Judith

The door of the car was slammed shut behind me with a heavy thud locking me in the backseat with my ‘husband’

The leather seat beneath me was smooth and cold, and the faint smell of expensive leather mixed with the sharp scent of tobacco clung to the air making the atmosphere depressive. The interior of the car was silent except for the low hum of the engine, a silence so thick it pressed against my chest, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

I sat stiffly, clutching the bouquet that was already wilting in my hands. My fingers dug into the stems until they ached. I kept my eyes on the tinted glass window, watching the streetlights flash past.

“We need to consummate the marriage if not it wouldn’t be real. We wouldn’t want that,”

Domenico’s words to his uncles echoed in my ears, taunting me.

I hadn’t thought that far.

When Janet asked me to take her place, I thought of the dress. The ceremony. The “I do.” But I hadn’t let my mind wander beyond the church doors. I also focused more of what I stand to benefit from pretending to be my sister. Every time I ever did it when we were younger, I suffered, so hearing that I would finally gain something good from it, I foolishly pounced on the opportunity.

But being Janet didn’t end at the altar. Being her meant living her life, speaking like her, and worst of all, sharing a bed with a man I don’t know. A man that had the aura of danger clinging to him like a second skin.

A chill rippled over my skin at the thought of letting this man touch me.

I heard the click of a lighter and glanced at him. Domenico leaned back against the leather seat, relaxed but powerful, like a king on his throne.

The lighter flared before it dimmed to the red glow of his cigarette. Smoke filled the car quickly, thick and heavy.

I tried to hold it in, but the burn clawed down my throat. A cough slipped out before I could stop it.

He turned his head toward me. Slowly and those cold eyes fixed on me.

And then he smiled. It wasn’t kind or soft. It was cruel. Amusement curved his mouth, as though my choking entertained him. He leaned back, exhaling another stream of smoke, not away from me, but into the space between us, filling the air until it clung to my skin, my hair, my lungs.

I pressed myself against the door, my fingers tightening around the bouquet. A part of me wanted to snap at him, to demand he stop, to tell him I wasn’t some doll he could choke with smoke to entertain himself.

That’s what Janet would do. Janet was bold, she was wild and audacious. Janet knew how to twist men around her little finger, how to laugh in their faces when they thought they had power.

But I wasn’t Janet. And I doubt if even she could remain bold in front of a man like this. So I stayed quiet.

The silence thickened. The only sound was the faint crackle of burning tobacco, the low purr of the engine, and my own heart hammering against my ribs.

My mind spun back to Janet. The last time I had seen her, she was trembling, tears streaking her mascara as she grabbed my hands. She had begged me, pleaded until my resolve cracked.

“Please, Judith. Just this one last time. You have to help me. Please…”

For a moment, I wanted to believe her pregnancy was just another lie, another trick to escape her mistakes. But I had seen her stomach, the small round bump that couldn’t be hidden once her clothes were off. She wasn’t lying this time.

I swallowed hard, glancing again at the man beside me.

Who was he, really? How had Janet met him? What had she gotten herself into? What had she thrown me into? Because I now for sure with the little of what has happened today that she lied about how her relationship with Domenico was. What had Janet really been running away from?

The car slowed and rolled to a stop. Domenico moved first. He opened his door and stepped out without a word, his movements swift and controlled. He didn’t wait for me. Didn’t even spare a glance back.

I cursed under my breath, shoving at the heavy fabric of the gown as I tried to gather it up. The skirts tangled around my legs as I climbed out awkwardly. The cool air hit me, clearing my smoke-burned lungs. I gasped quietly, but there was no relief.

I raised my head to stare at the house, the mansion I’d be spending the next year in with Domenico and suddenly, the future did not look so bright anymore.

By the time I reached the door, struggling with the white dress, he was already gone.

The door opened, and a maid stood waiting. She was slim, middle-aged, with sharp brown eyes that cut into me. Her gaze traveled down from my veil-less hair to the wrinkled folds of my gown, and her mouth curved into a smirk that wasn’t friendly at all.

She lifted her chin in the air and coldly said, “This way, signora,” Her tone dripped with something bitter. It sounded a lot like mockery. I’d know this because I have spent my whole life hearing it when people compared me and Janet.

I followed her up the wide staircase, each step heavy, echoing in the still halls. Paintings of stern-faced men stared down at me from the walls, It felt like walking into a mausoleum.

The maid opened a large door at the end of the hall. “Your room,” she said, and then left without another word.

I stared after her until she disappeared into a corner before I finally stepped inside the room.

The bedroom was grand, larger than any room I had ever been in. A king-sized bed sat in the middle, draped in dark sheets. Heavy curtains covered the windows. A chandelier hung above, its crystals glittering faintly in the dim light.

And Domenico wasn’t there. Relief washed through me so fast my knees almost gave out.

I stripped out of the gown, piece by piece, until the suffocating layers lay pooled on the floor. My body felt lighter, freer, though my heart was still heavy. In the bathroom, I scrubbed my skin until it turned pink, until the smell of roses and smoke wer gone.

When I returned, I checked the closet to see that Janet’s stuff was arranged there. It was the only sign that she had lived here. I picked up her pajamas and put it on.

When I was done I collapsed onto the bed. The sheets were cool against my skin, but exhaustion weighed me down.

Just a week ago I was living in a rundown one bedroom apartment and eating cold pizza and leftovers just before Janet showed up, a trembling mess of tears and snort. Two days ago, my parents died in a car accident. Yesterday, I buried them alone after Janet disappeared on me.

Today, I had married a man I had never met, in my sister’s name, while pretending to be her.

The weight of it all crashed over me, crushing me flat. My limbs ached, my chest hurt, my head was pounding. I closed my eyes, and soon, darkness beckoned to me and I willingly accepted, clutching its hand desperately and letting it pull me down.

**

When I finally blinked myself awake, confusion weighed me down, my head thick with fog and disorientation. The bed I was lying on was not the strong one I’ve grown accustomed to in years of lying on it and the ceiling very unfamiliar. But before I could panic, everything flashed back into my mind and just like that, my peace was ruined again as my thought became consumed with the suffocating feeling of dread.

I slowly sat up, the covers falling off my body to pool at my waist. The chandelier was off and darkness filled every corner of the room. Only a single lamp glowed faintly, its light dim and golden and the room was filled with smoke and the scent of tobacco.

In the far corner, a shadow sat slouched on the sofa. My heart jolted painfully, a silent scream caught in my throat until I blinked again and realized who it was

Domenico.

His jacket was gone. His shirt hung open at the collar, exposing the lean lines of his chest. Only his trousers remained. A cigarette burned between his fingers, the smoke curling lazily into the air.

And he was watching me.

His blue eyes glowed in the shadows, sharp and unblinking. His stare pinned me to the bed, steady and relentless, like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike.

Fear coiled tight in my chest. My pulse thundered in my ears. My mouth went dry.

But worse than the fear was the heat that stirred low inside me. Against my will, my body reacted to the danger, to the coldness and darkness in his eyes, I hated it. I hated myself for it. This was Janet’s husband, I shouldn’t have such feelings for him. Shame licked at me as my breath quickened, my body betraying me. And then his voice cut through the silence.

“Time to consummate the marriage.”