Paper Promise: The Substitute Bride - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

My stepmother called me saying she needed to speak to me urgently. Her only pressing matters were money or Molly, my stepsister.
When I entered the coffee shop, I saw her sitting at the back table. She was impeccably dressed in a navy blue dress that highlighted her elegant figure. The smile on her lips was refined and discreet.
“Laura, my dear, you look great. Marriage really does work miracles, doesn’t it?”
Eva began, with that honeyed tone that I recognized as the prelude to something disturbing.
“Eva. Why did you ask me to come here, to this place far from home?”
Eva raised her eyebrows, feigning surprise.
“I wanted to talk to you away from your father. You know he has a weak heart.”
“I don’t have much time.”
“But okay, I’ll get straight to the point. I’m in a delicate situation, my dear. Some unexpected bills, an investment opportunity I can’t miss… You understand, don’t you? After all, who doesn’t want a better future?”
I narrowed my eyes. “And what’s that to me?”
Eva smiled, leaning forward.
“You’re married to a powerful and financially comfortable man. I thought it might be a good time to show him that you can contribute to the family business, too. Perhaps a discreet request for money to help with my situation?”
I felt my stomach churn. “You want me to ask James for money? Is that it?”
“Exactly! He would never say no to you if he knew how to ask. We women have our tricks.”
Eva gave a wicked smile. “And speaking of which, dear, you should think about getting pregnant soon. Nothing binds a man more than an heir. And honestly, he’s over thirty.”
My face burned with anger and humiliation. “You must know that well.”
“Oh, but it is, dear. I’m only thinking about your well-being.”
Eva paused, watching my reaction. Then, with a darker expression, she added. “And I know things between you and James aren’t exactly perfect. Or should I say... I know you slept in the guest room on your wedding night.”
I felt the ground shift beneath my feet. “How do you know that?”
Eva gave me a victorious smile.
“I have my ways. Don’t think you can fool me, Laura. James is no fool, and you should take advantage of the position you have while you can. If you keep this up, you’ll end up like your mother: alone and with nothing.”
The mention of my mother was the breaking point. I stood up suddenly, the chair scraping against the floor with a sharp sound.
“If you think you can manipulate me like you manipulated my father, you’re very wrong. You’ve spent all the inheritance my mother left me on trips and a luxurious life for Molly. I’m not going to ask him for anything.”
Eva didn’t lose her poise, but the glint in her eyes betrayed her frustration.
“You’re more naïve than I thought, Laura,” Eva said, her eyes shining with restrained contempt.
I felt my anger rising.
“If you wanted to get your hands on the Reynolds fortune so badly, why didn’t you force Molly to marry him? She could definitely manipulate him much better than I could.”
A cruel smile crossed her painted lips.
“Of course I wanted Molly to marry him, not you. But who would have thought that girl would run away just the day before the wedding?”
“Has she heard anything?” I asked, feeling a mix of concern and curiosity.
“She’s in Paris,” Eva replied, as if she were talking about something as trivial as the weather.
My voice was thick with disbelief. “Is the money for her? I married her instead of avoiding a scandal! Unbelievable.”
Eva leaned forward, her eyes scrutinizing me like a predator. “Molly has always been the problem, child. You’ve always been the more... controllable one.”
The word “controllable” hung in the air like an insult, heavy and venomous.
“No. Molly has always been your real daughter, and I’m the daughter of my father’s first wife.”
“But don’t worry. In the end, we all need someone. And when you need me, I remember this conversation.”
My voice trembled, heavy with years of accumulated hurt.
“I needed you my entire childhood.”
The words came out as a whisper of pain, revealing years of abandonment and neglect. Eva didn’t answer - she didn’t need to. Her silence was more eloquent than any words.
I picked up my purse, feeling the weight not only of the object, but of all the family history that had brought me there. An almost mechanical gesture: I took a $20 bill and placed it on the table, paying for the coffee as if paying for years of unresolved emotional debts.
I left without looking back.