I Married the Substitute Twin

On my wedding day, Ethan and his twin brother, Noah, appeared at the same time.

They wore identical wedding suits and had the same hairstyle.

Lily, can you tell which one is me?

In my past life, I recognized Ethan at a glance.

He smiled, took my hand, and walked onto the wedding stage, vowing to love me forever in front of our family and friends.

After the wedding, he treated me like a queen, and I thought that was happiness.

Until Chloe, Ethan's old classmate, died in a tsunami while on a cruise.

He went crazy and pushed me from a tall building.

"If you had only picked the wrong twin on our wedding day, I could have traveled the world with Chloe, and she wouldn't have died! Lily, why did you have to recognize me that day?!"

When I opened my eyes again, I was back before the wedding began.

This time, I didn't hesitate. I threw myself into Noah's arms and whined playfully,

"How could I possibly not recognize you!"

Ethan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But he didn't see Noah's arms tightening around me, or the ambition in his eyes.

"You guessed right."

Noah's eyes darkened, and the hand on my waist tightened.

"Lily, the ceremony is about to start."

Ethan urged.

"You two go ahead. I'll change out of this suit."

With that, he shot Noah a triumphant look.

I pretended to be oblivious and walked out of the dressing room, arm in arm with Noah.

As we pushed open the door, we bumped right into Chloe.

Her gaze slid past me and landed on Noah's face. After a few seconds of intense staring, a flicker of glee appeared in her eyes.

"Lily, congratulations to you and Ethan on your wedding!"

Her blessing was dripping with sarcasm, Chloe was mocking me for picking the wrong groom.

But in my past life, she had run off in tears.

Back then, Ethan explained that Chloe was emotionally unstable due to trouble at work.

I believed him and didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until Ethan pushed me from that tall building that I learned he and Chloe had made a bet.

If I hadn't recognized him on our wedding day, he would pretend to be Noah and travel the world with Chloe for three months.

This was to make up for the regret that they couldn't be together.

After three months, he would switch back with Noah, pretending nothing had happened.

This time, I decided to fulfill their wishes.

I looked at the unmistakable triumph in Chloe's eyes and gave her a bright smile.

"I wish you all the best too."

Before she could react,

I pulled Noah toward the wedding stage.

As the music started, the wedding ceremony officially began.

On the large screen in the background, our names Lily Evans and Ethan Robert were displayed.

But he and Chloe were sitting below the stage, cuddled together as if no one else was there.

It was as if this wedding had nothing to do with him from beginning to end.

The ceremony reached its final step when the officiant announced,

"Now, please, for the groom and bride to embrace each other and feel each other's warmth."

Leaning into Noah's embrace, I turned my head and glanced at the guests.

Suddenly, I remembered how, in my past life, Ethan had secretly kissed my earlobe while embracing me, whispering,

"Lily, I finally married you."

But now, he was holding another woman below the stage.

Catching my eye, Ethan subconsciously loosened his grip on Chloe's hand.

But when he saw Noah next to me, he realized they had already swapped places, and he nervously rubbed his nose.

Chloe looked at her hand, which had been pushed away, her eyes darkening.

She suddenly stood up and shouted toward the stage,

"Hugging is so boring! Why don't the groom and bride kiss!"

As her voice faded, the guests present started to cheer them on.

"Kiss, kiss!"

"You're married, what are you shy about?!"

Ethan caught his breath, stood up, and pulled Chloe back to her seat, roaring at the cheering crowd,

"They don't like public displays of affection! Stop messing around!"

A month ago, when reviewing the ceremony with the officiant, Ethan had specifically insisted on canceling the kissing part.

Now it seemed he had already prepared for Noah to stand in for him.

Thinking this, I reached out and grabbed Noah's tie.

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.

"Lily!"

Ethan furiously kicked his chair over and vaulted onto the stage.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone, he pulled me away from Noah, shouting angrily,

"Lily! Are you crazy? How could you kiss him?!"

I blinked, looking innocent and wronged.

"How is it crazy for me to kiss my husband at my own wedding? And why are you so angry?"

Noah pulled my hand, shielding me behind him.

"I know you're upset about me getting married, but she's Lily, your sister-in-law, you should respect her."

He said, licking the lipstick stain from the corner of his mouth, as if savoring something.

Ethan's eyes blazed red with anger at the sight.

"Get this straight"

He had barely started speaking when Chloe, who had rushed onto the stage, interrupted him forcefully.

