A Year After I Was Forced to Marry

After the truth about the switched daughters came out, my only purpose left in the Preston family was to be married off to some degenerate heir from a second-rate family.
My older brother, Alex, still cared for me. He arranged a meeting with Todd Rhoads.
We had grown up together, and after we came of age, wed been secretly dating for three years.
But that day, Todd just leaned against the doorframe, not even bothering to step inside the private room.
"I can't marry you, Molly. It wasn't possible when you were the true heiress, and it's even less possible now."
Three impossibilities, severing every last hope I had.
But three years later, he called me late at night, drunk.
"Molly, I'm willing to marry you now. Will you still have me?"
For the past three years, he'd been tearing up the world, a different party every night.
He had no idea that two years ago, I had moved south and married a young master of the Norton family.
...
After asking if I would still marry him, Todd seemed to sober up from the shock of his own words.
He mumbled, trying to backtrack, "Sorry, Molly. I've had too much to drink."
"It's fine. Go to sleep."
With that, he hung up.
I clutched the darkened phone, sleep now a distant memory. The mattress beside me dipped slightly, and a hand, warm and familiar, settled on my waist. "Who was that, so late?"
I snapped back to reality, put the phone down, and slid back under the covers. The arm behind me tightened instinctively, pulling me into a secure embrace.
"No one," I whispered. "Just a wrong number."
In the dark, every sense is magnified. Closing my eyes, the chaos of three years ago felt terrifyingly close again.
I had just returned home after graduation, my luggage filled with gifts for everyone in the family. When I opened the door, I was ready to complain that no one had bothered to pick me up from the airport.
But that door was like opening Pandora's box.
My family was gathered around the dining table, laughing and baking Christmas cookies together. My father, a man who lived in a perpetual string of meetings and was rarely home, wore a ridiculous Christmas-themed apron. My mother, always the picture of elegance in her jewels, was holding a perfectly shaped sugar cookie. Even my brother, Alex, perpetually in a suit, had a smear of flour on his cheek.
And in the center of their adoring circle was a radiant young woman. Id never seen her before, but her face was an uncanny echo of my mothers.
They all turned to look at me, their expressions freezing, as if I were a stranger whod wandered in uninvited.
Alex was the first to recover. He gently guided the girl, whose name I would learn was Ella, upstairs, shielding her as if I were some kind of monster.
My father didn't follow. He looked at me, his eyes assessing me like a piece of merchandise.
"It's good you're back."
To this day, I can't bear to think about that period. I was paraded around by my mother at an endless series of luncheons and high-society gatherings, then subjected to a dizzying array of arranged dates. My phone was taken away, under the guise of helping me "find peace."
The breaking point came at the third meeting, when I was sat across from a man old enough to be my father. The despair I had been bottling up finally erupted.
Under the cover of darkness, I snuck into Alex's study. With trembling fingers, I dialed the number that was seared into my memory.
"Hello?"
"Todd" my voice cracked. "It's me, I"
Before I could say another word, a hand pressed down on the disconnect button. It was Alex.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, not looking at me. "Molly, the phones in this house are monitored."
"If you want to see him, I'll arrange it."
"But only this once."
And so, I found myself face to face with Todd, looking utterly broken. But before the tears could even fall, he looked at me with a chilling calm, analyzing my situation as if it were a business merger.
"Molly, you should trust your parents."
"I'm sure they'll make the best arrangement for you."
He paused, a faint smirk on his lips. "What? Did you think I would marry you?"
"That's impossible, Molly. Don't be naive."

