Chapter 3 Deception Revealed

Caden's POV

I stormed out of the house and into my car, slamming the door shut with such force it rattled in its frame. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles whitening as I took off down the road, tires screeching against the asphalt. My mind was a swirling storm of rage, confusion, and heartbreak, each emotion battling for dominance.

The woman I had married today wasn't Clara. She wasn't the woman I'd grown up with, loved, and trusted with my life. She was someone else entirely-a stranger wearing Clara's face. How could I have been so blind? How could I not have noticed sooner?

I pressed harder on the accelerator, the car speeding recklessly through the streets. I didn't care about the consequences. Maybe I wanted the pain to stop, or maybe I was hoping the chaos on the outside could drown out the chaos inside me. My thoughts spiraled further into despair, and I barely noticed the car that suddenly veered into my lane.

I swerved violently to avoid a collision, my tires screeching as they lost traction. The car slammed into the bridge railing, the impact throwing me forward. My head collided with the steering wheel, and a sharp, searing pain shot through my skull. Blood dripped down my face, blurring my vision as I stumbled out of the car.

The world spun around me as I clutched at the side of the bridge, struggling to stay on my feet. My mind was a haze of anger and betrayal. Clara had deceived me-or was it her family? Her sister? None of it made sense. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, my hands trembling as I dialed Andrew's number.

"Caden? What's going on?" Andrew's voice was laced with concern.

"Come and get me," I managed to choke out, giving him my location before ending the call.

Next, I tried calling Clara. Her number rang several times, but there was no answer. I tried again and again until my calls went straight to voicemail. My chest tightened, and tears I'd been holding back began to spill.

How could she do this to me? After everything we'd been through together? My heart felt like it was being ripped apart, piece by piece.

Andrew arrived not long after, his car pulling up beside me with a screech. He rushed out, his eyes widening when he saw my bloodied face and disheveled state.

"Caden, what the hell happened?" he asked, helping me into his car.

I shook my head, unable to form coherent words. "It's not Clara," I whispered.

Andrew frowned. "What do you mean? Of course, it's Clara-you married her today."

"No," I said, my voice cracking. "It wasn't her. It was her sister."

Andrew stared at me, stunned. "Her sister? She has a sister?"

I nodded, recounting the small details I had noticed too late-the missing scar, the subtle differences. Andrew's shock turned to anger.

"Why didn't you stop the wedding?"

"Do you think I had a choice?" I snapped, frustration bubbling over. "My family... the guests... I couldn't just walk away."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We need to find Clara. But first, let's get you cleaned up."

Andrew drove us to his house, where he helped me inside and cleaned my wounds. Despite his best efforts to calm me down, my emotions were a volatile cocktail of anger, sadness, and confusion. I crushed the glass of water he handed me, the shards cutting into my palm.

"Caden!" Andrew exclaimed, rushing to bandage my hand. "You're falling apart."

I didn't respond. I couldn't. Instead, I grabbed a bottle of alcohol from his bar and began drinking, ignoring his protests. The burn of the liquid was nothing compared to the fire raging inside me.

Eventually, when Andrew wasn't looking, I slipped out of the house, taking his car keys. I needed to go home, to confront the stranger I had married, to demand answers.

Chloe's POV

I sat on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down my face as I tried to process the events of the day. I had never wanted any of this, but here I was, married to a man who despised me. My life had been shattered in a single day.

When Caden stormed out earlier, I had been worried. Hours passed, and he didn't return. I wandered the house, hoping to find a place to change out of my wedding dress and clean the blood from my forehead. The house was eerily silent, and every door I tried was locked-except for one.

The room I entered was beautifully decorated, the bed adorned with flowers. It was supposed to be a celebration of love, but instead, it felt like a mockery of the disaster that had unfolded. I quickly undressed and stepped into the bathroom, letting the warm water wash away the grime and blood.

When I emerged, wrapped in a towel, I froze at the sight of Caden standing there. His eyes were dark, his expression a mix of anger and something else I couldn't place.

"Clara," he said, his voice low and slurred.

I took a step back, shaking my head. "I'm not Clara-"

But he didn't seem to hear me. He moved closer, the smell of alcohol heavy on his breath. Panic surged through me as I realized he wasn't in his right mind.

"Caden, please," I begged, trying to keep my distance.

He didn't listen. His hands were on me, his lips pressing against mine. I struggled, pushing against his chest, but he was too strong. Tears streamed down my face as I pleaded for him to stop.

He didn't stop.

Hours later, I sat on the bed, my body trembling as I replayed the nightmare in my mind. Caden lay asleep beside me, oblivious to the destruction he had caused. My heart ached with a pain I had never known before.

I had lost everything-my innocence, my dignity, my sense of self. The blood on the sheets was a cruel reminder of what had happened.

Quietly, I slipped out of bed, wincing at the sharp pain between my thighs. I wrapped a towel around myself and limped to the guest room. There, I locked the door and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Desperate for comfort, I called my mother. When she answered, her voice was cold and dismissive.

"What do you want, Chloe?" she asked.

I tried to explain, but my sobs made it difficult to speak.

"Stop crying," she snapped. "You're embarrassing yourself."

Her words cut deep. I ended the call, feeling more alone than ever. My parents had never cared about me, not even now when I needed them most.

I found a gown in the closet and put it on, my hands trembling. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I hugged my knees to my chest, tears flowing freely. My mind raced with questions and regrets. How had my life come to this? What had I done to deserve this pain?

Eventually, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell into a restless sleep, haunted by memories I wished I could erase.