Paper Promise: The Substitute Bride - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

I went out of my way to be the perfect hostess. I distributed smiles to everyone, showing kindness even to James’ inconvenient secretary. However, Annie remained absent, invisible among those present.
A deep intuition whispered in my heart that she had sought refuge in the gardens. Following this feeling, I went outside the mansion.
The evening breeze was cool; it was the end of summer, and it was then that I spotted her, a silhouette of a woman standing on the edge of the ancient fountain.
“There’s nothing left for me... There’s nothing left,” she whispered to the wind, as a solitary tear ran down her cheek.
My heart raced as I saw her about jumping.
“Annie, no!”
My voice cut through the darkness, making Annie turn around, startled. She looked at me with hatred and shame.
“Why are you here?” Annie said in a choked voice, taking a step back from the narrow edge. “What do you want from me? To humiliate me? Tell me you won? Tell me you’re James’ only wife?”
I raised my hands in a gesture of peace, keeping enough distance so as not to frighten her.
“It’s not a competition, Annie. It never has been. And being married to James isn’t a prize.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Her voice broke my soul. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. The way everyone looks at you.”
I was as scared as she was, but I couldn’t say a single wrong word. I had to stay calm.
“I don’t want to hurt you, I want to talk,” I replied, taking a careful step towards him. “Please, just get out of there.”
Annie laughed bitterly, her watery eyes shining in the moonlight. She shook her head, incredulity in her gaze.
“What do you want to talk about? About a love that consumes me? Or about a dream I’ve been chasing for years?” Her voice faltered. “Or maybe you just want to be the heroine of the night?”
I swallowed the quick answer that threatened to come out.
“I’m not trying to be a hero, Annie. I’m trying to stop you from making a mistake for which there’s no return.”
She stared at the dark water below. It was a deep well.
“James... he never chose me.” She suddenly faced me, demanding honesty. “Be honest. Will he never choose me?”
I took a deep breath, feeling a familiar ache run through my chest. I could lie, say what she wanted to hear, but that would only prolong her suffering.
“Come down, please.”
“Laura, why do you care about me? I should be your enemy.”
She studied my face as she waited for an answer.
“Because I’ve been where you are. I’ve also wanted to jump,” I admitted, letting my vulnerability show. “James has never known what it’s like to love. He destroys everything he touches... including me. But I survived. And so will you.”
Annie shook her head, her shoulders shaking with tears. Her mask of composure crumbling completely.
“You don’t understand. I’m not strong...”
“Yes, you are strong.”
“You’re wrong about me,” Annie insisted, but her voice had less conviction. “I tried to hate you, you know.”
A brief smile appeared on my lips.
“Look at you, Annie. You loved someone who never appreciated you. That’s not weakness. It’s courage.” I took another cautious step. “But continuing to give him the power to destroy you... that would be weakness. Don’t let him win.”
Annie hesitated, her feet slipping slightly on the edge of the fountain. A small sound of panic escaped her throat.
“What would be left for me?” she asked, almost to herself. “Who would I be without this love?”
“Someone free. Someone who can discover who they really are without the shadow of a selfish man overshadowing everything.”
I held out my hand.
“Please, Annie. Give me your hand. If you jump, he’ll win. He always wins. Not on his own merits, but because we let him.”
Annie stood motionless, her eyes alternating between my outstretched hand and the darkness below.
“What if...” she began, her voice just a whisper, “what if I don’t know how to live without this pain? It’s all I’ve known for so long.”
“Then we’ll learn together. I promised. But if you leave here with me, you’ll prove that he’ll never have control over you again.”
Annie’s eyes filled with tears. She looked at my hand and, with a deep sob, asked.
“Why would you do that for me? After everything...”
“Because no one was there when I needed them,” I replied simply. “And because you deserve more than that.”
With trembling fingers, Annie finally reached out and gave in.
I pulled her tight, wrapping her in a tight hug as she collapsed in tears on my shoulder.
“I... I just wanted to be enough for him...” Annie whispered between sobs.
“You’ve always been more than enough,” I replied softly. “He who has never lived up to your love. Or anyone else’s.”
I held her for a long time, feeling her breathing gradually normalize.
“Come around the back with me,” I finally suggested. “I’ll take you to my room, away from prying eyes.”
Annie nodded, too exhausted to speak, but her gaze conveyed gratitude as we walked together back to the mansion.
As soon as we approached the entrance, the senator suddenly appeared in front of us. Annie threw herself into his arms without hesitation. He gently draped an elegant coat over her shoulders and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
“Laura, I have no words to express my gratitude for what you did for my daughter tonight. I’ll never forget it,” he said, his voice tinged with emotion.
“Daughter?” I repeated, surprised.
Then, I saw how alike they looked—their eyes, faces, even their frowns were the same. How could I not have noticed it before?
“Come along, dear,” her mother approached quietly. “The driver is waiting.”
Her mother looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“Thank you.”
I felt the anger growing inside me like a storm, more and more intense. How could James play with people’s lives like that?
He was manipulating innocent people, including the daughter of a senator, revealing a calculating coldness that I would never have imagined I would find in anyone. Indignation boiled in my chest at the arrogance of a man who thought he had the right to use others as mere cogs in his perverse game.