An-New Story! Don't Kill Me! It's been plaguing my mind for weeks and I couldn't delay letting it out anymore, my muse simply would not let me. Kind of different from my other fics but enjoy nonetheless!
Prologue: Wide Awake
'Yeah I was in the dark, I was falling hard, with an open heart….'
Miley Stewart stared at her reflection transfixed and utterly taken aback. Her brunette hair was perfectly pinned on top of her head, save for the few curls that cascaded down her face making those blue eyes of hers stand out. Sun-kissed skin glowed underneath the light coming in from the elegant glass window. She was a vision in white right from the white form-fitting gown she wore to the white veil she held plastered over her head to her flawless makeup. She was the perfect bride. Just not the bride.
A knock sounded on the door, pulling her away from her thoughts and she eagerly tore the door open, needing a distraction. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she met the big brown eyes waiting for her on the other side.
"Hey you." She whispered, tightly hugging the young child to her chest as she ran into her arms.
Long curly brown hair, big blue eyes, and a smile that could light up any dark place in the world; Charlotte Anne Grey is a sight for sore eyes. She had never fallen so hard for a four year old before in her life.
"Beautiful, mommy." She whispers in awe, her small chubby fingers lifting to cup her face.
"Yeah? Same could be said for you sweetheart."
"It's the poof!" Charlotte smiles, pointing to her flower girl dress that seems to have taken a life of it's own. Miley laughs at the sight.
"I knew we should've settled for something smaller but that girl has one hell of a stubborn streak." Pipes in Denise from her spot at the doorway, her eyes instantly start to water as she catches sight of the young woman she has rapidly grown to love these last couple of days
"Like father like daughter." Miley teases.
"And you're marrying into that again. It's not too late to back out you know? I would completely understand." Denise kids. " You look absolutely breathtaking."
"Thank you." Miley blushes, fiddling with her necklace. The one thing reminding her that all of this luxury did not belong to her and could be taken away from her within any moment.
"No, thank you." Denise murmurs.
"Denise."
Denise lays a hand up to stop her. "No. I must. I know our relationship had not always been on the best of terms but I sincerely appreciate all you have done for not just my son, but for this family especially considering the sour direction we were heading. I could only wish I was supportive of the love you and Nick share from the beginning. I have never seen him happier as he is with you these last couple of months and that is exactly why I want to give you this."
"Denise." Miley chokes up, feeling a wave of emotions stir up within her.
"Go on." Denise encourages. "Open it."
Miley's skilled fingers carefully unwrap the neatly wrapped package that had fallen into her hands. Her heart stills for a moment as she catches sight of the glamorous piece of jewelry within her reach. She eyes her mother in law in complete disbelief.
"Think of it as your something old." Denise smiles. "I know your already part of the family, but this seemed like the perfect way to make up for the last couple of years. "
Miley shakes her head wildly. " I can't possibly-"
"Save it. " Denise intervenes. "There's no one else I would want to wear this other than you. "
Miley shakes her head, completely touched. This necklace, as simple as it was represented so much within the family as it was passed down from generation to generation from Nick's ancestors to Nick's great grandparents to Nick's mother and now her. She could feel that familiar churn in her stomach awaken within her.
"Thank you." Miley whispers.
"Nonsense." Denise mutters with a flick of her hand. "You deserve it."
"Mommy, do we walk down now? I can't wait any longer." Charlotte asks impatiently, making Miley and Denise burst into laughter.
She had been jumping up and down for this the moment her parents had told her they were renewing their vows. She absolutely adored her parents and weddings.
"No waiting ahead, Char." Demi announces, remaining true to her wedding planner/ personal assistant duties. "It's time."
Charlotte's eyes beam as she eagerly grasps her bouquet of flowers. " C'mon mommy."
"I'll be out in a minute, baby."
"Promise?" Char asks, her bright blue eyes melting in Miley's blue eyes.
"I promise." Miley utters, the promise must have appeared convincing as Charlotte smiles before stepping away from her mother and climbing into her grandmother's arms.
"Okay. Let's go gramma, You heard Dem, my kingdom awaits!"
Denise shakes her head in amusement, giving the bride one last squeeze before stepping out of the room.
Demi whirls around to face Miley with a genuine smile.
"You truly do look beautiful, Miley. This is exactly how she would have wanted to look like on her wedding day."
"Her wedding day, not mine." Miley mumbles, feeling as if all air had been taken from her. Everything was all wrong. She wouldn't have wanted her wedding so traditional, she would have wanted something out of the norm. She wouldn't have wanted to get married in a big hall with many witnesses in a church. She would have wanted to get married at the beach, with a couple people, just family and friends and her natural brown waves cascading down her back, her natural blue eyes shining with warmth, affection, excitement and love.
And she definitely wouldn't be rocking this stupid tiara.
