The alarm blared loudly through the dark room, making an angry Kali reach out to slap down on the screen of her phone until she remembered the right way to shut it off. With a slide of a finger across the screen, the alarm stopped, and she snuggled back into her bed for some more time. When she finally stood up, she shuffled around her apartment, pulling the thick curtains apart and allowing the sun in.

She had not felt the days roll by since the awful first day at the Madden mansion. It was a few more days before her wedding, and she had to go to the boutique to try out her dress. Before that, she had to sit through the planning, from booking the venue for the reception, acting like she was choosing honeymoon destinations and visiting the church. Kali was considerably stressed out.

Ysabel played her part of disapproving but helpful mother-in-law-to-be with amazing precision, not going too over the top and staying in the pocket of her character. Kali grew to hate her with each passing day.

As a routine, she took a long cold shower, changed into neat well-ironed clothes, took a cup of tea to warm herself up and waited for a text.

After Samuel had taken her to his apartment to talk, his mother had been enraged. Ysabel demanded to know what they talked about, and Kali gave the story they agreed on together. Kali graciously informed Ysabel that Samuel only wanted to tell her that it was a marriage of convenience, where she would only get the comforts of a house and money. Ysabel had been sceptical but took her story as the truth. Unfortunately, she remained doubtful, so Kali and Samuel didn't see each other as often. Not that she minded. Victim or not, she couldn't help but be uncomfortable in his presence. They said what needed to be said, the rest was a matter of time.

A message came through, and her phone beeped, signalling that Matthias, a driver she knows can not be trusted thanks to Samuel, had arrived to pick her up. Kali took her time to pack all she needed into her purse before joining him downstairs.

As he got down to open her door for her, she was to find Ysabel sitting in the backseat this time. Kali climbed into the back next to Ysabel, her face stoic, disinterested. She kept her gaze either straightforward or out the window, not acknowledging Ysabel's presence.

"You plan on putting on that face for the staff as well?"

"What face?" She asked nonchalantly, still staring straight ahead. What did the woman expect? That she danced on the rooftops?

"You are marrying into a wealthy family for what is supposedly love at first sight. You should try smiling more often. Isn't security and wealth what you were chasing after all with Richard?"

Kali ignored the jabs and kept her cool, not allowing even a flinch to give her away. "You can make me wear the ring, you can make me praise your son in front of your family, and you can make me marry. What you can't make me do...is behave like I am happy to be anywhere you are."

In response, Ysabel only smiled and looked down at the tablet. The rest of the ride to the boutique was quiet, and Kali, once again, got enveloped in her thoughts. When the car finally pulled to a stop, she was still lost in thought, staring out the window and she didn't notice her sister sitting on a bench at the front of the store. She felt the locks engage and snapped into reality. Her door opened, and she turned to see a smiling June holding it open.

"You rascal." Her sister half scolded and half squealed as she yanked a still stunned Kali into a bare hug. Her sister cooed and giggled, while Kali caught Ysabel's eye before she entered the boutique. "How could you not tell me you were getting married. Are you insane!"

Kali swallowed, looking over her sister when they pulled apart. "It's all happening so fast I didn't have time to explain."

"You are lying. You called to tell me you figured out a way for us not to lose the house and the business. That was not too long ago, so you must have been engaged by that time."

"I meant to say. Tr-truly, I did." Kali stammered, finally understanding Ysabel's game. Ysabel didn't tell her sister the truth. Whatever story she weaved must have made it look like Kali was marrying a man she adored. She brought her sister to ensure Kali never dreamt of dropping the act. "It looks like my mother-in-law beat me to it. Samuel, my fiancée, proposed out of the blue."

"Still doesn't explain..."

"Let me explain it all later." Kali smiled, tears forming as she hugged her sister again and tried to think of a good explanation. June wouldn't let the subject rest without one. "I promise to tell you after we are back at the apartment. I promise."

"You better." June caught sight of the ring and pretended to faint, slumping against Kali, who caught her with a pained laugh. "Look at this beauty and this place!"

"Let's go in. First, we get my dress, then yours, then we head home, and I would tell you everything."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Come on."

Kali took her sister's hand and wrapped her fingers in the crook of her arm as they walked into the boutique together. June looked around, gawking at the dresses as they passed employee after employee that greeted them with smiles. They followed Ysabel, walking into a private room where another employee welcomed them and offered them a seat and some drinks. Her sister shyly ordered a glass of juice, and Kali ordered a glass of water.

"Please, Beatrice, bring out the dress," Ysabel ordered when the designer finally walked in to meet them.

The woman smiled and nodded, she went behind a curtain and held it apart before one of the girls standing around helped pull a magnificent wedding dress out and towards the centre of the room. They worked to arrange the train and veil while Kali and June ogled the dress, unable to look away from it.

Soon, Kali was escorted away, and a few of the women gathered to get her into the dress, which proved to be an easier task than she imagined. The material felt silky against her skin but rough when she ran her palms down its front. When the women were satisfied with her look, they helped her out of the room. She walked towards the round stool at the centre of the room. They helped her stand on it, and she turned, looking into the approving smile on her sister's face.

"Oh, Kali, you look like an empress." Her sister stood slowly, moving over to look her up and down. It hurt to deceive her because she knew June's joy and excitement were real. Kali only wished she felt, on the inside, what she showed her sister on the outside.

