It's every woman's dream to marry the man she loves.
Myself included.
Today, I married the man I've loved for twelve years. The only downside…? I'm marrying him using my twin sister Jacqueline Qin's name.
Yes, I'm what you would call a substitute bride.
Although my sister and I looked almost identical, I grew up at the orphanage due to negligence at the hospital. It was only three years ago that I was finally found and returned to the Qin family home.
My name is Jasmine, a girl who grew up in an orphanage. I soon found that I was incompatible with the great Qin family.
While my twin sister is classically trained in piano, I've mastered the art of cooking and cleaning. While my twin sister eats a balanced diet prepared for her by a personal nutritionist, I scarf down fast food.
We're two girls from the same family, living vastly different lives.
Nevertheless, I have been extremely careful in every aspect since returning home, hoping to blend in with my estranged family and gain their love. So two days ago, when my parents begged me to marry Johan Ji in place of Jacqueline, I agreed in a heartbeat.
Firstly, it's because I was already secretly in love with Yohan. Secondly, it was the first time I had felt my family needed me, so I did not want to disappoint them.
It's almost midnight now, Yohan had left right after the wedding ceremony without saying a word to me. I went to our new home alone, on my wedding day. Looking at the diamond ring on my hand, I felt an indescribable bitterness in my heart.
The sound of a car engine coming from downstairs pulled me from my thoughts.
It must be Yohan, he was back! My heart skipped a beat as I walked to the mirror, hurriedly tidied up my hair, and headed downstairs to greet him.
The moment I saw Yohan enter the house, I put on a warm smile to welcome him.“Dear, you’re back…!”
Before I could finish my sentence, I smelled the scent of alcohol coming from his breath mixed with the distinctive scent of a woman's perfume…
I could not help but feel a twinge of bitterness in my heart.
Where did he go this whole time?
The answer was only too obvious.
However, I knew my place and kept my mouth shut. I was only to marry into his family on behalf of my sister for the sake of our family business. There's no love in this marriage, only a cold business transaction. When I thought of this, I forced myself to keep a smile on my face.
Despite him completely ignoring me, I still followed him upstairs to our bedroom. I gently called out his name, "Yohan?"
When I lifted my gaze, he had already taken off his shirt. Under the dim lights in the bedroom, his muscles looked even more defined. His dark hair was tousled and slightly messy, adding a certain allure to his overall appearance. Yohan is gorgeous, by any standard.
I blushed and turned away immediately, but when I was about to apologize, a powerful arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me forward.
Before I could react, my feet were lifted off the ground, and when I came back to my senses, I was already lying on the bed. Although the bed was soft, the sudden impact still shocked me and I gave a little yelp.
I looked up to see Yohan standing by the bed looking down at me. His facial expression shadowed under the moonlight, and although I could not see his face clearly, I could tell he was not happy by the iciness surrounding him.
His cold voice came from the shadows, “What did you say your name was?”
“Me?” I was flustered after hearing that question, why would he ask that? Surely he knows his own wife's name! Unless…
I swallowed, “J-Jacqueline Q-Qin…”
My name was Jasmine Qin, not Jacqueline, but I could not tell him my real name because I was the substitute bride.
Just as I replied, Yohan immediately bent down, grabbed my hair with one hand, and forced me to look at him in the eyes, “Jacqueline, is it?”
He pronounced my name syllable by syllable, and with each passing second I could feel my throat getting tighter.
I could clearly see his expression now that our faces were incredibly close. There wasn’t the slightest bit of warmth in those deep coal-black eyes of his. In fact, his eyes were so cold that it penetrated my bones and sent a shiver down my spine.
The moment he said my sister’s name, his eyes were filled with anger, and his tone was almost biting.
I could hear the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears, and my palms were getting clammy from fear of getting caught.
I tried to look away from his piercing gaze but he yanked harder on my hair and held me there. I could only nod in response, fearing my voice would betray me.
Yohan gave a cold smile, “Okay, Jacqueline. It's too bad you married me, because tonight you'll know… I'm not a good person."
I wanted to ask him what he meant, but my voice was lost when he tore my nightgown clean off my body.
I was only wearing a pair of white panties beneath, so I struggled to cover myself. He pinned both of my arms above my head and pulled my panties to the side, completely ignoring my struggles, and penetrated my very core.