Chapter 48

Lena turned to look at her. How is she supposed to explain to this woman that she did not think that Joanna ran away at all? How is she supposed to tell her what she is suspecting? She would not understand it. So Lena decided to drop it for now. Instead she said, "I think you will have to live with him. Let's go. I'll help you pack up and then drive you there" Lena said..
Allen shook her head. "I need to go somewhere first" she said. She had to go see how grandmother. Paul said that he was going to transfer the money to the hospital but she still had to take a look for herself and see how her grandmother was doing.
Lena looked at her. "Where do you need to go? I'll take you" she said. Allen is now Joanna Anderson. She can't make a mistake that will affect her career.
"I just need to go see my grandmother" Allen said. She was worried about her. She needs to know if Paul kept his promise or not.
Allen and Lena arrived at the hospital. Allen told Lena that she could come by herself and that she did not need to come with her but Lena just refused to listen to her. She kept telling her that she was now a celebrity and that she needed to watch her image at all times. Even though she isn't the real Joanna and was now playing Joanna. She had to be careful at all times. She can't make any mistakes. Allen was starting to get frustrated. She did not think that this woman was doing it because she did not want her to make any mistakes.
Allen felt like she was doing it because she could not trust her enough. But even at that, Joanna knew that she could not blame her for that completely. After all, how can someone just accept that there is another person who looks completely like her friend and that that person is pretending to be her? It was just too much. Even when Allen thought about it, she felt like she was going to get an headache. She decided not to think about it anymore. She was just going to play along and do whatever they wanted her to do for six months.
When Allen got to the hospital, the first person that she saw was Rita pacing around her grandmother's room. Allen could see that there was confusion on her face. Allen felt bad for her friend. She did not have to be here, she did not have to do these things for her. Allen walked to her immediately. "Rita, thank you very much for being here for my grandmother. I really don't know what I would have done without you. Thank you very much" Allen said. Because of the things that had happened since yesterday, from having to pretend to someone else to getting married, Allen did not have the time to come to the hospital, but Rita was here for her.
Rita was really happy to see Allen. She has a lot of questions that she wanted to ask her friend. Last night, the doctor called and asked her to come to the hospital. He said that he had been trying to contact Allen but he could not reach her and he called her instead. When she got to the hospital, she found out that someone had paid for her grandmother's surgery. Rita was confused. She wanted to think that Allen paid for it, but she could not imagine where her friend would get that money from. There is no way that she can get the money easily.
And if she really did pay for the surgery, then where the hell is she? Why did she not come to the hospital? Rita has a lot of questions that she wanted to ask Allen but just like the doctor said, she could not reach her at all. Where could she be? Because she was worried, Rita stayed in the hospital all night. She stayed until the surgery was done. Because she was already quite old, even though the surgery was successful, she was still unconscious and she would have to be monitored for some time before she could go home.
Rita was still worrying about her friend when she saw her friend walk into the hospital. She was with some other woman. The woman had a Stern look on her face, like she was angry about something. Despite her stern look, Rita could see that she was actually still quite young. Not older than twenty. Rita looked back to her friend. She looked..... quite different. Where did Allen get the money for that dress? Did she win the lottery. "Allen! Where the hell have you been since yesterday? Did you know that someone paid for your grandmother's surgery? And, what are you wearing?" Rita asked all in one breath.
Allen sighed. "Rita, we need to talk" She said.
Allen and Rita were sitting on a bench outside the hospital building. Lena was standing some distance from them. Rita blinked her eyes several times. She could not believe what she was hearing. What is Allen saying to her? Rita pinched herself several times to make sure that she was not dreaming. It really did hurt so this meant that it was true right? Everything that Allen just told her is true right? There is someone that she looks exactly like, and for some reason that person has run away so she is pretending to be her?
"Allen, you are not lying to me right? Everything that you are telling me right now is true right? You....you really....there is really someone who looks exactly like you? What you are telling me now is that there is a woman called Joanna who looks like you? And she has run away? So you are being paid to pretend to be her for six months? How can something like this happen? So the money for your grandmother's surgery, that is how you got it?" Rita asked. She wanted to yell at her friend for agreeing to something like this but remembering how much she loved her grandmother, she could not do it.
