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On My Wedding Day, I Swapped Identities With My Sister
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On my wedding day, my sister threw a fit about wanting to wear my gown. I couldn't win against her, so I agreed to let her try it on. But when the lucky hour arrived, she refused to take it off, no ma...
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第1章
On the morning of my wedding, my sister threw a fit about wanting to wear my gown.
I couldn't win against her, so I said fine, she could try it on.
But when the time came, she wouldn't take it off no matter what.
The smile slid off my face.
"Eugenia James, the groom's party is going to be here any minute."
"Give the gown back, don't hold up the ceremony."
But the arm I reached out was stopped halfway.
Dad smoothed out the train of her dress without even turning around.
"Eugenia likes it, so let her have it."
"You two are twins anyway. Nobody can tell you apart."
Behind her, Mom carefully settled the veil on her head, then tossed the bridesmaid's dress at me without a second glance.
"It's just for show, just going through the motions. You're the one signing the marriage papers in the end, that's what matters."
Again.
For as long as I could remember, whatever Eugenia set her eyes on, I had no right to fight for.
Not the last chicken drumstick at the dinner table, not the single guaranteed spot at a top school.
I turned my back on them, my finger hovering over my fiancé Otto Henson's number.
The next second, Eugenia snatched the phone out of my hand.
She looked at me, her smile playful.
"Feel like playing a game?"
Cold crawled up from the soles of my feet.
"What do you mean?"
She pressed a fingertip to my lips.
"Besides Mom and Dad, we keep the identity swap a secret."
"I want you to see with your own eyes exactly who Otto really loves."
1.
The time had come.
Downstairs, the celebratory cannons went off, and the wedding cars rolled slowly to a stop at the door.
Otto came in through the front door in his groom's suit, smiling, surrounded by the crowd.
I looked at Eugenia and spoke slowly.
"A wedding isn't a game."
Otto had spent a full six months running around getting this ready.
Booking the best hotel, hiring the most professional photographers.
Even the gown had been hand-made to order by a master in Milan.
I couldn't ruin everything he'd worked so hard on over one fit of spite.
Seeing that I wasn't moved, Eugenia let out a scoff.
Then she pulled open the hidden zipper along the side of the gown.
She folded back the lining, showing the two large letters embroidered inside.
EJ.
Two simple letters, but they made my breath catch, my heart nearly skip a beat.
The letters were tucked away where no one would see them.
If not for her, I probably never would have thought of it in my whole life.
That my fiancé would embroider his wife's sister's name inside the gown he'd paid a fortune to have made.
Eugenia zipped it back up and shot me a glance.
"He stitched it in himself. Said it counted as fulfilling his dream of marrying me."
The noise outside grew closer and closer.
The groom's party was already at the door, ready to burst in at any moment.
Without a word, Mom yanked the clothes off my body.
She shoved that spare bridesmaid's dress onto me.
The delicate hairstyle I'd gotten done first thing that morning was already ruined beyond recognition.
"You're the older one, don't fight with your sister."
"After the wedding, I'll go apologize to my son-in-law myself."
She had always been proud, and yet for Eugenia she could stoop to this.
I lowered my eyes and answered in a hoarse voice.
"I'll change."
I wanted to see too, exactly how far Otto had gone with Eugenia behind my back, beyond the gown.
Otto's voice rang out from the other side.
"Beth James, I'm here to take you home."
Outside, the groomsmen were itching to go, pounding on the door in wave after wave.
Eugenia sat down on the bed, and I fixed her train for her.
The next second, the door broke open and the crowd came flooding into the room.
I went up with the other bridesmaids to hold them back.
The whole thing was chaos. I got squeezed in the crush, and someone took the chance to run their hands over me.
"Eugenia!"
Otto pushed through the crowd and pulled me behind him.
He swept a look over the groomsmen, cold in his eyes.
"I can't do anything about the rest, but her, you don't touch."
Someone let out a strange laugh.
"Not the bridesmaid, then the bride's fair game, right?"
They lunged at the bed and surrounded Eugenia on all sides.
I gripped Otto's arm.
"You're not going to do something about that?"
He turned his head and gave me a puzzled look.
"Why do you sound just like your sister today?"
"Relax, they know their limits, they won't cross any lines."
A moment ago, that wasn't what he'd said at all.
I bit down on my lip, and suddenly the man in front of me felt frighteningly like a stranger.
In the end it was Mom and Dad who blocked that crowd off.
They planted themselves in front of Eugenia by force and didn't let her get hurt in the slightest.
Once everything had settled.
I stood mixed in among the bridesmaids, watching Otto kneel in front of Eugenia, head bowed, carefully slipping the wedding shoes onto her feet.
When he looked up, his gaze landed straight on me.
He winked at me, and the intimacy in it left me unable to force out even a fake smile.
As he passed me, Otto pressed a red envelope into my palm.
He leaned down, his warm breath brushing the side of my neck.
"There'll be a lot of people later, so I'm giving you the ceremonial cash gift now."
"Tonight, will you finally call me your husband?"
第2章
His words pinned me where I stood.
Someone in the hall was calling out.
