The Wrong Bride: Ares and Raven’s Story (The Windsors)

I can feel Raven’s gaze on me as I carry her into the living room, but I don’t know how to face her. If not for me, she wouldn’t be in this situation. I should’ve tried harder to convince Hannah. I should’ve gone after her when I was notified that she left the country. Instead, I sat back and watched our lives go up in flames, making Raven pay the ultimate price.

“I need a drink,” I tell Raven the moment I put her down. I turn away from her and walk toward my liquor cabinet, pouring myself a whiskey neat.

“Make that two,” she says as she sits down on the sofa.

Her hands tremble as she takes the glass from me, and I tear my gaze away, throwing my drink back before instantly refilling it. For some reason, I’m reminded of the way I kissed her today, the way she kissed me back.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her as I sit down opposite her, a safe distance away from her. She looks so beautiful tonight, in that wedding dress she was never meant to wear.

“For what?”

I force myself to look her in the eye and take a deep breath. She’s my wife now, but what does that mean for us?

“For kissing you.”

Raven leans back against the sofa and takes another sip of her drink. “I would’ve been embarrassed if you hadn’t. Not that many people knew about Hannah and you, and the few who do are tied to an NDA. Most of our guests assumed our wedding was real, and thankfully, we’ve been able to make it look real too.”

I nod at her, unsure of what to say. It’s never been awkward between Raven and me. We’ve always been comfortable with each other, even when we’re sitting together in silence. Somehow, everything feels different now. We both lost a lot today, and I’m starting to fear that in some ways, we lost each other too.

“We should probably talk about… us,” I say.

Raven tenses, her spine straightening. “Yes. We should.”

I run a hand through my hair and stare up at the ceiling for a moment. “I’m sorry it came to this, Raven. The thought of me being the reason you don’t get to live the life you envisioned for yourself, fuck. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Ares.” Her voice is soft but firm, and I sit up straight to face her. “This isn’t your fault. I admit that I also didn’t think Hannah truly wouldn’t show up, but it’s done now. We’re married.”

Married. Fuck. This is a complete fucking shitshow. How the fuck did I end up married to my fiancee’s younger sister? What the fuck? I take a calming breath before tipping my drink back. I need some fucking liquid courage for this shit.

“Raven, I want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you. All I ask is that we make it look like we’re giving our marriage an honest chance — in Grandma’s eyes, at least.”

“In Grandma’s eyes,” she repeats, her gaze roaming over my face. “What does that mean?”

I pull my bowtie loose and unbutton the top button on my shirt. “It means we only have to fake it in her presence. So long as she thinks we’re trying our best to be together, she’ll leave us alone. I’m the first of my siblings to get married, so I’m not entirely sure what to expect either, but I know my grandmother. If she thinks we aren’t trying, she’ll come up with all kinds of schemes, and we can’t have that. You only know Grandma as the sweet old lady she pretends to be in front of you, but she’s hard to deal with. I love her, but she can be a true nightmare.”

Raven rises to her feet, looking like a complete vision in her white wedding dress. All day I’ve tried my hardest not to stare at her, but it’s impossible to resist. She looks stunning, and the deep V at the front of her dress showcases her cleavage beautifully. It feels inappropriate to look at her a second too long, but I struggle to tear my gaze away. It’s strange that this beautiful woman is now my wife.

“So you want to pretend we’re making our marriage work, and what will you be doing in the meantime?”

She walks up to me and rests her knee on the sofa, between my legs. Then she leans in and places her hands on my shoulders. It takes all of me to keep her from finding out how fucking mesmerized I am.

“Do you intend to fuck my sister while you make me fulfill the terms of our marriage?”

I tense and grit my teeth, surprised by the question and the venom in her voice. “Of course not,” I snap. “Just what do you think of me, Raven?”

She tightens her grip on my shoulders, anger flashing through her eyes. I’ve never seen her look so furious. The Raven I used to know was always sweet and patient, but the woman in front of me is something else entirely.

“I don’t know, Ares. It sounds an awful lot like you’re asking me to pretend to be your wife for three years, until you can divorce me and go back to my sister. It’s all super convenient for you two, isn’t it? Hannah runs away, so she doesn’t have to suffer through the limitations this marriage would impose on her career, and for the next three years, she gets to focus on her acting career while I’m trapped in this marriage with you. Are you really going to take three years of my life and sacrifice them for Hannah?”

I take a moment to just look at my wife. She’s hurt, insecure, and angry. Justifiably so. I’m not sure what I was asking her for, but I do realize I chose the wrong words.

I reach for her and wrap my hands around her waist, startling her. “No,” I tell her. “No. I won’t sacrifice three years of your life, Raven. What I’m saying is that there are rules we need to abide by, and faking it in front of Grandma will make both of our lives easier.” I inhale deeply, my mind a complete fucking mess. “I’m not sure what this marriage will be like for us. I’m not sure where I stand with Hannah, either. Right now, there’s a lot I don’t know, Rave.”

Raven nods and pulls away, her shoulders drooping. Today has been a hard day for both of us, and at least for a little while, things won’t get easier.

“We don’t need to figure everything out at once. We can take our time, okay?” I tell her. “How about I show you around, and we just get an early night?”

She nods, and I force a smile onto my face. Raven and I have always been so comfortable with each other, but right now, we’re both pretending we aren’t hurting. Everything about today kills me. She just became my wife, yet the distance between us has never been greater.