"Enough!"

Chloe leaned close to Ethan's ear and whispered,

"Ethan, whatever it is, talk about it after the wedding, off stage. Don't you see all the guests and media watching you?"

Ethan looked down at the audience.

Hundreds of eyes were staring at him. The reporters hired by the Robert Group also had their cameras pointed at him.

He then realized how reckless his behavior had been.

If the media found out that he, the heir to the Robert Group, had an arranged marriage with the Evans family but let his twin brother stand in for him, it could jeopardize the entire Robert Group.

Seeing Ethan calm down, Chloe explained to the guests and media on his behalf.

"Noah is just overjoyed that I'm getting married, and he's had a bit to drink, so he's a little emotional."

"Everyone, please enjoy yourselves, don't mind this little interruption."

The officiant also chimed in to lighten the mood.

"It seems the two young masters of the Robert Group truly share a deep brotherly bond. Please welcome the renowned singer Laila to serenade the newlyweds with a blessing"

Before Ethan left the stage, he shot Noah a furious glare.

"You little punk, just you wait!"

Noah wore a faint smile, but his eyes were icy cold.

The wedding hall was filled with happiness and joy.

The lounge, however, was a different scene.

Ethan slammed the wine glass in his hand onto the floor at Noah's feet, and the splashing shards cut Noah's cheek.

"Noah! I told you to stand in for me, not to actually marry her!"

"Lily doesn't know the truth, but you do, don't you?!"

"Why didn't you refuse her when she kissed you? Were you actually enjoying it?"

Noah raised a hand to wipe away the blood trickling down his face.

"And risk headlines tomorrow screaming, 'Robert family unhappy with Evans alliance'?"

"Or 'Robert Group heir resists arranged marriage at his own wedding'?"

Seeing the sarcasm and mockery in Noah's eyes,

Ethan stepped forward and grabbed his collar, his voice barely containing his rage.

"Don't think I don't know what you're really up to!"

"I knew you wouldn't just agree to help Chloe and me. You never gave up on Lily!"

"Don't think you can swoop in and steal her away!"

He slowly let go of Noah's collar, his gaze growing colder.

"I've arranged a project for you in France, for three months. Your flight is tonight."

"In three months, everything will go back to normal."

"I am the heir to the Robert Group, and the one marrying Lily can only be me."

Just outside the door, I heard every word clearly.

But Ethan got one thing wrong.

Who I married, and who would be the heir to the Robert Group.

Grandpa Robert had initially asked me to choose between Ethan and Noah for an engagement.

The three of us grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and I knew they both had feelings for me.

What finally made me decide on Ethan was an accident.

When I was eighteen, I was kidnapped by a rival family of the Evans.

Just as the kidnappers were about to silence me, Ethan appeared, took the knife for me, and saved my life.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I told Grandpa Robert my answer: Ethan.

That day was both my engagement day with Ethan and the day the Robert Group announced its heir.

The life he saved, I had already paid back with my own life in my previous existence.

This time, we were even.

As footsteps approached the door, I quickly walked away, took out my phone, and made a call.

"Can you arrange for me to meet Grandpa Robert alone?"

That night, Noah didn't listen to Ethan and take the plane. Instead, he came to the bridal suite.

When he opened the door and walked in, I was lying on the couch, sipping wine.

A flicker of surprise went through me, then I stood up, poured a glass of wine, and offered it to him.

"Want some?"

Noah took the glass, his intense gaze fixed on the lingering wine stain on my lips.

"That's not all I want to drink"

His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse.

"Lily."

As his shadow fell over me, he cupped my face and kissed me.

Perhaps it was the wine getting to my head.

I didn't refuse; instead, I stood on my tiptoes and returned his kiss.

Noah seemed emboldened.

He grew bolder and bolder.

From the living room to the bedroom, from the couch to the bed, until the very end.

He suddenly stopped.

"Lily, do you know who I am?"

He raised his hand and caressed my cheek, his complex eyes filled with barely restrained desire.

I hooked my arms around his neck, tilted my head back, and whispered into his ear.

"Noah."

Before the word was fully out, he pressed down on me.

Moonlight streamed through the window, our shadows merged in the moonlight.

Silence only fell over the room as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon.

The next day, I was woken by Noah's phone ringing.

"The project manager told me you never got on the plane to France yesterday."

"Noah! Where are you right now?!"

