Married To My Replacement Groom

"Do you, Mr. Alex Smith, take Miss Amanda Wilson as your lawfully wedded wife?" Just like every other man out there about to get married under the night sky, Alex was supposed to answer that question with a huge grin on his face the moment the priest spoke those words. Maybe not in this case. I could see the man in front of me possessed a frown. I observed as he turned away from my face and looked first at the people and then at the priest."No, I don't think I am interested. I will not take Amanda as my wife. I have changed my mind." Those words came like a weapon of mass destruction.No! He claimed to love me, so this wasn't the plan. He informed me that I would take over as Mrs. Smith. He told me that he would help my father’s business bounce back. So why say such a thing and break my heart? Why break the agreement? I had to stare at his face to see if he was joking. Alas, he wasn’t! There was absolutely no passion in his eyes to communicate any information. He fixed a stern look back at me while sticking strongly by his assertions. I drifted my gaze towards the crowd, observing their faces filled with nothing but amusement. But I paid little attention to their reactions, as they held no significance to me. My attention was pushed to Alex's family, who assured me that this was going to be a seamless process. I was assured of their son's love, but there they were; the only thing they could do was widen their eyes in shock. Maybe I shouldn't push the blame on Alex; maybe it would have been better if I had blamed it on my father. He made me agree to this sh*t. He convinced me that this was the only way our family could still retain its name in society. But behold the consequences of those convincing words: I find myself in a realm where I must endure a lifetime of internet shame."I'm sorry, Amanda, but I don't see this... I don't see us working."Geez! I wanted to yell at him, shove him to the ground, or even slap him! But I can't... He's the heir to the Smiths' fortune. I would lose my life before my palm touched his face.Now, all I could do was ball my hands into fists as my manicured nails dug into my palm. Still, I couldn't feel the pain as much as the turmoil in my heart. "But… but…" Before I could process the right words, Alex let out a faint hiss and began to walk away from the altar. No! There was no shame in him when he did that. He cared less about the prying gazes on him and the irritable murmurs. After all, he had always proved to be shameless from the moment I first met him. In a matter of moments, Alex walked off the rooftop that held the wedding, leaving me to wallow in confusion."I will make her my wife if my brother is no longer interested." That sentence rang like a bell, causing the guests, including myself, to turn our attention in the direction of that voice. Sh*t! There was no way I wouldn't recognize the owner of that voice, but what the heck was he saying? Make me his wife? No! I would never agree to this! This was the same dude who had never bothered to spare me a glance, so why come up with such a ridiculous suggestion? My breathing became abnormal as my heartbeat raced like hell. Would my father agree to this? Would his family agree to this? Will I let this happen? There, I could see Jacob strolling over to the aisle with his hands shoved in his pockets. On him was a replica of Alex's white suit. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that it was all planned. Without a second thought, my gaze was averted toward my father. I had expected him to object without hesitation, only to receive the second… maybe the third biggest shock of that night. The huge grin on my father's face could only portraynothing but pure greed and selfish interest. Of course, if he couldn't get what he wanted from Alex, he would surely get it from Jacob, Alex's younger brother. Well, I refused to become a stagnant bride. I was the one facing the shame; I was the one who would decide whether to say yes to Jacob's ridiculous plan. With that thought, I let out a sigh before I blab out "No, this was not the plan. I don't want to get married to Jacob. I want Alex!" I said, only for mocking laughter to fill the air. Hell no, my words did not make him stop in his tracks; instead, he increased his pace until he finally got to the aisle, giving me more access to his scent.Did he see me as a joke? There, he stood so close to me, releasing his hot alcoholic breath on my face. Of course, this could only make the grin on his face reach his ears. Just like his brother, Jacob had no shame, he was willing to get married to a woman his brother deemed unfit. "Priest, same plan, different groom. I will continue where my brother stopped... His loss is my gain!" Just before I could object to his words, Jacob drew me closer to himself, making my face come into contact with his chest. D*mn, he smelled so good! And I hated the fact that I had to admit that fact. "Don't ruin this, Amanda. Remember your family's bankruptcy case; if you opt-out, your father can say goodbye to every penny that he possesses." Yes, I have just been threatened, but he was right. Every single word was d*mn correct. If I said no to him, how would I find another insanely wealthy family who was willing to eradicate my father's debt on the condition that I marry one of their shameless sons? Those words made me swallow my spit, as they were enough to shut my agonized heart up. I had no choice; I was given no choice in this! Good.” He simply said. He turned his gaze back to the priest and gestured to continue from where Alex had left. "Sorry, sir, but your brother has the other half of the wedding rings. We need it to complete the wedding." I'd expected those words from the priest to hurt Jacob, but no! Instead, his grin only widened as his sparkling teeth came into view. He shoved his free hand into his pocket with purpose. The next second, he took it out, only for me to be amazed by the sight of the replica of the ring Alex had used on me. "Take it. I guess it's your role to help me put it on." With much hesitation, I snatched the ring from his hand. Without having to wait for anyone to remind him, he released me from his grip and stretched his fingers out. "The ring finger, Amanda. You should put this on the ring finger." Jacob said those words while flashing his pearly whites as if he would get paid for embarrassing himself.I turned my gaze back to the crowd… back to my father. They all had ugly smiles on their faces as if everything had gone as planned. Letting out a sigh, I placed the ring on his ring finger, only for my ear to be cursed by the sound of the thunderous claps from the guests. Were they blind to what had just happened? What followed suit was the marriage vow of both parties involved, which, I must say, was the most difficult thing that I had ever brought myself to do. I can't believe I said 'I do' to Jacob; the same goes for the fact that I had to witness Jacob say 'I do' to me. "I now pronounce you husband and wife." And those were the words that I needed to hear. The moment those words echoed in my ears. I took to my heels and ran off the aisle in the same direction Alex had followed earlier, without caring who was looking

With fastened steps, I walked down the hatch. My next destination was the only place that Alex found good in his parent's house– his room. "I am no longer getting married to her. My brother took my place. Isn't that enough for you? You asked that I prove my love, and this is me proving it." Just like every other heartbreaking message, those words stepped on my heart like it was a piece of garbage. My pace slowed as I stepped toward the direction of those words. There was no way I wouldn't recognize the owner of those words. There was no way that I wouldn't be able to recognize Alex's sweet, masculine voice even amid a thousand voices. But who the heck was he saying those words to? Who the heck was precious enough to earn an 'I love you' from Alex? "But she is still in your family. If she gets married to Jacob, she will still be in your life– our life." This time, it was a feminin