2
Loving Todd Rhoads was a special kind of pain.
I grew up with him, filling three thick journals with entries about him. From the time he climbed a tree to rescue my kite when I was seven, to the time he rejected the most popular girl in school right in front of me when we were seventeen.
He would affectionately ruffle my hair, take the blame for my mistakes, show up for every single one of my birthdays, and be the first to defend me if anyone dared to bully me. He was, in every way, perfect to me.
But he always said he just saw me as a little sister.
Later, when he went to college abroad, I studied relentlessly, all for the chance to get into the same university. The day I landed, the California sun was blinding. So bright that I immediately spotted him waving at me.
And the girl on his arm.
Todd was his usual lazy, charming self, an eyebrow cocked in my direction. "Well, look who's finally all grown up."
"Molly, say hi to your new sister."
For the next few days, I was a ghost, trailing behind them. I watched him open her car door, watched the way his eyes crinkled and his lips curved into a smile when he bent down to listen to her.
Todds apartment had a beautiful terrace. One evening, he and his friends threw me a welcome party there. I must have looked miserable, because his girlfriend put a concerned hand on my shoulder.
"Are you okay? Feeling homesick?"
Todd, propping his chin on one hand, idly toyed with her long hair. "Of course she is. Our Molly is such a homebody. I remember in elementary school, shed have a bad dream during nap time and wake up crying for her mommy."
A wave of laughter spread through the group. My face flushed hot with embarrassment. All I could do was shrink in my seat and force a smile.
His girlfriend playfully slapped his arm. "You're terrible!" she said, then turned to me. "Hey, do you want me to sleep in your room with you for a few nights?"
Before I could even process the offer, Todd shot up. "No way. I object."
Someone next to me nudged my shoulder, their voice full of playful teasing. "Careful, Molly. You can't say yes to that. These two are in the honeymoon phase."
I just stared blankly up at Todd. He was acting like a giant puppy, burying his head in his girlfriend's neck and nuzzling her. "My girlfriend sleeps with me, and only me. Molly, if you're scared, just sleep with the lights on."
I heard my own voice, dry and hollow. "It's fine. I'm just jet-lagged."
I don't remember how that party ended. All I remember is the image of Todd and his girlfriend, fingers intertwined, standing at the door to see their friends off.
They looked so perfect together.
So perfect I couldn't bear to look back.
We were in different departments, and Todd was busy with his love life, cycling through girlfriends. Combined with my deliberate avoidance, I barely saw him for the entire semester.
When winter break came, he sent me a rare message asking when I was flying home. By then, my parents had likely found their biological daughter, Ella, and were busy bonding with her. They made up an excuse and told me to visit my aunt who lived in France.
Conveniently, I didn't want to see Todd anyway. The moment my classes ended, I was on a plane to France.
Todd wasn't the type to chase someone who wasn't interested. Our communication simply faded away.
It wasn't until my second summer in France that my aunt, complaining that a young woman like me shouldn't be so listless, dragged me to a beach in the South of France.
As I was sunbathing, the hat covering my face was suddenly snatched away. I opened my eyes, and there he was. Todd.

3
His features were as sharp as ever, his lips curled into a cold smirk. "Well, look at you, Molly. All grown up. If I don't come looking for you, you're just never going to talk to me again, are you? Do you have any idea how long it's been since we last saw each other?"
I dropped my gaze, unwilling to meet his. "You're not my brother, Todd. You don't get to boss me around."
For a split second, a strange expression crossed his face. But I was too lost in my own pain to decipher it. I snatched my hat back and stalked away.
Todd grabbed my hand from behind. "Molly, what are you so angry about? It feels like you've been mad at me ever since you got to California. If you don't tell me what's wrong, how am I supposed to know?"
It felt hard to breathe. A rush of rage shot through me. I spun around, my eyes burning with tears I couldn't control, and screamed at him.
"Yes! I'm angry! I'm angry that you were so good to me when you didn't love me! I'm angry that you gave me hope just to smash it to pieces! And I'm even angrier at myself because even after all this, I still can't bring myself to hate you!"
I stood there, defeated, wiping at the endless stream of tears. It was over. All my feelings were laid bare before him. I had no escape route left. But it didn't matter. Keeping it in would have haunted me for a lifetime. Saying it out loud would only hurt for a few years.
I took a deep breath and turned to leave. But a sudden warmth pressed against my back.
Todd's voice was a low murmur against my ear. "Then let's give it a try, Molly."
And we did, for three years.
We did everything couples do. He clumsily reined in his careless nature. He would drive across the city just because I offhandedly mentioned a craving for Chinese food. He would stay up all night with me when I was breaking down from academic pressure.
Those three years were a dream.
I never imagined that when he said "let's give it a try," he meant it literally.
The man who had kissed me goodbye at the airport before I flew home was now looking at me with such chilling calm, saying:
"I can't marry you, Molly."
"Let's just end it here."
The private room Alex had booked was soundproof. The only things I could hear were my own frantic heartbeat and my own hollow voice.
"Oh. Okay."
"Then let's end it here."
Todds unexpected call dredged up a night full of nightmares. I woke up with a throbbing headache. I had just sat down for breakfast when our butler approached with the phone.
"Mrs. Norton, a call from the madam."
My hand, holding a spoon, paused. I took the phone. "Mom, good morning."
A warm voice came from the other end. "Molly, darling. An old friend of mine is visiting next week. She was ill and couldn't make it to your and Ben's wedding, which she's always regretted. This time, she specifically asked to meet my daughter-in-law."
I smiled, my voice soft. "I understand, Mom. I'll be there."
A few days later, at the Norton family estate, my mother-in-law's friend was delayed, so she sat with me on the sofa, telling me embarrassing stories about Ben's childhood. The friend was her dearest companion from her youth. One had married into a family in the north, the other in the south. They had both had sons in the same year and had made a pact for the boys to become sworn brothers.
But the first time the two children met, they immediately started fighting, leaving each other with black eyes and bruised egos. After that, the would-be brothers, one in the north and one in the south, never saw each other again.
Ben, who had been listening, had heard enough. He clicked his tongue and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, that's all ancient history. Let's go for a walk in the garden."
Watching his uncharacteristically flustered retreat, I saw the tips of his ears turn a tell-tale red. A rare mischievous mood struck me. I poked him in the small of his back. "Hey, was Mom telling the truth? You actually got into fights? Did you win?"
Ben was incredibly ticklish there. He dodged and weaved, but his ears were now completely crimson, even though his face remained stoic. Finally, he'd had enough of my teasing. He spun around, capturing both my wrists in one hand and pinning them above my head.
His voice was a low rasp. "What if I won? And what if I lost?"
His sudden move made my heart skip a beat, but I wouldn't back down. "If you won, it means you're tough. If you lost well, it just means you need to try harder."
He leaned in closer. "And does my wife think I need to try harder?"
My face instantly caught fire. I aimed a playful kick at his shin. "Get lost, you shameless man."
When we first married, he would knock three times before even entering my room. Now, half of my walk-in closet was filled with his suits.
Ben gently pressed his forehead against mine. "Being married to me is good, isn't it, Molly? You're my wife now."
I didn't understand the sudden change in topic, but I nodded along. "Yes, yes, I'm your wife."
His eyes immediately filled with a triumphant light, as if he'd just won a great victory. Before I could ask what that was about, he released me and walked off to answer his phone. I watched his back disappear around the corner and shook my head with a smile.
"Molly?"
My body froze. I turned around slowly.
"Molly, what are you doing at the Norton's?"
It was Todd.