Ethan's furious roar came through the phone.

Noah rubbed his temples, answering lazily,

"Where else would I be on my wedding night?"

His voice was husky.

The next second, Ethan's voice on the other end suddenly got louder.

"Noah! This joke isn't funny! Get on a plane to France right now."

"I'm on a yacht right now, I'm about to lose signal."

Woken by the noise, I couldn't help but mumble,

"So loud."

The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds, then a trembling voice spoke,

"Is that Lily's voice?"

"Is she with you? Did you sleep with her?!"

Before Noah could answer, the call suddenly dropped.

Ethan's phone must have lost signal.

Waking up to that call so early, I couldn't fall back asleep.

I felt his burning gaze on me.

Thinking of the absurdity of last night, my face instantly flushed crimson.

Noah suddenly asked,

"Lily, did you know it was me from the start?"

I nodded.

"Growing up, I never once mistook you two."

Even though they had identical faces.

I only needed one glance to know who was who.

"Then why did you choose me yesterday?"

Seeing the subtle expectation in Noah's eyes, I answered truthfully,

"Because the groom I chose, was you."

Noah was startled at first, then let out a soft chuckle.

"So Ethan thought he was so clever, thinking he had tricked you, but in the end, he was the one who got played."

But that same afternoon, Ethan, who was supposed to be on vacation with Chloe on a yacht, suddenly appeared in the bridal suite.

He grabbed Noah's shoulder and dragged him into the bathroom.

"Noah, quickly, switch clothes with me! I need to get back to my own identity!"

At the same time, Chloe rushed in, ignoring the butler.

She walked past me to the bathroom door and knocked.

"It's my birthday today. Please, can you spend this birthday with me?"

Her voice had a hint of a sob.

"This was my birthday wish last year. We promised, didn't we? Just indulge me one last time."

Exactly a year ago, I was rushed to the hospital after a car accident.

At the time, Ethan used a business trip abroad as an excuse for not being able to come back to be with me, but he was actually celebrating Chloe's birthday.

The bathroom door opened.

Out walked Ethan.

He saw the tears in Chloe's eyes, and his heart aching, he pulled her into a hug.

"Don't cry. I promise."

Chloe nestled into his embrace, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"I knew you couldn't bear to leave me."

Noah glanced at the two of them indifferently and walked toward me.

"Lily."

Ethan finally noticed that I had been sitting on the couch, quietly watching them.

A flicker of internal struggle crossed his eyes, then he spoke,

"Since it's Chloe's birthday today, why don't the four of us go celebrate together? Chloe is your classmate, isn't she? You shouldn't mind."

He looked at Noah, a warning in his eyes.

Noah ignored him and turned to me instead.

"Honey, what do you think?"

I stood up, took Noah's arm, and shook my head, refusing.

"No, we're going to get our marriage license this afternoon."

In my past life, Ethan, fearing Chloe would be unhappy, used the excuse that a marriage license was a burden on marriage and kept delaying getting ours.

But Noah was different; he wanted to get the marriage license to make our marriage official.

The next second, Ethan's eyes suddenly widened.

"You're getting your marriage license?!"

His face fell, but only for a moment, then he recovered, a smile playing on his lips.

"Since you two are going to get your license, then we won't keep you."

Before leaving, he slipped his ID card into Noah's pocket.

He leaned closer to Noah, avoiding my gaze, and whispered instructions.

"I know you're standing up for Lily, and you deliberately used that fake audio to make me angry this morning."

"But I never betrayed Lily. I just wanted to be a friend and help Chloe fulfill her dream of traveling the world."

"I promise you, after today, we'll switch back. I'll make it up to Lily, I swear."

"You get the marriage license for me, and I can overlook your actions."

After they left,

Noah took Ethan's ID card from his pocket and tossed it into the trash can.

Seeing this, I understood.

Ethan still thought Noah was just playing along.

So full of himself.

He didn't know that his former fiance and the Robert Group would soon no longer belong to him.

At the registry office, Noah and I quickly processed our marriage license.

The names on the two columns read Lily Evans and Noah Robert.

Just then, Ethan's message popped up on my phone.

"Noah, did you get the marriage license with Lily yet?"

"Quick, send me a picture."

"You're really helping me out this time. When I inherit the Robert Group, I'll split everything with you."

Noah took two photos of the marriage license and sent them.

The next second, Ethan's call came through.