The Substitute Bride

It was a lively night at the club, friends Bryan and Logan were sitting at the bar talking excitedly, when Bryan brought up the subject of his wedding that was scheduled for next month.

Logan got excited and asked how the preparations were going, but noticed that Bryan looked a little haggard.  He asked if everything was okay, and Bryan looked at him worriedly.

— I don't know, Logan, I'm starting to think my fiancée's father is trying to trick me. — Bryan said.

Logan was surprised and asked what he meant by that.  Bryan said he was in for something bad, he trusted his instincts.  Bryan trusted his fiancée's father, despite the marriage being by contract, which would generate benefits for both, he knew he needed to be smart, he couldn't trust anyone, he needed to keep his guard up.

— My bride's father is not reliable, he was accused of trying to deceive some companies a few years ago, of course he was cleared, but that's enough to not completely trust him.  Aside from the fact that he's starting to act strangely, Anton, the father of Emma, ​​my fiancée, came over to talk to me about having the wedding before the scheduled date.  He even suggested that I get married in two weeks' time, and when I said I wasn't going to do that, he got an annoyed look on his face and then walked away without saying anything.  I need to be careful with this guy.

Logan frowned as he listened to the story.  He tried to shed some light on the matter and asked if there was any possibility it was just a misunderstanding, but of course, he told his friend not to let his guard down.

— Of course, misunderstandings can happen, he could be having some personal issues, — Bryan said.  — But I think it's more than that.  He has been evasive when I ask him why he wants to speed up the wedding, he always comes up with some excuse or says he just wants to see his daughter married.  He doesn't strike me as the type of father who wants his daughter to marry, except if he's going to get something out of it, he's greedy, he only thinks about himself.

Logan agreed that this looked suspicious, but argued that perhaps Bryan was just suffering from pre-wedding anxiety.

— Perhaps you are looking for trouble where there is none, — he said.  — It can be hard to trust others when you're responsible for a large amount of money, but maybe it's best to try to let go of that distrust.

Bryan looked relieved to talk about his fears with Logan.  He thanked his friend and decided to take his advice and try not to worry so much.

— You're right, maybe I'm being paranoid, — he said.  — I'll try not to worry too much, and if something's wrong, I'll find out in time.

Logan smiled and picked up his drink.

— That's it, buddy.  Let's drink to the success of your marriage, and the benefits you've seen from it, and that everything goes according to plan. — he said.

The two friends then toasted and enjoyed themselves for the rest of the night at the club, putting their worries aside and enjoying each other's company.

.  .  .

It was dawn when Bryan drove his car down the deserted road, returning home after leaving the nightclub where he was with his friend Logan, where they had drunk too much.  He was so drunk he could barely keep his eyes open.  He stumbled over his words when he tried to sing a song on the radio, barely noticing that the road was starting to get winding.

Suddenly, Bryan's car invaded the oncoming lane and violently collided with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction.  The impact was so hard that Bryan's car tires went flying, and the vehicle began to roll over several times until it finally came to rest upside down on the side of the road.

The sound of the collision reverberated through the surroundings, and the driver of the other car got out of the vehicle, still dazed from the accident.  He approached Bryan's car, completely destroyed, and noticed that the driver was unconscious.  His eyes were closed, and his body was restrained by the seat belt.

The driver of the other car immediately called emergency services and within minutes, a team of paramedics arrived at the scene.  They managed to get Bryan out of the car, immediately taking him to the nearest hospital.

Fortunately, Bryan survived the accident, but was seriously injured and required multiple surgeries.  His situation was complicated, he had to have surgery on his spine, maybe that would have some consequences, maybe he could become paraplegic, they were one of the consequences.  But, in addition, he was in a coma, he ended up hitting his head and therefore had to undergo several X-rays to see if those blows had not caused any problems.  Fortunately, nothing happened, however, it left him in a coma.

Bryan's family found out about the incident and went to the hospital, the news of the accident spread throughout the city, all news channels and websites were talking about the accident.  He was receiving a lot of criticism for drunk driving and still putting people's lives in danger.  That might be the end of his reputation as a good guy, and even his own career as a businessman.  Bryan's family knew about this, so his mother came up with the idea of ​​getting her son married as soon as possible.  Perhaps the news of the wedding and the merger of the Martínez and Miller companies was enough to cover it up, or at least make people focus their attention on another piece of news, and make the news of the accident stop having repercussions.

However, Rebekah's plans, Bryan's mother, went down the drain when Emma, ​​Bryan's fiancée, said she would no longer marry, she learned that maybe her fiancé could become paraplegic, and according to her, she didn't want to be with a disabled man, she didn't want to spend her whole life pushing a wheelchair, or, appear on camera and at fancy parties with a man who couldn't walk.

Rebekah was furious, Emma's father, knowing what his daughter did, apologized and said that Bryan could marry his youngest daughter, Petra.  He also said that she is a well-behaved girl and that she will be a dutiful wife.  Rebekah, even mad at Emma's words, accepted the deal, but said that Petra would have to get married as soon as possible, even with Bryan still in a coma.