The substitute bride

Chapter 2

The young Petra was sitting on the living room sofa, silently watching as her father spoke with Mr. Miller, a man she had never seen before. The words her father spoke were difficult to hear, but Petra noticed the serious expression on Mr. Miller's face and wondered what was happening.

Suddenly, Petra's father looked up and gazed at her.

— Daughter, I have great news for you, — he said. — You are about to get married.

Petra was shocked and incredulous.

Her father explained that Mr. Miller was the father of Bryan Miller, Emma's fiancé. However, due to the accident, Emma no longer wanted to marry, and Bryan needed a wife. So, he had offered Petra to become her sister’s substitute bride and marry Bryan.

Petra was outraged. How could her father be so insensitive, forcing her to marry a man she didn’t know?

She protested and tried to argue with her father, but he was not open to negotiations; he had already decided everything.

She refused to be "sold" this way and began to argue with her father.

— Why does Emma have the right to choose and I don’t? — Petra asked indignantly.

— Because Emma is already an adult; you, on the other hand, are a minor. I am responsible for you, which means I have authority over you, — he said, speaking seriously as he approached Petra. — And if I’m saying you will get married, it’s because you will. Conversation closed.

With that, Anton left, leaving his daughter there, still processing what her father had said.

Petra ran up to her room and threw herself onto the bed, beginning to cry.

— I see you already know about your fate, — Emma said, entering the room and staring at her sister, who was lying on her stomach while sobbing.

— Go away, — Petra said without looking at her sister.

Emma laughed and sat on the bed.

— Accept your fate, dear little sister; you will forever be beside a disabled man, — she said, laughing. — While I will be traveling the world, spending money, and buying everything I want. You will spend the rest of your life pushing your disabled husband in a wheelchair.

Petra could no longer stand hearing her sister's words. She got up abruptly from the bed and slapped her sister's face, the impact was so strong that it made Emma fall off the bed onto her arm.

Anton appeared in the room, and his gaze went directly to Emma, who was writhing in pain on the floor while holding her arm. He ran to his daughter and helped her up, Emma crying as she said her arm hurt a lot.

Both directed their disdainful looks at Petra, but said nothing, just left. However, Petra ended up hearing Emma say she would get her revenge.

Petra knew her sister was capable of anything, so she felt a bit frightened. But now she had bigger problems—the damned marriage.

She had recently turned seventeen and was already engaged, and if that wasn’t bad enough, she didn’t even know her fiancé. He probably didn’t even know of her existence.

Desolate with all these thoughts, Petra continued to cry as she wondered what would become of her life.

...

The sun was almost setting, and Petra walked slowly through the garden, her feet gliding gently over the stones in the path. She looked around, noticing the lush flowers and the cool breeze that blew against her face. She wondered how she could feel so much sadness in such a beautiful place. For a moment, Petra stopped and looked around, observing the vibrant flowers and the tall, imposing trees surrounding her. It was such a beautiful place, she thought, and yet, she felt so trapped there.

It was hard for Petra to think of her life without feeling a wave of despair. She was a teenager, but her life was governed by other people. Her father, especially, seemed determined to control her in every way.

Petra sighed as she thought about the subject that troubled her the most. The marriage, in which she was to be a substitute bride.

She had never seen the man in question, but she knew he was a very rich man her father had chosen for her sister, but now, due to the circumstances, he would be hers. Petra had little to say about the matter—her father was very clear that she would marry him.

— It’s as if I have no choice, — Petra murmured to herself as she looked up at the sky. — I feel so powerless.

Petra’s father had always done everything to make her feel powerless, rejected, and humiliated. Her mother died during childbirth, and since then, her father mistreated her because, according to him, she was to blame for Stella's death, the great love of his life. Since then, Anton has been unable to stand his daughter, especially since Petra looks so much like Stella, which makes him even more angry with her.

But, as Petra knew very well, there was nothing she could do. She had to accept her fate and try to make it at least bearable so that she didn't suffer more than she already was.

Petra had no idea what the future held for her, but for now, she focused on the present. The beauty of the garden and the feeling of the sun on her face helped her feel a little better.

So she stayed there for a while until she spotted her father’s car parking in front of the house. Petra sighed tiredly and began to walk towards her home; she knew the torment was about to begin, but as long as she lived there, she would have to endure it.

Thus, in the midst of so many bad things, she saw in this marriage a chance to escape the mediocre life she was leading. But she was also very scared, scared of leaving one bad place for another worse one.