"The dress fits fine," Beatrice announced, still adjusting the veil and the hands of the gown. "I would advise no wild partying before the wedding, or no strict diets either. Drastic weight gain or loss can affect things faster than you can imagine."

"Oh, we haven't even planned a bachelorette party." June cried. "I need to call some of the girls, have you even sent them invitations? This is what happens when you don't inform anyone."

"No, no party, not on your life." Kali sternly warned, trying to move to stop June when she reached for her phone, but Beatrice advised her to not step off just yet. "June, please, no party. Just invite the girls to the wedding, and we will send them invitations, but no party."

"It's tradition?"

"Whose?" Kali defended, not in the mood to keep up an act for more people. "Listen, it would just be you and me, and we can find ways to celebrate together, okay, honey. You and me. But invite the girls for the wedding. That we can do."

"Fine. I am only listening because you are finally a bride." Her sister squealed, her grin returning. She helped Beatrice to look over the dress when Ysabel stood and asked to speak with the designer. June watched them leave and shivered. "for a woman who sounded cordial on the phone, she sure is a bit cold to be around."

"She doesn't like me," Kali stated, not looking June in the eye when she whipped her head around in surprise. Being the first truth, she had uttered to her sister throughout, Kali took pride and smiled. "She is not my biggest fan. I am to her a stranger her son has forced down the family's throat."

"Speaking of...let me see some pictures."

"Of?"

"Samuel. Your phone please."

"His name is Samuel Madden. Google and find out."

"You don't have pictures of your boyfriend on your phone."

"No, I don't. Unfortunately, when I say this happened in a whirlwind I mean it..."

Her sister started to complain when the phone rang, and she rushed out to answer it after blowing Kali a kiss.

Alone in the room, Kali caught sight of herself in the mirror, her eyes dragging down every inch of her wedding dress. The veil was long, spreading out to the same length as the train of the skirt. The cathedral veil had corded lace along the edges with gems lining the lace patterns. The dress itself was an off-shoulder wedding gown, the arms dropped low, almost past her elbow. The bodice was also embellished with jewels and had intricate patterns embroidered into the material; it felt firmer than the skirt. Her fingers ran down the front of the dress, and her engagement ring caught her eye. In a few days, there would be a wedding band on that finger, and she would be a married woman.

A figure moved, and she lifted her eyes to be struck stiff when her mother materialized beside her. Her lips stretched in a smile as she reached out to touch the ends of the veil. A tear streaked down Kali's face as she turned to look at her mother, dressed in a simple skirt and blouse. Her hair was in its usual bun with two free strands down the front of her face. She had always been a beautiful woman.

"God bless you, child." Her mother whispered. Those were the words she would say each time Kali left the house.

The hand that moved over her face and hair felt so real, the face so present, that she was almost tempted to reach out, but she knew in her heart that the moment she acted, the illusion would fade. Instead, she stood and looked at her glowing mother, soaking in her smile and enjoying the feeling of seeing her. When a hand touched her shoulder, she jumped, sharply angling towards an equally startled June.

"What's wrong?"

Kali collected herself and wiped her face with a loud groan. "Nerves. I...I remembered mom and got all emotional. Silly me."

"She would have loved to see this." June sobered, touching the veil at the edges, then fussed a bit with Kali's hair. "Dad would have killed to walk you down that aisle, to have your hand on that day. Mom would have followed you to choose the dress and looked through hairstyles you could try. Dad would have called you mad for not telling us about a boyfriend, much less that you were getting married in less than four days."

"Right."

"Would I get to meet him before the wedding?"

"Yes. I have another dinner at his family's house today. You can come with me. It would be the last time I would be seeing him before the wedding."

June pouted, stepping closer and brushing her hair off her shoulders before looking down at the dress and taking her hands. "Sis, you know you are still young, right? You don't have to rush into marriage. Mom always said it's a big commitment."

"I know."

"I would hate that you go in starry-eyed only to get your heart broken."

It was too late for that.

Kali cupped her sister's face, kissing her forehead just as another tear slipped from her eyes. "Everything would be okay; it would be great in fact. It might look rushed, and right now, I am a bit disoriented, if I am honest, but I promise you that everything will be okay."

It was a promise she was going to keep as best as she could. Ysabel walked in, and her resolve strengthened even more as their eyes clashed in the mirror. Kali's jaws locked, and she smiled, pulling away from her sister before she followed the designer back into a room where she could change out of the gown. Once they had the dress hung and packed in its dress bag, she thanked the designer and remained in the room while Beatrice went to speak to her future mother-in-law.

Her eyes filled with rage as she looked at her own reflection, she imagined her sister's face in the church, sitting in the front row. Ysabel only got her sister involved to make sure that she behaved accordingly. Maybe as punishment for the unaccounted time she spent with Samuel after she left their mansion some days ago. Whatever the reason, it was a move that proved Ysabel was willing to do anything to get ahead and stay ahead in whatever game she created. Kali knew she had her hands tied, for now. Her debts still hung over her head, but in four days those chains would fall.

She stood straight and adjusted her gown and hair, wiping the wet streaks off her face. In four days she would take the fight to Ysabel Madden and would reign hell over her household.