The Don's Stand-In Isn't Playing Pretend Anymore

A week before the wedding, Daniel had still tried to come up with excuses for not coming home at first. But sometime later, he simply vanished.

If I were any other bride, I probably would have broken down.

But all I felt was relief. If he were back, I would have to pretend and direct my efforts into playing my part to deal with him. All I wanted now was to leave quietly.

The day before the wedding, I was packing the last of my encrypted documents into my suitcase when my best friend, Emily Barbieri, called.

"Hey, Rosalie! How's Parneyland? Was the firework show magical?" Emily asked excitedly.

I frowned and said, "Parneyland? I think you got the wrong person."

Emily fell silent for a moment before saying, "Wait, didn't you see Daniel's latest post? I'll send you a screenshot."

I tapped to open it. In front of the Parneyland castle, Daniel had his arm around a woman with straight hair. She wore a cute mouse headband while holding onto his arm tightly. Daniel looked down at her with a tender smile. He was wearing a ridiculous mouse headband too.

Daniel's eyes were full of boundless, tender love.

Scrolling down, I saw photos of them at the beach, the theater, and every single place on my bucket list. I had once begged Daniel to go to all those places with me. He either said they were too childish or that he would go with me next time.

The comments section was filled with blessings for the couple.

"What a loving couple! I didn't expect to see Don Marino wearing matching headbands with Mrs. Marino."

No one realized the woman in the photos wasn't me.

I couldn't be bothered to look at the rest of the photos.

"I didn't see them," I said impassively.

Emily panicked and tried to comfort me. "Don't be upset, Rosalie—"

"I'm not upset," I said.

Perhaps the truth I had already learned hurt far more than anything else. So, when I saw those photos, all I felt was numbness.

Right after I hung up, I heard the roar of Daniel's sports car in the driveway.

Was he back?

I barely had time to hide my suitcase away before he walked in, holding a paper bag.

He handed it to me with a bright smile. "You've been working hard these past few days. Here's a gift for you. I remember you like this."

I opened it, and inside the bag was a plush toy. Of course, it was pink.

I set it aside and asked pointedly, "Didn't you say you hated theme parks because they were noisy and childish?"

Daniel's answer came too swiftly. It was like he had rehearsed it way ahead.

He quickly said, "It's a sample from a business partner. Anyway…"

Suddenly, he trailed off and stared at my uneven short hair.

He pointed and said, "The wedding's tomorrow. Why does our place look so empty? And what happened to your hair?"

I gave him a perfunctory reply. "The weather's hot. Why are you suddenly home? Are you done with everything at the company?"

He averted his eyes diffidently and said, "Yes. The moment I took care of it all, I came back to keep you company."

I scoffed inwardly and thought, "You just remembered you have a wedding tomorrow after having the time of your life with Leah out there for a week."

"Anyway, both our families are meeting tonight to finalize the wedding details. Go get changed. We're leaving soon," Daniel said.

"You can go without me," I said, declining instinctively.

Daniel's tone was firm as he insisted. "No. My parents want to see you. The pink diamond set is ready too. Leah was kind enough to pick it up for you. You can wear it when you try on the wedding dress later."

I knew his stubbornness all too well. Refusing to comply would only cause more trouble for me. Furthermore, I was going away tomorrow. I might as well play along one last time.

When we reached the garage, I froze upon opening the car door to the passenger seat.

Crumbs and greasy snack stains covered the leather seat.

There was even a pink scrunchie wedged in the seat cushion.