Allen nodded her head. She knew that it was difficult to believe. She too did not believe it at first. Just what is this? Someone that she looks exactly like, pretending to be her, having to get married in her place, it was all too much. But for her grandmother, to change thier lives, Allen was ready to do it. If Rita was this supprised about her pretending to be someone else, how is she going to react to her getting married? But Allen knew that she did not want to keep it from her friend. She wanted to tell her all about it. At least this way, if Rita is here for her, she won't forget her identity in the next six months.
She will be able to go back to her life when it's the time. She wanted to constantly remind herself that she is Allen Cathers and not Joanna Anderson. That way, she won't be making any mistakes. "Well, Rita, me pretending to be that woman is not all. There is something else that you need to know. The reason why that woman ran away. She ran away because she did not want to get married. So I have to get married in her place. In fact, I'm already married. No, she is already married, I'm just pretending to be her" Allen said. She sighed that woman's name on the certificate anyway.
Rita looked at her friend. She could not just believe this. Just what the hell is going on here? What is the meaning of this? She was still trying to process yr information that her friend is pretending to be someone else. In fact she is going to be living as someone else for the next six months. She was still trying to process that information and accept it and here she was telling her something even bigger than that. She is married! She got married in the place of someone else! What the hell is this? Who the hell did she marry?
"What?! You are married? What do you mean by you are married? Allen, it's already bad enough that you are going to lose yourself for six months. It's already bad enough that you are going to be lying to people for six months but now you are married? You married someone in her place? Getting married is a big deal Allen! Do you really think that you can hold on to someone's marriage for them for six months? And who the hell is this person? How bad is this man that his wife ran away?" Rita asked. Since his wife ran away, he must be a bad man! How can Allen be married to him?
Allen sighed. She had at least expected this kind of reaction from her friend. After all, it's such a big news. When she heard it too, she could not believe it. She will have to get married in the place of someone else. She will have to live her life as someone else's wife for the next six months. Allen knew what Rita was worrying about. She is not the real Joanna, how can she live with some man as his wife. What if something happens? She too was worried about that at first, but she is going to handle it. For some reason, Allen felt like she could trust Paul.
About the kind of person she married, even though he is the CEO of Helian Group and he really is drop dead gorgeous, Allen felt that he was a jerk! How can he do that to someone that he just married? At least he doesn't know the truth and he thinks that she is Joanna. So how can he treat the wife that he married that way? Allen thought that he was a complete jerk! But she did not want to tell Rita about it. She would only worry more. She had worried about her enough these days. "You don't have to worry about me Rita. I'll be fine. I know what I am doing.
Rita looked at her friend. She knew that since she already decided that she is gonna to do this, then there is nothing that she can say to change her mind. Besides, her grandmother already received the treatment, and she said that she is going to get paid a lot for this. If she could live an easier life after this six months is over, then it won't be such a bad idea for Allen to pretend to be so someone else for the next six months right? She knew how much Allen had suffered. If this is a way for her to live a better life then fine.
Rita was only worried about the getting married part! From now on for the next six months, she will have to live with a man for the next six months as his wife! His wife! What if he...Allen is such an innocent woman, Rita was really worried about that. But since she said that she could handle it then she is just going to let it drop. She won't bother herself with it anymore. She just hoped that her friend knows what she is doing and that she will be able to keep herself safe. "I don't have anything to say Allen, since you already decided to do it. I just hope that you will be safe" Rita said.
Allen smiled. "Of course I'll be safe" She said.
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Just as she said, Lena drove Allen to Raymond's house. But she left as soon as she dropped her off. Allen entered the house. It wasn't locked at all. Maybe he left it open for her? Anyway thieves won't be able to get in here anyway. The place is a highly guarded Villa with heavily guarded estates in it. This kind of property, it must be worth millions.
Allen entered the house and sat on the sofa. There was no one else in the house. Allen decided to wait for him, soon, she fell asleep on the sofa.
When Raymond got home, it was already late. Very late. Immediately he entered the house, he saw the woman sleeping on the couch sleeping. Subconsciously, Raymond moved closer to her.
Now that he was looking at her, she looked more and more like that girl. Seeing her sleeping face like this, if she had not told him those things herself, he would have been convinced that she was her.
He reached out his hand and touched her face. But her eyes snapped open at once. "What are you doing?" She asked.
His substitute bride
Written by authoress Mira