"Where's the groom? Come serve the tea!"
Otto turned quickly, pecked the side of my face, and answered aloud.
"Coming."
I hung back at the edge of the crowd, clutching that thick stack of envelopes.
When I opened it, inside were a hundred hundred-dollar bills and a single one-dollar bill.
The amount meant one in a million, the same premium the Hensons had given me with the ceremonial cash gift.
And now Otto had handed that exact same amount to Eugenia.
The sun outside was bright. It was summer, yet the cold soaked all the way through me.
In the hall, Mom and Dad sat in the seats of honor, satisfied smiles on their faces.
Otto passed Eugenia a cup of tea, warning her sweetly not to burn herself.
He tucked a soft cushion under her knees before he knelt down himself with the tea in his hands.
Every gesture was proper and considerate, nothing you could fault.
But watching now as an outsider, I finally saw that the way he treated me lacked the ease he had with Eugenia.
Like there was a pane of glass between us, invisible and unbreakable.
My aunt teased with a laugh.
"Eugenia really knows how to pick. Look how well this husband takes care of her."
Then she turned to look at me.
"Beth, you'd better step it up too."
I answered politely, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the proper smile on Otto's face dip a little.
"Beth's still young. There's no rush."
Everyone in the room burst out laughing.
"This new son-in-law is taking his sister-in-law's side before he's even through the door."
Dad laughed and waved it off too.
"Eugenia's the quiet type. Married off, and that's that."
"Beth's got a lively spirit. If she left the house, her mother and I would probably sit here and cry our eyes out together."
I froze in place, and suddenly I remembered the day I told them Otto had proposed.
There was no joy on their faces, no reluctance either, just flatness.
As if I hadn't said I was getting married, only that I was stepping out and would be back any minute.
"Decide the wedding details yourselves."
"Your dad and I don't have time, and we don't want to help."
Hearing the commotion, Eugenia poked her head out of her room and said she wanted to buy a new computer but couldn't make up her mind.
Dad immediately put on his reading glasses and went online to look things up.
From brand to specs, he checked every detail.
Mom took out her phone and wired her twenty thousand.
"Take this for now. Tell me if it's not enough."
I stood off to the side like a stranger who'd wandered in by accident.
Awkward and out of place.
That day I told Otto about it.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, his chin resting on the top of my head.
"They treat a fish eye like it's a pearl."
"From now on, you only have to be my pearl, mine alone."
I naively believed him.
Only now do I know there was never anyone standing behind me.
No one in the room was a fool. They all heard the favoritism running under every word.
The pitying looks landed, one after another, on Eugenia.
Across the crowd she looked at me from far off, her back very straight.
She had never been me. She had no reason to feel any shame or loss under those looks.
The firecrackers went off, and the wedding motorcade got ready to set out.
Someone caught my arm.
I looked up. It was Otto.
He steered me into the front passenger seat of the lead car, shoving aside the spot meant for my friend.
"Why are you so quiet today?"
"That's not like you."
My fingers curled slightly, and I tossed off a lie without thinking.
I even made a point of mimicking Eugenia's spoiled tone.
"My hair got messed up. I'm in a bad mood."
Otto let out a laugh. "Such a princess."
Then, with a sweep of his hand, he brought the whole motorcade to a stop.
第3章
My chest went tight, and I grabbed Otto's arm.
"What are you doing?"
He'd sent someone to fetch the bride's personal stylist.
"Redo her styling."
"Take your time, no rush. Be thorough."
Then he looked back at Eugenia, waiting in the back seat.
"Eugenia, your sister's hair is a mess. It'll ruin the photos later."
"Today's the most important day of your life. Everyone should be happy."
Favoritism, dressed up so nobly.
Eugenia said nothing. She just nodded.
But in the way she looked at me, there was a smugness, like this was exactly what she'd expected.
The stylist's hands moved through my hair while the minutes bled away one by one.
The lead car wasn't moving, so the whole motorcade behind us was stuck.
Up front, the wedding planner kept pushing.
"Mr. Henson, if we don't leave soon, the rest of the schedule falls apart."
"Miss the lucky hour and the whole day turns unlucky."
The aunts and older relatives crowded in.
"What's wrong? Is Eugenia feeling unwell?"
"Maybe she should get out first, so she doesn't hold everyone up."
Passing cars were laying on their horns too.
"How long has this road been blocked? Why is this bride so hard to collect?"
My face went a little hot, and I gripped the hem of my bridesmaid dress tight in my hand.
Something clamped over my chest like a big hand, and even breathing hurt.
So the wedding that mattered more than anything to me
was worth less than a strand of Eugenia's hair in Otto's eyes.
Mom came out of the house, saw the scene, and opened her mouth to start yelling.
Then she remembered Eugenia's instructions and shut it again, sheepish.
"What are you all doing? Hurry it up."
Half an hour later, the motorcade finally set off.
In the rearview mirror, I saw Eugenia leaning against Otto's shoulder.
Wearing my identity, today she could get close to Otto out in the open, for all to see.
The hand hanging at my side got a small scratch to the palm.
I turned around.
Otto was smiling at me.
The color drained a little from my face.
