A Stand-in Bride

Chapter 48

Zhan

I bite down on my lip as I stare at the text messages Yibo has been sending me all morning. I should be finalizing the model lineup for my upcoming show but I keep daydreaming about my husband. Being with him has been better than I ever could’ve dreamed of. Everything I thought I’d never have is within reach now.

It makes me wonder if my suspicions about Cheng Xiao and Yibo were true. He never seemed happy around her — not the way he is with his family. I thought it’d just been my own wishful thinking but maybe it wasn’t.

When he rejected me, I thought that was it for us. I was certain I’d never have another chance and I’d have to watch him have his happily ever after with my sister. I never thought that’d only be the start of our story.

Yibo: Do you know what the best thing is about your wife being a supermodel?

Zhan: …working out together?

Yibo: Last night’s workout definitely was intense…

Yibo: But no, that’s not the best part. It’s all the pictures of you in lingerie that I don’t even have to sneakily take.

Zhan: you do realize everyone can see those photos, right?

Yibo: damn it, Zhan. Don’t remind me of those creepy pervs that are always perving on you. The fact that you’re even thinking of them pisses me off. Seems like I didn’t fuck you hard enough last night, huh? I’ll make sure you won’t be able to think of anyone but me by the time the sun rises tomorrow.

I chuckle. I can’t help it. Yibo has always seemed so levelheaded, so watching him lose his mind over me is just… it’s oddly heartwarming. I love how he keeps posting photos of us together every time he gets pissed off about me appearing at an event with another man. He’s giving me the freedom to have my career without making me feel guilty about it, yet he’s reminding the world that I’m his in the cutest way possible.

Zhan: Pervs be perving, my love. I’m not convinced that half those accounts aren’t actually just secret fan accounts you’ve created to stalk me with, though.

Yibo: to be fair, that’s a pretty good idea. I should make a few more and drown them all out. Brb, I have something really important to do.

A soft giggle escapes my lips and I press my lips together. He’s crazy and he’s the exact same guy I once fell in love with. The one I thought I’d lost over the years.

“Xiao Zhan?”

I sit up at the sound of Cheng Xiao’s voice, my smile melting away. She walks into my office, her expression unreadable. She hasn’t sought me out since she asked me to speak to Yibo on her behalf but I should’ve known the premiere would force her to come to me. I didn’t intend for it to be but she would’ve seen it as a declaration of war. Everything is always a battle for Cheng Xiao.

“What can I do for you Xiaoxiao? Do you need a dress for an event?"

She stares at me as she sits down opposite me, her expression chilling. “Why are you acting like I only ever come to you when I need something? There’s no one here Xiao Zhan. You don’t need to pretend to be the good girl, the aggrieved sibling.”

I tense as I suppress the hurt I feel at her words. “I’m sorry, what?”

She crosses her arms. “Is that why you fucked my fiance? Because you wanted revenge for the way I’ve treated you over the years?”

“I… I…” I clear my throat and wrap my arms around myself, my heart racing.

“Why did you show up at all, Xiao Zhan? Why did you show up on my wedding day? You know as well as I do that Grandma Carmen never would’ve let your company fail, not even if Mom and Dad took away your funding. You never had anything to lose. If you’d just stayed away, they’d have had no choice but to reschedule the wedding. Why did you do this to me?”

I look away, unsure of what to say. I knew we’d have to have this conversation eventually and I’ve gone over it in my head so many times… but now that I need them the most, I can’t find the words I need.

“You know as well as I do that Yibo values duty and loyalty above everything else. Do you think he’s suddenly in love with you? So quickly? After the years he spent with me? Or do you think he’s making the best of a tough situation and getting laid while he’s at it? You’re his wife now, so he feels he needs to make you happy, no matter what that means for his own happiness. He’ll pretend till the very bitter end if it makes his family happy — which, in his mind, now includes you.”

She chuckles. “Do you know why we grew apart, Xiao Zhan? It’s because I’ve always seen the way you looked at Yibo. What kind of woman would lust after her sister’s fiance the way you did? It always disgusted me. Did you know Yibo and I used to joke about your little crush on him? He used to think it was childish but cute. He never once even saw you as a woman. But let me guess… you wore him down by seducing him?”

My thoughts turn to the various outfits I wore around the house in an attempt to make him notice me, the things I said and did.

“Cheng Xiao,” I murmur, my voice soft. “What do you want? What does it all matter? I’m married to Yibo now.”

She smiles at me and lifts her hand to her chest, twirling around the ring on her ring finger. My blood runs cold when I recognize the ring she’s wearing. It’s her original wedding ring. The one Yibo put on my finger the day we got married.

“Not for long,” she tells me. “You might be the one he’s married to now but once his duty to you is over, he’ll come straight back to me. I will always be the one he truly wants, the one he wishes walked down that aisle. And you, my darling sister? You’ll always be my replacement, the one he was forced to settle for. You chased after him knowing exactly what kind of damage you’d cause but you failed to account for the damage it’ll cause you in the end. No matter what you do, you will never be me, Xiao Zhan. Not only will you eventually lose Yibo… you lost me too. I hope your marriage to him is worth it because it’ll cost you everything.”

I bite down on my lip in an effort to control my emotions. “Where did you get that ring?”

She grins. “Like I said… I will always be the one he wants. He’ll never let you have anything that’s mine. Not for long anyway.”

“Yibo gave it to you?”

She nods. “He did. I told him I wanted my ring back, so he said he’d get you a new one. We spent so much time picking our rings out together… I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for him to see it on your finger. I didn’t think he’d give it to me so easily, you know? I thought he’d be angry and spiteful, but he’s just the same Yibo I’ve always known and loved. He’d never deny me anything, even if he has to take it away from his supposed wife. But then again… you already know that, don’t you? You know better than anyone else that he loves me with all he’s got. After a love like that, how much could possibly be left? How could anyone else ever measure up?”

She rises to her feet and throws me a hard look. “I will never forgive you for what you did, Xiao Zhan. You might think things are going well with Yibo and that you made the right choice in doing what you did… but mark my words. You’ll regret marrying him one day and he will come back to me. He always does.”

I bite down on my lip harshly as she walks out of my office, leaving her venom sinking deep into my soul, poisoning every shred of hope I’ve held onto.