Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 440: Inescapable Nightmare

"Don’t call off the wedding just yet. Let’s buy as much time as we can. We came this far, we can’t just back down now," Diana said stubbornly.

"What’s the point? Bradon isn’t going to make it. We need to call off the wedding. Trust me, I don’t want to do this, but what other choice do I have?" I replied to my sister as I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes.

So many emotions welled up inside of me, and I felt like I was ready to lose control. I wanted to break down and just curl myself up into a ball and cry myself to sleep. It felt like a disaster was waiting for me no matter what I decided to do. I felt mortified, scared, frustrated, and also angry all at the same time.

I wanted to lash out and blame Bradon for abandoning me at such an important time in our relationship and our lives, but I couldn’t quite do it. I wanted to let my rage take over and escape somewhere where I could be alone. In the end, all I could do was think rationally and act according to logic. That was the best thing to do as a mature adult.

"Suck it up and ignore the pain..." I whispered softly to myself before taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

"Leya..." Diana whispered.

"The wedding is over. I’m going to call off the wedding. It’s not happening," I said firmly before I would lose my determination.

The decision had to be made, and I knew that I had to stand firm and be proud of my decision. I told myself that I was doing the right thing because it was necessary. Once again, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The bride staring back at me was everything that I could ever want in a bride. She looked so perfect down to every little detail and every last wave of her hair. I couldn’t help but regret that I wouldn’t be walking down the aisle to marry the love of my life, but as long as we were together, it wasn’t anywhere close to the end of the world for us.

"Leya, we still have some time," Diana insisted desperately.

"No. I’m going out there to call off the wedding and apologize to everyone for wasting their time. There will be no wedding today," I replied firmly.

"Yes, there will be."

A familiar voice sounded right at the moment that the dressing room door opened. My mouth dropped open as my mind became jumbled up and confused. There, standing in the doorway, was none other than Anthony. While keeping his eyes on me, he entered the room and quickly closed the door behind him.

"There will be a wedding," Anthony said firmly.

"What on earth are you saying?" I asked as I took a step back to distance myself away from him.

I wasn’t scared of him, but the idea that I knew that he held in his mind terrified me more than anything.

"No. Definitely not," I said as I felt my heart hammering in my chest. All I could think about was that I would rather go through hell than go through all of that all over again.

Anything but that.

"You no longer have the luxury of time or choice. Desmond is sitting there waiting for you to make an appearance at your own wedding, and yet your groom isn’t here. What other choice do you have?" Anthony asked as if he was presenting me with the best outcome in the world.

I had no idea why he was doing this to me. On one hand, it felt like he was really concerned about helping me save face, but on the other hand, it felt like he was trying to get back at me. Sadly, at that point, I could no longer completely trust Anthony, and it felt impossible for me to understand his true intentions. All I could do was stare at him as he continued to explain why it would be much better for him to take his brother’s place and stand as my groom for the wedding.

"I mean, you know exactly how it works. My brother has stood in for me before, and you have stood in for your sister. Why can’t I stand in for him? It’s just a wedding ceremony, it’s not supposed to be a big deal, now is it?" Anthony continued pleading his case.

"What are you talking about? That is crazy! What makes you think that Dahlia would do something like that?" my sister jumped in to intervene.

"Perhaps precisely because she has done it before?" Anthony answered without missing a beat.

"I don’t want to hear it. I’m calling the wedding off and that is final," I said firmly as I clenched my fists tightly by my side.

"We don’t have any time. Either you announce the cancellation of the wedding, or the wedding starts now. It is time," Leona said with the look of dread on her face.

I wondered if I had that exact same look on my face right at that moment, but I didn’t dare look at myself in the mirror. It was a look that would make one believe that the world was coming to an end very soon.

"I’m going to stop the wedding," I said as I headed towards the door.

I could hear footsteps and people following after me, but I didn’t turn back. I simply had no time to do anything except head into the venue where I knew that every esteemed guest was waiting for us, including the king of our country.

It seemed like whatever plan that Desmond had in mind for my wedding would have to meet a disappointing end for him even before it could have started. Knowing what Desmond was like, I knew it that would piss him off more than anything. Seeing things not go according to plan wasn’t something that Desmond was a fan of.