Fixed Marriage

Episode Two

"Sweetie, Just tell me if you want to revoke this wedding. I will help you to escape. You could find your sister and live together far away from Los Angeles. That's how I could save you." For countless times, Gail's mother had been pleading with her to withdraw from the wedding.

" Mom, it's final now. Don't worry too much. I will be fine, running away from this won't help, it could make the situation worse. And I would be in the news for being the 'runaway bride' before I could leave Los Angeles." Gail was right. Today was the wedding day. Time had passed so fast. Last month, she took her twin sister's place and now she was already wearing the wedding dress which Collins had prepared. She was confused about how to react. Going with the flow was her only option to cope with the situation. It's now or never.

"I'm sorry baby if we dragged you into this. We shouldn't have agreed on it in the first place. This could've been prevented. I had a dream of you getting married, but not this way. You don't even have any idea who your groom was. It's breaking my heart." Gail took off the white gloves on her hands. She wiped her mother's tears from continuously falling. The wedding dress she was wearing was a little bit heavy. It was long and thick and white as a feather. It suits her perfectly. She looked gracefully and beautiful. Her black and silky hair was fixed into a messy bridal bun. The pairs of her light blue eyes could effortlessly attract anyone. But what her relatives loved the most was her genuine and heart-warming smile. It has always been lovely and charming. While she had an elegant and graceful look, her twin sister Guen was the opposite. Guen has been the unpredictable one, straightforward and social. They have the same structure as their faces except for their eye color. Hers were light blue and Guen was deep blue. She was black-haired and her twin sister had a chestnut. Same appearance but different in styles and personalities.

"Maybe things just happen the way they are, mom. Sometimes it causes us to be unprepared and surprised. But it will be okay, it will be over soon." That's how she had expected it. The madness would be over afterwards, but she had no idea what was waiting for her on the way. It could have horrified her or surprised her.

" Thank you for always being such a good daughter for us, Gail. I'm sorry if you are experiencing this now. You look so beautiful, sweetheart. I'm so proud of you." Her mom had hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. She felt at peace and calm at the moment. Any minute from now, she'll be walking in the aisle as a bride to someone whom she has never met. She will be marrying a stranger at the early age of 23. Her parents insisted on checking her groom's background information last time. But she didn't bother to look, it might make her withdraw the decision she'd made.

"I love you mom, together with dad and Guen. It will be okay." She reassured her mother before going outside. The wedding staff informed her to prepare for the ride. It will take 5 minutes to drive before reaching the venue. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her breath was getting heavy, knowing she would be marrying too early. 'What can a twenty-three-year-old woman do in her married life?' She wanted to laugh at her thoughts. But she just couldn't, her calmed emotions began to shiver. She had just taken a different path on her journey, where there was no hint if she'd be okay or at least would survive.

"Ma'am, we need to go now." There were two wedding staff who entered the room. She nodded at them before they helped her stand up. The other person holds the tail of her wedding dress, helping her to carry the heavy weight. She was thankful her heels were only two inches, it wouldn't give her too much pressure to take steps. 'We will be fine, Gail. Believe it.' She muttered to herself before entering the limousine. Her parents had already gone to the venue, her presence would be the last one to expect. 'I didn't even manage to talk with dad.' She wished she had taken a moment to talk with him before she married. But he wasn't present earlier, maybe he was busy handling the situation at the venue. Especially the Collins and big-time business people. Another part of her knew why. It's because she wasn't the favorite one. It was her twin sister, Guen. She had barely talked to her dad since she can remember. Her mother was the only one who treated her fairly. Guen was a bit far from her, she thought before, maybe because they had different perspectives and likes. But it doesn't mean she hated them, despite the unfair treatment and experiences, she had always loved her family. There was no room for hatred in her heart. It was big enough to forgive people and loved unconditionally.

The limousine's speed had slowed down, which meant they had arrived. She couldn't see inside since it was a closed venue. There were two guards who opened the door. The other one held her to exit the car. The gloves she wears didn't help the coldness of her hands. She started to feel flustered and fazed. Two females came in her direction while she tried to calm her whole system.

"Ma'am, you will start to walk inside in a minute. Please, this way. You're doing good and looking beautiful" She smiled at them and followed afterwards. Her heart was pounding loudly as she stood still outside the door. The silence of the surroundings had made it worse. She didn't know what was waiting for her inside. Her knees were trembling and weakened, she only hoped that it would end up well. She had hoped that whoever that person she was marrying could treat her fairly one day. Those happy endings she had read in books were far from the reality she was in.

'Happy endings only happen in fairy tales, and my life isn't a fairytale at all.' The door had opened and everyone inside turned their backs to look in her direction. She gasped when the first thing she saw was a pair of green eyes staring at her intently. ' Groom'.