_Neva’s POV_

I was never supposed to be the bride.

That was Nova’s job.

She was the pretty one. The favorite. The daughter my parents actually smiled at in photos and posted with captions like _“Our princess.”_

I was Neva. The spare. The backup plan they kept in the guest room and only remembered when they needed something.

Growing up, it was always like that.

Nova got the new dresses. I got her hand-me-downs.

Nova got “good job, baby.”

I got silence.

So when Mom grabbed my wrist in the hallway and hissed, _“You’re going to marry Austin instead,”_ I laughed.

Because obviously this was a joke.

Because obviously they wouldn’t dare drag me into Nova’s mess.

“Excuse me?” I said, yanking my arm away.

Her nails dug into my skin. “Nova ran. The wedding is in an hour. The Ardens will sue us if we back out. You look enough like her. You’ll do.”

You’ll do.

Two words that summed up my entire life.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run like Nova did.

But where would I go?

I had $40 in my bank account and a suitcase I’d packed three times this year, hoping one day I’d actually use it.

So I didn’t run.

I stood there, numb, while the makeup artist caked Nova’s dress onto me. While my own mother zipped it up without looking me in the eye.

But 30 minutes later, I was standing at the end of an aisle in my sister’s dress, staring at a man I’d only seen in business magazines.

Austin Arden.

Cold eyes. $3 billion company. And the fiancé my twin sister just ran away from.

The church was packed. Cameras. Reporters. My parents in the front row, smiling like they hadn’t just sold me.

And Austin...

He wasn’t looking at me.

Not really.

He stood at the altar in a black suit that probably cost more than my college tuition, jaw tight, hands in his pockets.

When our eyes finally met, there was nothing there. No anger. No curiosity.

Just emptiness.

Like I was a problem he had to solve.

He didn’t look at me like I was a person.

He looked at me like I was a contract he had to sign.

“Do you take this man—”

My voice shook. Not because I was scared.

Because I was furious.

This wasn’t my life.

This wasn’t my choice.

I was 22 and I was being traded to save my family’s reputation.

And yet...

“I do.”

The word tasted like ash.

The ring was cold. The vows felt like a prison sentence.

Applause broke out, but it sounded far away.

And as Austin slid the band onto my finger, he leaned in close. His breath was warm against my ear, but his voice was ice.

_“Don’t think this makes us real.”_

Good.

Because I didn’t want real either.

I just wanted out.

But as we walked back down the aisle, his arm stiff beside mine, I made a promise to myself.

Being the unwanted daughter finally had a use.

And Austin Arden was about to find out exactly how strong “spare” girls could be.

I wasn’t Nova.

And that might be the worst thing that ever happened to him.

Hi!! I’m *C. Faith* and this is my first story 😭

_A Bride For The Wrong Twin_ is about Neva, the spare daughter forced to marry her sister’s billionaire fiancé.

It’s about anger, secrets, and finding your power, able to stand for yourself.

Episode 1 is live! Please comment - I read everything 💙

The car ride was silent.

Austin drove. I stared out the window.

His driver sat up front like he was invisible.

No one spoke. Not even the radio.

Just the sound of tires on pavement and the ring on my finger digging into my skin.

Cold. Heavy. Wrong.

The Arden estate was not a house.

It was a fortress. Black gates that took a full minute to open. 20-foot walls. Cameras on every corner. Guards at the entrance who didn’t smile.

$3 billion looked a lot like loneliness.

“Welcome to your prison,” Austin said as the car stopped.

His voice was flat.

He didn’t look at me.

A maid opened the door before I could touch it. She was in her 50s, uniform pressed, eyes down. “Mrs. Arden. Your room is upstairs. I’ll show you.”

Mrs. Arden.

The name felt like a lie in my mouth. Like wearing someone else’s skin.

I followed her through marble floors so shiny I could see my reflection. Chandeliers. Art on the walls that probably cost more than my college degree.

And it was all empty. No warmth. No photos. No life.

My room was bigger than my entire apartment back home. White sheets. Cold marble. Floor-to-ceiling windows. A vanity with Nova’s initials engraved in gold.

And on the nightstand, a wedding photo.

Austin in a tux. Nova in white lace, smiling like she owned the world.

They hadn’t even taken it down.

Of course they hadn’t.

Because I wasn’t supposed to be here.

I set my one suitcase down. It looked pathetic next to the king-sized bed. One suitcase. That was everything I owned.

I was 22 and I was starting over in my sister’s bedroom.

That’s when I heard it.

Footsteps. Heavy. Coming down the hall. Slow. Deliberate.

Then a knock. One. Sharp.

Austin was in the doorway before I answered. Tie loose. Sleeves rolled up. Eyes still that same empty cold from the altar.

“You had 10 minutes to run too,” he said. No greeting. “Why didn’t you?”

I crossed my arms. “Because I’m not Nova. And I don’t have $3 billion to disappear with.”

Something flickered in his face. Surprise. Maybe respect. Maybe annoyance. I couldn’t tell with him.

“Good,” he said finally. “Then we have an agreement. You play the wife in public. Dinners. Events. Photos. I don’t touch you in private. In 6 months, we get an annulment. Clean break. No one gets hurt.”

He said it like he was reading terms and conditions.

Like I was a business deal he regretted signing.

He turned to leave, then paused in the doorway.

“There’s one rule, Neva.” His voice dropped. “Don’t go into the west wing. Ever.”

The west wing.

The part of the house with all the lights off. The windows covered. The door at the end of the hall that looked like it hadn’t been opened in years.

“Why?” I asked.

He looked over his shoulder. “Because I said so.”

And then he was gone.

As soon as his footsteps faded, I walked to the window. The west wing was across the courtyard. Dark. Silent.

Locked.

Being the unwanted daughter finally had a use.

And I was really good at finding things people told me not to.

If Austin didn’t want me in there...

That was exactly where I was going to look.

---

*AUTHOR’S NOTE:*

Episode 2 is LIVE!! 😈

Austin said "don’t go there" so obviously Neva is going there.

*Question:* What do you think is in the west wing? A secret? Another woman? Evidence?

Comment your theories! I read them all 💛

*Next Episode:* _The First Lie_