Demi places a supportive hand on her shoulder as she watches the woman she has quickly befriended battle a wave of emotions.
"You don't have to go through with this, Miley. You can put a stop to this. You can make things right."
"I'm already in too deep, Dem. They would never understand. Nick would never understand. I can't break his heart. I can't break Charlotte's. I love them, Dem." She cries because it's true, she does love them, love them more than anything she had ever loved before in her life.
"I know you do, Mi." Demi says, drawing her friend into a hug. The only person who knows the real her. "But you can't honestly think of going through with this. This is all one big lie. This is all fake. You have to tell him."
"I can't." Miley cries. " He'll hate me. They'll hate me. "
"Miley.."
"Demi, please." Miley pleads. " I can't lose them."
Demi sighs. " The truth always finds a way to come out, Mi. I know you love them but this isn't your life to live and soon the lies will catch up with you. Don't make things any harder than they have to be. Save yourself before it's too late."
With those final words, Demi leaves leaving Miley alone with her thoughts once again. Her eyes fall upon the photograph that manages to haunt her dreams every night. There she stood, the woman who truly lived this life, the woman whom every one believed was the person getting remarried again. The person she was impersonating.
It's like looking into a mirror. They were so identical. Same long brown hair, same blue eyes, it was enough to make her question whether she had a long lost twin out there that she hadn't even been aware of. Everything was so similar from top to bottom. Save for those eyes and that smile. Her eyes were so dull, so lifeless, so cold, completely detached from the rest of the world and her smile was malicious, cunning, manipulative.
Hannah Sophia Grey.
A huge part of her envied this woman immensely. She had it all, the fame, the money, the luxuries of life she could never be able to afford but most importantly, a family who supported her, a husband who is completely smitten with her, would do anything for her and a daughter who admired her, loved her, worshipped the very ground she walked on.
The other part of her felt tremendous amounts of guilt begin to kick in. This was wrong. This was sick but she had no choice. There was no backing out now.
"I'm sorry." She whispers dejectedly before briskly opening the door and walking towards the doors of the church. She nodded at Demi and the music began, she watched Charlotte practically skip down the aisle looking perfect as ever, next she watched her bridesmaids make their way down the aisle and finally it came her turn.
She watched the crowd rise in anticipation and the gasps surround the room yet none of it mattered. All noise blurred out as she caught sight of the man she had managed to hopelessly fall for. Her fake husband.
He looked striking in his black tux and she fought a laugh as her eyes fell upon his wild black curls that stuck up in every direction. She could feel her heart pounding as she makes her way towards him, closer and closer until finally they reached one another.
"Beautiful." He breathes, smiling at her as if he were the luckiest man on the planet and she flashes him a watery smile, squeezing his hand tightly in hers. She hates what she's doing to him. She hates that she's lying to him. He doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve her either.
The ceremony begins and she finds her focus being pulled away from it. Her thoughts center around him and her, their relationship and Charlotte. She thinks of the memories they have managed to establish together, all three of them and their future, the memories they will be able to make every single day of their life from this point forward if she goes through with this which encourages her to stay, encourages her that things will work out and makes her stay rooted to her spot, ready to officially become Hannah.
And then she listens to his vows, sincere, heartfelt, captivating and filled with such love, passion and adoration that she can't help the tears that fall from her eyes nor does she want to. He loves her, he truly loves her . Except he doesn't.
He doesn't love her.
He loves Hannah. He's in love with Hannah, and she feels her heart break into tiny little pieces as he mentions their history, their meeting and how she has managed to change his life for the better, how he could never imagine a life without her.
She was wrong, she can't go through with this. She can't do this to him. She can't live this lie any longer. Nick deserves better, Charlotte deserves better. She doesn't belong here.
"Do you, Hannah Sophia Stewart take Nicholas Mathew Grey as your husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health and promise to cherish him for the rest of your life?" The priest asks and she closes her eyes, mentally preparing herself for what's coming next.
"I don't." She breathes, and the room goes silent.
"Hannah?" Nick asks confused, his troubled eyes looking at her confused.
Miley shakes her head. " I can't do this. I'm not who you think I am."
"What are you talking about? "
"I'm not her."
"Mommy? " Charlotte pipes up confusedly. "What's going on?"
"Forgive me." She pleads, placing a loving kiss on the child's forehead and with one last lingering look at Nick; she speeds down the aisle doing the perfect impersonation of a runaway bride.
TO BE CONTINUED….
An- Cliffhanger ending. I hope you all have become intrigued by this fic. It's different and it was really difficult for me not to give anything away but I'm glad I managed to get things down. This is one of those fics that begin from the present and answer questions within each chapter that will be focused on the past leading up to this particular day. Click on the review button if you wish for me to continue.
Sincerely,
Nicki M.