From His Puppet To His Punishment.

Tera

“How much can one love another?” Luka, Matteo’s loudest friend, queried.

“You want to know how much a person can love another?” My head was laid onto the handle of the couch with my ears closed as I heard Matteo speak up, “I married my favourite person’s most hated sister just to see her smile.”

“Woahhhh.” The entire group burst out into a frenzy of laughter and I gulped slowly.

My blood ran cold as I listened to what he had just said.

Six of his friends were present. It was supposed to be a wild night in this hotel suite where they catched up on old times but instead, they were playing a game called Dark Confessions.

I had taken a few sips of the liquor and it had gotten to my head so I bailed out of the game, aiming to relax before we're all ready to go home.

But this? This wasn't just a dark confession. It was a chandelier falling off a ceiling and breaking into freaking pieces.

His favorite person's most hated sister?

He married me. That meant only one thing, I was the most hated sister. And all that just to make his favourite smile then it was no doubt the person he truly cared about was Isadora?

My step sister?

I clenched and unclenched my fist as I contemplated standing up to face him and let them know that I was awake but that would only stop them from saying more of whatever they had to say.

There's no fun in that.

My heart felt like it had been stabbed in different places all at once at the realization that he had just married me to make Isadora happy.

What was his relationship with Isadora? Throughout the time since we got married, I had never heard him mention her.

Was it the whiskey? Did I perhaps mishear him? I bit the insides of my lips trying my best not to react but it seemed almost impossible.

“Guys, I think Aurora's awake.” One of his friends commented and I kept my eyes tightly shut trying not to react.

“She's drunk. That's the reason why I said she didn't want to be added into the game in the first place, I know my wife.. So no, she's not awake.” Matteo interjected and it was like a lump was forming in my throat making it impossible for me to breathe.

“Aurora, you heard what your husband said?” Nixie nudged me slightly probably to confirm if I was really sleeping.

I yawned as I stirred a bit still with my eyes closed but this time, even if I opened my eyes, Matteo and all his friends wouldn't notice and I could get a clearer view of Matteo.

Perhaps he's joking.

I opened my eyes slowly and there was no trace of amusement in the lines of his face, he was dead serious.

He meant every single word that had fallen out of his mouth.

“Okay, she's really sleeping.” Nixie stated and I heard them sigh.

“Some women are delusional at different points. Don't be surprised if you hear her bragging tomorrow that you married her out of love.” Luka commented and Nixie slapped his arms while I clasped my teeth without making any sound.

The betrayal, the realization that my whole life might have been a lie was weighing down on me at once and I wasn't sure how to react. Tears were brimming at the corner of my eyes but I couldn't let them fall.

My stomach twisted violently, my limbs felt frozen as my fingers dug into the couch.

“All I have to say is that it must be really nice to have sex with an actress.” Another round of laughter erupted and a tear trickled down where I laid.

“It's really nice.” Matteo concurred, touching my waist salaciously.

Of course, it is.

My lashes suddenly felt itchy but I tried to withstand the urge to scratch and unlike other times, his touch felt cold and a reminder of the evil person he is.

To think that this is the first house party I was attending with him since we got married and the first time I was meeting his friends, he really must have thought of me lowly all this while to humiliate me like this.

“Matteo, why haven't you divorced the double yet?” One of them chirped in and I felt the entire world crashing down to my feet.

I am ‘The Double’ The stand in. A mere replacement. The words circled my mind like vultures, tearing at my sanity

“Nope, the right question here is when would I divorce the double?” Matteo chuckled, turning to stare at me a bit before shrugging his shoulders.

“Soon enough, I'm already bored of her anyways. Perhaps after having a couple more fucks and I've had my fill.” He answered and that hit a nerve.

“Don't you have a son with her though?” Nixie questioned and I heard Matteo scoff. He actually scoffed.

“She'd have to know what to do with him. It's not like I wanted a child from the onset, it's really none of my business.”

I couldn't bear to hear all this trash proceed out of their mouth anymore so I stood to my feet abruptly

“Screw you, Matteo.” I grabbed a glass of wine laying on the table and poured it on him.

I blinked where I laid down wishing that even for a minute, I would have the confidence to do that. I wanted to, I should have. But instead, I just lay there, frozen, suffocating under the weight of my own silence.

I should have known that I was nothing more than a substitute, a mere placeholder.

Perhaps I was the slow one not to have realized for a while now. The way our marriage was rushed and how Matteo would always give all those fake love confessions yet was so emotionally distant.

And how did I miss the way everyone surrounding him always treated me like a temporary stand in? The way apologies were always from my tongue and never his?

“Tera…it's time to go home.” Matteo called out and I stirred a bit. I clenched my teeth keeping my eyes tightly shut as possible because it was quite obvious that if I opened up my eyes even a little bit, tears would flood out.

That would give the fact that I was listening to their little gossip away.

“Tera?” He called again, slightly nudging me this time and I twisted in my seat, yawning and pretending to continue sleeping.

“What the hell, Tera? It's time to leave.” He urged and some of his friends who were still present burst out in laughter.

“For the fact that you're still fucking her, at least, carry her to the car like a sweet little husband.” They mocked and I took a deep breath in while gripping my gown tightly trying to suppress my anger.

“Yikes.” He simply muttered and a few seconds later, I felt his arm slide around my neck as he hurled me up and began walking.

“Piero, open the door.” He instructed and Piero opened up the car door while he laid me inside of the back seat gently. Almost too gently.

Soon enough, the car was rolling away while I clutched onto my dress like it was helping me contain my anger in any way.

The effect the alcohol had on me vanished in an instant, clearing the haze as the weight of reality filled me up.

I was so fucking dumb not to have put the pieces all together! He was a smart stupid man!

My hands subconsciously went to my stomach and my heart ached anew. The emotional torture as I softly trailed lines on my stomach where new life was blooming seemed to build up.

How dare he play me like this?

Every single thing that I had lived for, that I had believed in was a lie.

I wasn't his wife, I was just a stupid replacement of the woman he truly wanted, a shadow of her.

And now the only option that kept ringing inside of my head was to run and find a way to undo this mistake.