I couldn't quite stop the thought.
A little move like that. Had they done it in front of me so many times that it came this easily to him?
The car reached the venue soon after.
Otto led Eugenia out, carrying the hem of her dress in his hand.
The videographer trailed right behind them with the camera, never more than a step away, catching every sweet moment.
The planner held up the schedule and arranged everyone on the lawn.
"Next is the group photo."
"Family and friends from both sides can join."
Otto and Eugenia stood in the middle, my parents beside Eugenia, Paul and Everard beside Otto.
I got shoved to the very outer edge, standing all the way at the end.
"One, two, three, cheese!"
Everyone smiled at the camera.
That was when walls of colored smoke shot up behind everyone all at once, and a huge roar swallowed me whole in an instant.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my ears full of a ringing hum.
When I opened them, the crowd swam in front of me and I could barely stay on my feet.
When we were kids, Eugenia grabbed my favorite toy, and she and I had a huge fight.
Mom and Dad turned it around on me, said I wouldn't give way to my sister, and locked me in the storeroom where no light got in.
"That's what you get for being stubborn. The moment you apologize is the moment I let you out."
"You two look exactly the same, and you're still not as likable as your sister."
Summers were rainy, and the huge thunderclaps outside closed in around me.
In the dark where I couldn't see my own hand, I clawed at the door until my nails split.
Ever since then, I've been terrified of being close to those salute cannons.
At the worst of it, I'd even go briefly deaf.
So when we confirmed the wedding schedule, I know I told them to cancel that part.
At some point, Otto had quietly put it back.
He'd come over without my noticing, and leaned in close to my ear.
"Well? Isn't it beautiful?"
"I added it back secretly for you, risking your sister getting mad at me. Aren't you going to thank me?"
I pressed down hard on my shaking hands and bit through the tip of my tongue to keep myself clear.
Every word I got out came with the taste of blood.
"I love it……"
Over there, the photographer put the finished photo up on the big screen.
At the very edge, all that got captured of me was half an arm.
I smiled, and it was bitter.
Maybe this was better.
Maybe I was never supposed to be in this wedding at all.
第4章
The banquet began, and the guests took their seats.
Once the bride had been switched to Eugenia, my father had rushed out to buy himself a brand-new suit.
Earlier, when I'd asked him about walking me down, he'd refused without a second thought.
"I'm not embarrassing myself out there. You can walk yourself."
My mother held Eugenia's hand, the rims of her eyes ringed red.
"Thank God today's just for show. Otherwise my heart really couldn't take it."
I sat in the corner and watched it all, my face blank.
My right ear, hit by the blast earlier, still throbbed with a stinging ache.
Someone knocked at the door.
"The bride is ready to enter."
Eugenia stood, smoothed the hem of her gown, and laid her hand on my father's arm.
The doors of the banquet hall opened slowly.
I didn't so much as blink.
Watching them step onto the red carpet, moving toward Otto one step at a time.
Watching Eugenia and Otto exchange rings, kiss, cut the wedding cake.
There was a hollowness in my chest. The wind blew through it and stirred nothing, not joy, not anger, not grief.
Everything moved along in order.
Until that bouquet was placed into Eugenia's hands.
The host ran through the next part of the program.
"Now we ask the bride to toss the bouquet over her shoulder."
Eugenia lowered her head, closed her eyes, and gave it a soft sniff.
The next second her face changed completely, and she clutched Otto's arm hard.
"Otto, what flower is this?"
Otto looked at her, puzzled.
"Your favorite, gardenias. I went and picked them out with you myself."
"I—"
Eugenia had barely forced out a single syllable when she crumpled down in pain.
Red welts spread across her skin in patches, and her face went pale fast.
Her breathing came quick and loud, rasping like a bellows.
My mother's clapping hands froze, and she scrambled up onto the stage.
"What's wrong with her?"
My father dialed the emergency line, his hands shaking.
"My daughter's not well, we're at the Intercontinental Hotel!"
I ran up and kicked the bouquet away, my voice calm.
"She's allergic to gardenias."
"Everyone step back, don't crowd around, let the air move."
So much had happened today that I'd nearly forgotten about this.
My mother rose, eyes red, and slapped me full across the face.
The force of it snapped my head to the side. I could barely feel my right ear anymore.
The sounds around me began to blur, as if a glass dome had dropped over me.
"You home-wrecking little curse, did you do this on purpose?"
"She's your sister. How could you be cruel enough to want her dead?"
My father hung up, heard that, and kicked me too.
My knees gave way and I dropped in front of him.
"If anything happens to your sister, you'll pay for it with your life!"
I opened my mouth, wanting to say I didn't.
But the words rose to my lips and came out so pale, so powerless.
Below the stage, the guests erupted.
"What's going on? Wasn't the older sister the one getting married? How did it become the younger one?"
"Does the groom even know the bride was switched?"
At those words my parents suddenly remembered Otto was there.
They turned in unison.
Otto stood behind them, his lips trembling.
His gaze moved between me and Eugenia.
He was too far off, and I couldn't quite make out what he said.
I only saw the shape of his mouth asking.
"What on earth is going on here?"