4
He stood in the garden, a look of utter shock on his face. Three years, and he looked almost the same, except for a shadow of weariness that clung to his usually impeccable features.
I never would have guessed that the little boy who had fought with Ben was Todd. Thinking of the man with the red ears just moments ago, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
Todd smiled too, seeming to relax. The tension in his shoulders eased as he idly plucked a petal from a blooming rose.
"Oh, right. Your brother, Alex, does business with the Nortons. It's strange, though. I didn't think he'd bring you to a business meeting. Where is he? I don't see him."
Todd and his mother were my mother-in-law's guests. It wouldn't do to be rude. I forced down my annoyance and gave him a polite smile and nod. "Long time no see, Mr. Rhoads."
The smile on his face faded slightly. He frowned. "Molly, do you have to talk to me like that?"
"Mr. Rhoads, is there a more appropriate way for us to address each other?"
He was speechless, his eyes searching my face with a complex emotion. Finally, he ran a hand through his hair and gave a wry smile, holding up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, you win, Molly. But I've sent you gifts and postcards every single month for the past three years. Surely you can find it in your heart to forgive me, for the sake of all those miles I traveled for you?"
He said it so casually, so flippantly, just like he used to when we'd argue and he was trying to charm his way out of it. But those outdated words, like his ill-timed gifts, belonged in the trash.
I looked at the brilliant smile on his face and just shook my head.
His smile vanished.
Just then, one of Todd's friends who had moved south walked over. I remembered seeing him at my wedding to Ben. That day, he had stared at our wedding portrait for a long time before asking me, "If I sent Todd a picture of you right now, do you think he'd fly back from the Serengeti on the spot?"
I had just smiled and raised my glass to him. "No. Didn't he just go public with that supermodel girlfriend? Their lovey-dovey posts are all over my feed."
The friend had looked at me strangely then, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just downed his drink, clapped my shoulder, and said nothing.
Now, his eyes darted between Todd and me, a look of pure mischief on his face. "Well, if it isn't little Molly! Long time no see! Catching up with our boy Todd?"
Todd's face darkened. He shot his friend a glare. "If you don't have anything smart to say, shut up."
From a distance, a housemaid gestured to me. Something had happened. I had no interest in reminiscing about a past that was eight hundred years old. I gave them a nod and turned to leave.
Behind me, the friend's voice was still loud. "Hey, Todd, you haven't been in touch for so long. For all you know, little Molly could be married by now!"
Todd scoffed. "Pigs will fly before Molly gets married."
"Aren't you a little overconfident? The situation she was in back then even I felt sorry for her."
"The Prestons might be ruthless, but they wouldn't stoop to pimping out the daughter they raised. If Molly didn't want to marry someone, no one could truly force her."
"And most importantly," Todd's voice was filled with a smug certainty, "she's been in love with me for years. There's no way she's over me."
His friend seemed taken aback. "So, you just walked away like that? And spent the next three years gallivanting around the world?"
Todd's shamelessness was breathtaking. "I was young. You expected me to get married? Besides, I'm back now, aren't I?"
"Molly, married?"
"No. Impossible."
"She loves me."

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