The Bride He Never Chose: Married to my Dead Sister's Husband

Brianna's POV

“I’m madly madly in love with you.”

A shy smile appeared on my face but quickly disappeared when those words fully sank in. “But…but you’re Daphne's fiancé. What will people think if they find out I'm in love with my sister's—”

“So you admit you love me.” He grinned, displaying a perfect dentition that always filled me with butterflies. “I've itched to hear you say that.”

I looked down at my toes as heat rose to my cheeks. I felt that way around Nikolas even though it was wrong. There seemed to be this powerful force that nudged me towards him no matter how hard I fought.

He tipped my chin upwards so I could stare into those honey brown eyes of his. I gradually got lost in them until the smell of smoke tore me out of my fantasy.

“Shit!”

Filled with urgency, I yanked the oven open and reached for the cake only to sear my hands.

Cursing in pain, I put on mittens and drew out what was now a burnt mess.

Blistering hands and a burnt cake was a just punishment for fantasizing about my sister's fiancé on a day like this. Her engagement party.

“Quit being an idiot,” I scolded myself. Whether I liked it or not, Nikolas belonged to Daphne. The sooner I got rid of these feelings, the better for me.

But this was easier said than done. Nikolas Conti had been a household name in my family for as long as I could remember. His father and mine had been closed friends, so it wasn’t a surprise when Nikolas became bethroted to Daphne. What nobody knew was that Nikolas had been my first kiss long before this arrangement and to this day, I hadn't gotten over him.

The door swung open, cutting into my thoughts. Daphne stomped in with a frown.

Shoot. I should've been decorating the cake by now.

“I'm sorry I've taken too long. I was just about to—”

“For how long,” she said with a chilling calmness and lifted her hand when I raised my brow in confusion. That was when I saw it. A pink cover book with gold rims.

My diary!

“‘Blessed with a charm that can't be overlooked, he's just the right guy. My kind of guy. Why does he have to be with Daphne though? Why not someone else? Why not me?’ Those are your words, Brianna. You've had your eyes on Nikolas all this while.”

I opened my mouth to speak but shut them. There was absolutely no explanation to give.

“You kissed him.”

“What? No.”

“Stop lying. It's clearly written here!” She stabbed the book with her finger. Her eyes had become bloodshot.

“That was years ago. You two weren't even a thing then.” At that instant, I regretted saying those words. They only fuelled the already raging fire. I took tentative steps towards her. “Daphne…”

She held up her hand, shutting me up. “I've always known you're jealous of me. What I didn't know is that you can stoop so low to want my husband-to-be.”

I shook my head, silently saying no.

“You're nothing but a cheap hoe and I freaking hate you!”

She spun on her heels and marched out of the kitchen, banging the door behind her. I continued to stare at the door several minutes later till I eventually got myself together. I needed to find her and apologise.

Guests had fully arrived at this point; however I couldn't find Daphne. Father was nowhere in sight too which heightened my anxiety. My mind raced through a list of horrible outcomes. What if Father called me out in front of everyone? What if Daphne told Nikolas about the diary?

“Any idea where Daphne is?”

A familiar deep voice grabbed my attention. Turning around, my heart skipped. Dressed in black tuxedo with hair perfectly gelled, Nikolas looked every bit a gentleman. A mix of emotions roared inside of me: attraction, fear and nervousness. Daphne could walk up to us and that would be another horror story.

“I haven't seen her for a while now,” I managed to say. “Might be in her room or something.”

He narrowed his eyes like what I'd said made no sense. In actual fact, it didn't because I was supposed to stay close to my sister during her engagement.

“I mean…” I cleared my throat. “I could take you to her room.” This was yet another dumb statement since Nikolas knew his way there. Thankfully, he remained silent as I led him away.

I was acutely aware of my proximity with him. The fresh fragrance of his cologne and his powerful strides occupied my mind. Realising myself, I brushed the thought aside and stopped in my tracks to face him.

“Hey, uhm…I haven't gotten the chance to say congratulations. I'm sure you and Daphne will make a happy home.”

I never intended to hurt Daphne. She wasn't supposed to see that diary. Either way, it was wrong of me to nurse feelings towards Nikolas.

Nikolas didn't reply; instead, he gave me a blank look. I couldn't help but feel like a fool once again.

We barely made two steps forward before a guard came rushing towards us.

“Miss Brianna! Miss Brianna!” He bent over, breathless and shaken.

“What's wrong?”

He looked at me with tear-filled eyes. “It's your sister. She…”

“What's wrong with Daphne?” Nikolas' voice dripped with alarm. I ignored the ache in my chest.

“Miss Daphne is…” The guard’s quiet sobs interrupted him. “Miss Daphne is dead.”