Chapter 5 The Wedding

Mom's surgery went perfectly.

I sat in the waiting room for six hours Wednesday, watching the clock, my phone clutched in my hand. When the doctor finally came out and said the words "successful" and "good prognosis," I broke down crying in the middle of the hospital corridor.

She'd live. My mother would live.

Everything I was about to do was worth it.

Thursday passed in a blur. Adrian sent a stylist to my apartment with dresses to choose from for the wedding. I picked a simple cream dress that fell just below my knee. Not a wedding dress, but nice enough for a courthouse ceremony.

The stylist also brought me a small velvet box.

Inside was a ring.

Not just any ring. A platinum band with a diamond so large it looked fake. But I knew it wasn't. This was real, expensive, and terrifying.

"Mr. Wolfe wanted you to have it today," the stylist said. "So you could get used to wearing it."

I slipped it on my finger. It fit perfectly.

Of course it did. Adrian would have made sure of that.

I stared at the ring all night, watching it catch the light, feeling the weight of it. This was happening. Tomorrow, I'd be married.

Tomorrow, I'd be Emma Wolfe.

Friday morning came with gray skies and rain.

The car picked me up at ten. I wore the cream dress, simple heels, and had my hair loose around my shoulders. The stylist had wanted to do something elaborate, but I'd refused. This wasn't a real wedding. I didn't need to look like a bride.

But when I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself.

The dress fit perfectly. My hair shone. The ring caught the light.

I looked like someone who belonged in Adrian's world.

The thought made me nauseous.

Margaret was waiting at the courthouse when I arrived. She pulled me into a hug that smelled like lavender and comfort.

"You look beautiful, dear," she said. "Mr. Wolfe is inside with Lily."

"Lily's here?" My heart jumped. "Does she know?"

"She knows Daddy is getting married. She's very excited." Margaret squeezed my hand. "She asked if you'd be her new mommy. Mr. Wolfe said only if you wanted to be."

Tears pricked my eyes. "What did she say?"

"She said she hopes you want to be."

Oh God. This little girl was going to break my heart.

Margaret led me inside. The courthouse was old, with marble floors and high ceilings. We went to a small room on the second floor. A judge's chamber, I realized.

Adrian stood by the window, wearing a dark suit that made him look like he'd stepped out of a magazine. When he turned and saw me, something flickered in his eyes. Surprise, maybe. Or appreciation.

"Emma," he said. "You look" He stopped, clearing his throat. "Beautiful."

"Thank you." I felt awkward, exposed. "Where's Lily?"

"Here!" A small voice called out.

Lily appeared from behind a chair, wearing a pink dress with flowers and a tiny tiara. She ran to me, and I caught her in a hug.

"You're so pretty!" Lily exclaimed. "Are you a princess now?"

"Not quite," I said, laughing through the emotion clogging my throat.

"But you're marrying Daddy. That makes you a princess." She said it with such certainty that I couldn't argue.

Adrian watched us with an unreadable expression. Then he cleared his throat.

"There's someone else here," he said carefully. "I should have warned you, but"

The door opened.

A woman walked in, fifties, elegant in a navy suit. She had Sophia's eyes. Behind her came a man, tall and stern-faced.

"Emma," Adrian said tensely, "these are Sophia's parents. Katherine and Robert Hartley."

The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.

Katherine's eyes locked on me, and her face went white. "How dare you."

"Katherine" Adrian started.

"How dare you bring this this imposter here!" Katherine's voice shook with fury. "She looks exactly like my daughter. What kind of sick game are you playing, Adrian?"

Robert put a hand on his wife's shoulder, but his eyes were cold as ice. "We're here as requested, per the custody agreement. But this" He gestured at me. "This is unconscionable."

I stood frozen, Lily still holding my hand.

"I understand you're upset," Adrian said, his voice hard. "But Emma is who I'm marrying. You don't have to approve. You just have to witness it."

"We'll be sure to tell the judge about this," Robert said. "About how you found someone who looks identical to our dead daughter. How you're using this poor woman to replace Sophia."

"That's not what this is," I said, finding my voice.

Katherine's gaze swung to me. "You have no idea what you've walked into, girl. He killed my daughter. And now he's parading you around in her face. How much is he paying you?"

The accuracy of the accusation made me flinch.

"That's enough," Adrian said coldly. "The judge is ready. Let's get this over with."

Lily tugged my hand, her face worried. "Emma? Are you okay?"

I knelt down to her level, ignoring everyone else. "I'm fine, sweetheart. Are you ready to see your daddy get married?"

She nodded, but her eyes were uncertain.

We filed into the judge's chamber. It was small, intimate, with just enough room for the seven of us me, Adrian, Lily, the Hartleys, the judge, and Richard the lawyer as witness.

