsy. I'm pretty sure I would've fallen asleep before we even made it to his room."

"Look, for now, just enjoy the rest of your vacation." I advised. "And maybe steer clear of the older white guys. They sound like bad news."

"That reminds me." she said with a mischievous tone. "I've got my eyes on another guy at the moment. Tall with a French accent. I've never been into bald men, but I might make an exception for him."

I burst out laughing at her words. "You're crazy."

The last thing I expected to do today was to meet up with my mum. For starters, we never do spontaneous meetups unless there's an agenda behind it, like when she and Dad blindsided me with the news of my upcoming wedding. Secondly, it was the weekend and if you knew her well enough you'd know that weekends were sacred to her. Her personal haven, that she took 'very' seriously. Whether it was a spa day or a random trip out of town, weekends were her time and hers alone. Even Dad respected that boundary.

So naturally, I was curious. Why did she want to see me? And why did she sound so eager about it on the phone?

"Elena! Finally, come, come, have a seat." I took in a deep breath and joined her at the table in the dimly lit restaurant. I hadn't been here before, so I couldn't tell if the lack of customers at this time was a normal occurrence or not. Either way, I was grateful for the quiet space to chat.

I eyed my mum warily, my breath catching in my throat out of nervousness. Something about all this felt off. Really off. And I couldn't read her expression properly thanks to the oversized sunglasses she was wearing, which for some reason only added to my unease.

"Elena, why do you seem so anxious?"

"Um," I cleared my throat, blinking a few times to try and steady myself. "Why did you want to see me?"

She scoffed like I'd asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "Why wouldn't I want to see you? You just had your wedding yesterday. I want to know how you're feeling. I mean, it was such a huge step and it all happened so fast."

Yes, thanks to you and Dad for forcing me into it.

"I'm fine. Nathaniel's place is nice and I had a great night there." My eyes widened at how insinuative my words sounded and my mum let out an amused chuckle. "I mean, I slept well. I was pretty tired last night so I went straight to bed. Nothing else happened!"

"And the Sinclair boy? How do you find him?"

Well, considering we'd barely exchanged more than a few sentences, I couldn't really say much. And I didn't care to. "He's great, Mum."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. But before she could press further, a shrill voice called out from behind us. "Caitlyn! Oh dear, I'm so sorry I'm late."

"Nonsense," Mum smiled, gesturing to the seat beside her. "You're not late at all. And guess who just arrived herself." I turned to see a familiar face, her red lips stretched into a wide smile as she hurried towards our table. Before I could react, I was pulled into a tight, unexpected hug, a surprised gasp escaping me. "It's good to see you, Mrs. Sinclair." I managed to choke out.

"Oh shush, call me Daria. No need for formalities honey, we're family!" she squealed as she finally released me and plopped onto her seat. "I hope Nathaniel's made you comfortable at his place. Do you like it so far?"

"Yes, he's been great. And his place is lovely."

"That's good to hear." She rummaged through her purse and pulled out a crumpled newspaper. "Have you seen this? There's a section covering the wedding yesterday. It's gotten quite a buzz around the city. Some are calling it the wedding of the year."

My eyes widened. I hadn't expected any media coverage. But of course, when two multimillion-dollar families suddenly decide to marry off their children, gossip is inevitable. I stared at the wrinkled page and zoomed in on a bored groom and beside him, a sad-looking bride in a ridiculously heavy white gown. Both wearing forced smiles on their faces.

Wedding of the year, huh?

"Where are the servers in this restaurant?" Mrs. Sinclair huffed, glancing around. "Would you like to order anything, Caitlyn?"

"I'm quite alright, actually. I have a yoga class after this, so I'll just grab a late lunch when I'm done."

"Well, I'm famished. I could go for a huge bowl of pasta right now." She turned to me with a bright smile. "What about you, dear?"

I shook my head slightly. "I'm not hungry at the moment. I can still feel breakfast sitting in my stomach." I joked.

"Nonsense. You have to eat something before you leave. Maybe a nice salad?"

I turned to Mum, silently pleading for help with my eyes. Her sunglasses were now perched on her forehead as she skimmed through the newspaper Mrs. Sinclair had brought, probably reading the wedding segment. I noticed she'd gone quiet since our company arrived, which answered my earlier question, that this meetup wasn't her idea. And if my suspicions were correct, it was all Mrs. Sinclair's doing. 

Judging by Mum's lack of enthusiasm, it seemed like she'd rather be at her yoga class right now than stuck in this restaurant with seemingly bad customer service.

"I don't think I can stomach food right now." I said, giving my mother -in -law a sheepish look. "I might just skip lunch and go straight for dinner when I get back."

She didn't look thrilled with my answer and seemed ready to protest until Mum cut in. "Speaking of dinner, your father and I want you and Nathaniel to come over tomorrow evening."

I turned to her so fast I felt my neck crack. "What?"

"You'll be having dinner with us, it'll start at 7:30. Don't be late."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful, Caitlyn!" Mrs Sinclair nodded eagerly. "Now that I'm  thinking about it, you and Nathaniel should pop by our place as well on Friday. We're hosting a small dinner party and it'll be lovely to introduce you as newlyweds to our friends. Caitlyn," she turned to my mum. "You and Darren should come too. It'll be so fun! I host the best dinner parties."

"I'll have to check in with Darren first, but I'm sure Elena will be thrilled to be there." I hadn't even realized both women were staring at me expectantly, possibly waiting for my response. But my mind was still spinning from the dinner invite tomorrow.

And now another one on Friday? This was going to be a really long week.