The Billionaire's Pretend Wife (Isabella) novel Chapter 2

Isabelle twisted her fingers on her lap and cast another look past the seated guests to the entrance of the gardens where her wedding was taking place. Her brow furrowed slightly when there was no sign of Jacob Garcia or any of his family members.

The ceremony had been supposed to start two hours ago. All the guests from her side of the family were already there, but not one from the groom’s side.

Now, she was reduced to nerves as she sat and waited. Was he going to make it? She had never met him, but she had heard that he was an idler. What if he decided to not show up? To be forced into marrying a stranger only to have him ditch you at the altar…

All this not long after what happened with Raymond and her sister. The two were seated on the front row, and she was doing her best to ignore them. Naomi had been stuck to Raymond’s side since they arrived, and a few comments had been thrown around about what a beautiful couple they were.

Isabelle tried not to let it get to her. While it still hurt, she had accepted that she and Raymond were history. Even if she wasn’t marrying someone else for Ruth’s sake, she would never have forgiven him. To not only cheat but to do so with her sister? How had she not found out sooner?

Where did he get the guts to attend her wedding, anyway? Naomi probably dragged him along just to rub it in her face.

Naomi huffed loudly from her seat, interrupting Isabelle’s stream of thought. “I knew that man was nothing but worthless trash. How dare he keep us waiting? If he didn’t want to get married, he should have said so. What a coward!”

Isabelle closed her eyes momentarily, wishing her sister would shut up. Naomi was the reason she was in this predicament, to begin with. Now, she had to pretend to be the eldest daughter of her family to save their reputations.

A murmur rose around her as the guests reacted to Naomi’s accusation.

“Poor girl. I heard he’s joblessand a son already abandoned by the Garcia’s. Who wants such a husband?”

“She could do better.”

“He is an useless drunk.”

“I've also heard of many of his vices. He was sent abroad to study early, but never heard of him getting any degree, maybe he was expelled long ago so he couldn't even find a job.”

“So shameless. Who keeps the bride waiting?”

Isabelle focused on the altar ahead and tried to shut out the rumours. It didn’t matter. Whether Jacob was an idler, poor, drunk, or not, marrying him was the only way she would be able to pay for Ruth’s treatment. She would focus on that.

As the gossip deepened, Naomi spoke up again. “Seriously, our family can do so much better. It’s such an embarrassment to have to wed my sister to him. He is obviously alienated by his own family. Why should we accept him?”

Why was she complaining so much, Isabelle wondered. She wasn’t the one marrying him anymore, was she? Plus, it wasn’t as if she cared about Isabelle’s feelings, so why was she acting as if she did?

Naomi suddenly appeared in Isabelle’s face. “Let’s go, Isabelle. This is embarrassing.”

Isabelle shook her head and remained in her seat. She was going to wait as long as it took for Jacob to get there. If he got there. Surely, the Garcia family wasn’t going to back out of the agreement on the wedding day, were they?

Naomi reached forward to grab Isabelle’s arm, but Isabelle shot to her feet and stepped back. “Let it go, Naomi! There must be a good reason he’s late. Let’s just wait.”

Maybe he was caught in traffic. Or he had not been well-informed when the ceremony commenced.