Judge Martinez was a kind-looking woman in her sixties. She smiled at Lily, then looked between Adrian and me.

"This is an unusual situation," she said carefully. "But I understand time is of the essence. Shall we begin?"

Adrian nodded. I did too, though my hands were shaking.

The judge opened her book. "We are gathered here today to join Adrian Wolfe and Emma Carter in matrimony."

The words felt surreal. Like I was watching this happen to someone else.

"Marriage is a sacred commitment," Judge Martinez continued. "Built on trust, respect, and love. Do you enter into this union freely and without reservation?"

I felt Katherine's eyes burning into my back.

"I do," Adrian said firmly.

Everyone looked at me.

"I do," I whispered.

Lily squeezed my hand.

"Do you, Adrian Wolfe, take Emma Carter to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And do you, Emma Carter, take Adrian Wolfe to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

The vows were lies. We both knew it. This would last a year, not a lifetime.

But I looked at Lily's hopeful face and heard myself say, "I do."

"The rings, please."

Adrian pulled out a matching platinum band. His hand was steady as he slipped it on my finger, next to the engagement ring.

I took his ring from Richard with trembling fingers. Adrian's hand was warm, solid, real. I slid the ring on, and it felt like sealing both our fates.

"By the power vested in me by the state," Judge Martinez said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." She smiled. "You may kiss the bride."

Panic shot through me. We hadn't discussed this part.

Adrian stepped closer, his eyes searching mine. "It's just for show," he murmured, low enough that only I could hear.

Then he cupped my face gently and kissed me.

It was soft, brief, appropriate for a courthouse wedding. But the touch of his lips against mine sent electricity through my whole body. When he pulled back, I saw my own surprise reflected in his eyes.

That wasn't supposed to feel like anything.

But it did.

"Congratulations," Judge Martinez said warmly.

Lily clapped, jumping up and down. "You're married! You're married!"

Katherine made a sound of disgust and walked out. Robert followed, pausing at the door.

"You haven't won, Adrian," he said quietly. "We'll see you in court."

Then they were gone.

The room felt lighter without them, but the tension remained.

"I'm sorry about that," Adrian said to me. "I thought they'd behave."

"It's fine." My lips still tingled from the kiss. "They hate you. I get it."

"They hate me," he agreed. "But they'll hate this marriage more. Which is exactly what I need them to do."

Right. This was strategy. Not real.

I needed to remember that.

Lily pulled on my dress. "Can I call you Mommy now?"

My heart stopped. I looked at Adrian helplessly.

He knelt down. "Princess, Emma is my wife now. But that doesn't mean she has to be your mommy. That's up to Emma. And it's up to you. Okay?"

"What do you want me to call you?" Lily asked me seriously.

I knelt too, so we were eye to eye. "How about you call me Emma for now? And if you ever want to call me something else, you can. But no pressure. Okay?"

Lily thought about it. Then she threw her arms around my neck. "Okay, Emma. I'm glad you married Daddy."

I hugged her back, breathing in her little-girl smell of shampoo and strawberries.

When I looked up, Adrian was watching us with an expression so raw it hurt to see.

We were all broken people, trying to fix each other.

And I had no idea if it would work, or if we'd just break each other more.

After the ceremony, Adrian drove us back to the estate. Lily chattered the whole way, asking a million questions about weddings and princesses and whether we'd have cake.

"We'll have cake tonight," Adrian promised. "Margaret made something special."

"Yay!" Lily cheered.

I stared out the window, the rings heavy on my finger.

I was married.

To a man I barely knew.

Who kissed me like it meant something, even though it couldn't.

"Your things were moved to the house this morning," Adrian said, glancing at me. "I had your apartment packed professionally. Everything will be in your room."

"My room?" I'd assumed we'd share, for appearances.

"Across the hall from mine," he said. "Separate rooms. That was the deal."

Right. Professional.

"Lily's room is next to yours," he added. "In case she needs anything at night."

So I'd be sandwiched between them. Close enough to play the part, far enough to maintain the lie.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Emma." He waited until I looked at him. "I know this isn't what you imagined for your wedding day. But I'm grateful. Truly."

His sincerity caught me off guard. "I didn't do it for you."

"I know. You did it for your mother. And for Lily." He pulled through the gates. "But that doesn't change the fact that you saved us today. So thank you."

Before I could respond, Lily unbuckled and climbed into my lap, pointing excitedly at the house.

"Look! Margaret put up decorations!"

Sure enough, white ribbons and flowers decorated the entrance. Margaret stood on the steps, beaming.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Wolfe," she called out.

Mrs. Wolfe.

That was me now.

I stepped out of the car, Lily's hand in mine, Adrian's ring on my finger, and crossed the threshold into my new life.

Behind me, thunder rumbled.

The storm was just beginning.