(Not) The Billionaire’s Replacement Bride

“Mom!” called Amber’s mother again. They seemed unaware of the two little heads peeking out from behind the nearby wall.

“That’s the truth. She never really considered Bradley her husband, just a replacement husband. She only saw Bradley as a substitute for Anton, especially financially. To her, Bradley was just a walking bank account. She asked him for this and that for her needs but never appreciated Bradley the way she should have. Bradley indeed became a perfect father in the eyes of their two daughters. But not a perfect husband in her eyes. More than that, she treated Bradley like trash.

I can’t blame Bradley; love is blind. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t redirect his feelings to another woman. He was wrong, why stay in love with a woman who was already married to his own twin brother? But I can’t justify Caitlyn’s actions either. I don’t know what was going through her mind when she accepted Bradley’s proposal. Maybe she needed to feel financially secure, but if in the end she couldn’t make Bradley her husband, couldn’t love him the way she loved Anton, why did she persist this far?”

Ariana pondered from her hiding spot. Amber was in the same state. Their petite bodies seemed glued to the wall behind them. Amber hesitantly glanced at Ariana. The girl looked pale, her eyes clearly red.

“And why do my two younger siblings have to suffer like this? Why did Anton have to die because of heart failure? And now? Why does Bradley have to endure this? Meanwhile, that woman? Why is she perfectly fine? Why did she marry another man while my brother is hanging between life and death like this? How could she heartlessly leave a child to take care of an adult man who had a stroke all alone?”

“Dad…” the faint voice tried to calm them down. From a distance, they could hear the sobbing of an adult man.

Ariana remained silent in her place. Amber could only grip her friend’s arm, not knowing what to do. And since that moment, everything changed. Ariana’s world changed.

Her father often questioned Ariana’s change in attitude. They suspected it was her father’s physical condition and their financial situation that caused Ariana’s drastic change. But the reality was different. Knowing that the man she fed morning and night was not her father hurt Ariana. Not because she didn’t love him. Ariana still loved the man, even more so after discovering his true identity. But Ariana didn’t reveal the truth that she knew: the man she had regarded as her father was actually her uncle.

The secret remained a secret. Bradley was indeed her father legally, on paper, and in the family card. But he was not her biological father. Karenina and Ariana’s biological father was Antony, Bradley’s own twin brother, who had long suffered from a heart condition. It was a disease that now afflicted Ariana, something she found out when she turned eighteen.

Until now, Bradley didn’t know that Ariana was aware of the truth. But Amber’s parents knew that Ariana knew. Ariana had asked them. It was from them that Ariana learned the reasons why her biological father passed away and why Bradley chose to take his place.

And when Bradley later married Hestia, Ariana was the first person to feel happy. She played a role in bringing them together. She felt she had to repay Bradley by giving him another kind of happiness that he deserved.

But when Hestia, who they thought would never have a child, gave birth to a sibling, Ariana chose to step back. Not because she hated Bradley or Hestia. Not because she didn’t want to be a part of their family. But she didn’t want to feel alienated in the future.

Ariana felt disheartened. In her mind, she was sure that someday it would be proven that a father’s love would always weigh heavier on his biological child than on a niece. Ariana only protected herself from being hurt again, before she ‘felt’ unfairly treated. Before she ‘felt’ her parents were showing uneven affection. She chose to distance herself. She chose independence. That’s why Ariana decided not to live with her parents anymore.

Even when her first heart attack occurred, only Amber and Jody knew. Only Amber and Jody stood by her. Ariana didn’t tell Bradley, Hestia, or even her own mother. She tried to control herself to prevent a similar incident. And she held onto that control until now. Until her world, which she had believed was under her control, was shattered by a letter. A guardianship letter Bradley sent for Karenina, forcing Ariana to become a replacement bride for her own twin brother.

“I don’t want to be someone ungrateful like my mom.” Ariana’s statement brought Amber back to the present. “At least, let me repay Gerald’s love by giving him the child he has always dreamed of.” She continued with a smile on her face. “He might hate me, but he won’t hate his own child. And if, by any chance, my plan fails. If only this baby survives, he will thank me because he will realize I’m not that heartless. His hatred toward me will slowly fade away. And if I and this baby don’t survive, at least, he won’t hate himself for hating me and thinking that this baby never existed from the beginning.” She said with tears in her eyes.

“What if you survive and the baby doesn’t?” Amber asked, her voice choked.

“I don’t think that far because I’m sure both I and this baby will make it. But it has to be this way. If it’s God’s will. I’ll do my best; for the rest of my life, I’ll make sure to avoid Gerald. I won’t show my face in front of him.” Ariana answered confidently.

“Ah…” Amber reached for Ariana’s hand and held it tightly.

“You, Jody, just pray for me. That’s all I ask.” Ariana replied, her smile still on her face. “I’m sure wherever I am, I’ll take care of myself. I’m optimistic that I and this child will be fine. But again, fate is something only God knows.” She continued.

Amber could only fall silent and gaze at her friend’s face. Slowly, she took a deep breath and then nodded resignedly. Everything was back in the hands of the Creator. He was the one who determined human destiny.

“Why do you have to go through all of this, Ariana…” Amber whispered softly.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“Because I am strong. That’s why God gave me a test like this. Because if I were weak like you, God wouldn’t give me a test like this. Instead of being strong, you’d cry and wail while clawing at your pillow.” Ariana teased. Amber glanced at her, making Ariana laugh in her seat.