The Substitute Bride

After finishing his work, George headed straight to his mother's house. The moment he stepped inside, he saw a variety of delicious dishes in the dining room and Sula was setting the table alongside Donna. 'They really do look like mother and daughter. No wonder Holley gets jealous, ' he thought.

When Sula heard the door open, she turned around and saw George. Her face lit up in joy and she gushed, "George, you're here! Dinner is ready. Why don't you go wash up?"

"Hmm," George replied flatly.

During the dinner, they didn't talk anything about the charity auction. After the delicious meal, George settled himself down on the living room couch and watched TV while Donna went to the kitchen. Knowing that the two might need some privacy, Sula retired to her bedroom upstairs.

Donna brought a plate full of fruits, placed it on the center table and sat down next to her son. Seeing the shadow of sadness on his face, she asked, "What's wrong? Did Holley snap at you last night?"

"No, she didn't," George lied. He wasn't the kind of person who would talk behind his girlfriend's back. With a slight smile, he said, "Holley is a sensible girl."

"Oh Come on, son! Stop defending her," Donna reprimanded him. With a cold sneer, she said, "I know her better than you do."

"Mom..." George knitted his brows in worry. He couldn't contain his doubts anymore and blurted out his complaints to her. "You can't blame her. Why did you bid for that diamond?" he grumbled.

He turned to look at Donna as he admonished her, "It would have been fair if you had bought it for yourself. But why did you have to give it to Sula in front of her? What were you thinking?"

"I had to do that because of you! Don't you know that you have broken her heart?" Donna shot back angrily. "I brought her here hoping that you two could be together. We have been here for so long, yet you totally ignored her. And all women love jewelry. So, I gifted her one. Did I do something wrong? Don't you think that we owe her at least that much?"

"I..." George faltered. 'She does have a point, ' he thought.

A bitter smile appeared on his face as he said, "But Mom, you shouldn't have given her su

r. Sula had such sweet dreams that night.

The next morning, Sula woke up before George. She stared obsessively at the man lying next to her. She could never get sick of his charming face.

When the morning light hit his face, George slowly blinked his eyes. Sula quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

She didn't know why she did this. Perhaps she didn't know how to face George after the crazy night.

When George's eyes finally adjusted to the morning light, he was taken aback at the sight of Sula lying beside him. With a tensed frown, he tried to focus and recall what had happened last night. But he couldn't remember anything and he had no idea why he had ended up sleeping with her.

'Oh my God! What's going on?' his mind screamed.

With a rattled expression, he yanked his quilt away with shivering hands. His pupils dilated in guilt and astonishment when he found that he was naked under the sheets.

He jumped out of bed without making a sound and fixed himself up in a hurry. He tiptoed to the door and turned to steal a glance at the sleeping Sula.

He couldn't believe that he had made love to the woman he had considered as his own sister. Out of instinct, he chose to escape from the scene as fast as possible.

But as soon as he stepped out of her room, he ran into Donna. With confusion and surprise written all over her face, she asked, "What's going on in here, George? What were you doing in Sula's room?"