The Replacement Bride

*In the present day*

Several days after the incident, the Nelson and Adams families held a discussion. The union of the two families had been eagerly anticipated by their grandparents for a long time. The failure of Nicholas and Olivia's match brought consequences.

"We apologize because it's no longer possible for us to accept Olivia as a daughter-in-law. Especially since Nicholas' grandmother ended up in the hospital because of this," Nicholas' father explained cautiously, trying not to offend the hosts. "You see, she couldn't bear the disappointment."

"We apologize sincerely because Olivia couldn't control herself. It's our fault as parents. We couldn't properly educate our child," Olivia's father said, holding back his embarrassment.

"Enough. Everyone makes mistakes," Nicholas' mother interjected. "We should focus on finding a solution."

Shortly afterward, Amelia ran into the house, shouting hysterically.

"Daddy! Mommy! I got accepted into the Physics college entrance exam!" The girl jumped for joy. How could she not? She became a college student. Amelia's intelligence was only average, so getting into the best university in her city was already fortunate. The important thing was that she didn't embarrass her parents.

Amelia's excitement momentarily stopped when she noticed the presence of Nicholas' parents. "Uh, Uncle and Aunt are here..."

Silence. All eyes were on Amelia, conveying a single meaning.

"Why is everyone looking at me? What's wrong?" Amelia, feeling nervous, began fixing her hair, which might have been disheveled. She pulled the edge of her clothes and checked if there was anything dirty. She didn't forget to kiss her right and left armpits, in case there was an odor spreading throughout the room. "Oh my gosh! It smells..."

Before Amelia could faint from the odor of her armpits, the four adults in the room unanimously exclaimed, "I think, Amelia should be the replacement bride!"

***

Two weeks later.

"Nicholas, let's have breakfast! I made pancakes with fresh fruit toppings," Amelia invited her husband, who was already neatly dressed in a short-sleeved striped shirt and jeans, ready to leave for campus. "Mommy said the pancakes I made are delicious, you know!"

"No need. I have a teaching schedule this morning. I don't want to be late on my first day of class," the husband curtly refused, ignoring how much trouble his newlywed wife had gone through to wake up early and prepare a complete breakfast for him. "Besides, I'm not used to sweet breakfasts. I might get a stomachache later."

Nicholas and Amelia got married just a day ago. Although they were legally husband and wife, Nicholas' attitude was far from pleasant. They even had separate bedrooms since their first night together.

Indeed, Nicholas' warm personality had disappeared since his relationship with Olivia ended. He became cold and dismissive. Unfortunately, all of that was directed at Amelia. It seemed as if Amelia's mistake was the reason why Nicholas had to suffer like this.

If only Nicholas' family had been willing to accept Olivia, who was pregnant with another man's child, as their daughter-in-law... if only Nicholas' grandmother hadn't ended up in the hospital due to stress, their families would not have forced Amelia to marry Nicholas—to replace Olivia.

Nicholas and Amelia had a simple and secret wedding immediately because Nicholas' grandmother insisted, not wanting to be fooled again. Since Nicholas didn't want his friends to know that he had failed to marry Olivia, the wedding was only attended by their parents and grandparents. It was a far cry from the grand and luxurious wedding Amelia had dreamed of since childhood.

Furthermore, due to work reasons, Nicholas canceled their long-planned honeymoon. This made Amelia feel that her marriage was not enjoyable at all. The only thing that kept Amelia willing to marry was because the man she married Nicholas.

"Well, if you don't want breakfast," Amelia said disappointedly as her efforts went to waste. She knew her husband refused the food she made not because he was busy, but because he simply didn't want to touch anything she offered.

Amelia knew that Nicholas hated her. She understood more than anyone that her sister's shadow still lingered in that handsome man's heart. Nevertheless, what's done is done. Without intending to betray her love for her sister, Amelia didn't want to give up so easily. For her, Nicholas was her first love. She would try to be a good wife to him.

Determined, Amelia ran to the house's yard, catching up with Nicholas, who was already getting ready to drive his car. The girl handed him a dark blue lunchbox. The fragrant smell of chicken rolls emanated from the lunchbox she brought.

"If it's for lunch, will you eat it?" Amelia asked hopefully. "You won't get a stomachache, right?"

Of course, Amelia's daring act annoyed and disturbed Nicholas. However, not wanting to argue with his talkative wife, Nicholas reluctantly agreed to accept the food she offered—albeit grudgingly.

"Hurry up and put it in the backpack! I'm in a hurry here. Not everyone has free time like you!" Nicholas ordered, shaking the backpack on his back, signaling Amelia to quickly put the lunchbox inside. "Next time, don't bother making lunch for me. I can buy food at the cafeteria or even buy it online."

Amelia hastily put the lunchbox into her husband's bag. She almost dropped two thick books while arranging the lunchbox inside the bag.

"Ah, it's done! Bye, Nick—"

Without saying thank you, Nicholas quickly rode his car, leaving Amelia dumbfounded in front of their modest, not-so-large, picturesque home that they currently lived in—a wedding gift from Nicholas' parents. The girl could only wave goodbye to the dust and the fading figure of Nicholas. The sight of her husband's car became smaller and smaller, disappearing from her view.

"Such luck, he doesn't even kiss my cheek. He can't even say goodbye," Amelia grumbled while scratching her head vigorously, even though it wasn't itchy. If someone saw her like this, they would probably think Amelia's long, beautiful, shining hair was infested with lice. "What was that guy doing in Japan for five whole years? He didn't even pick up a bit of Japanese politeness."