Chapter 1: The Wedding Mix-Up

I’ve seen a lot of crazy things in my life, but nothing tops accidentally getting married to a complete stranger in Tuscany. And let me tell you, that’s not an exaggeration.

The day started innocently enough. Tuscany was every bit as beautiful as the brochures had promised—sun-kissed vineyards stretching as far as the eye could see, rustic villas nestled among olive trees, and the scent of fresh basil and blooming flowers hanging in the warm air. I was excited to be here, ready to celebrate my childhood friend Lily's wedding and maybe snap a few artsy photos to spruce up my portfolio. But life, as it turns out, had other plans.

I double-checked the wedding invitation as the taxi pulled up in front of "Villa Rosa." The name matched, so I paid the driver, grabbed my bag, and headed inside. The villa was breathtaking, all old-world charm and romantic elegance. A sense of unease gnawed at the back of my mind—probably just pre-wedding jitters, I thought, dismissing it. After all, how often do I get to attend a wedding in Italy?

As I walked through the entrance, I noticed a few guests milling about, none of whom I recognized. Weird, but Lily had a lot of friends I didn’t know. I chalked it up to the wedding’s guest list being more extensive than I’d imagined.

“Scusi, signorina,” a harried-looking woman in a headset waved me over. “You’re late! Come with me, please.”

“Late? I thought the wedding didn’t start for another—”

“No time! Hurry, hurry!” She grabbed my arm and practically dragged me down a corridor before I could protest.

She led me into a small room filled with mirrors, flowers, and a massive white dress that looked suspiciously like a wedding gown. My stomach flipped. I tried to speak, but the woman—who I quickly deduced was the wedding planner—started fussing over my hair.

“I don’t think—”

“Signorina, please! We’re already behind schedule. Just breathe, relax. Everything will be perfect.”

The sinking feeling in my gut intensified. “But I’m not—”

“Shh!” She silenced me with a finger to her lips. “Stage fright, I understand. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. Now, take a deep breath.”

Before I could get another word out, she ushered me back into the hallway and toward a pair of grand doors. My pulse quickened. Something was very, very wrong. But the planner pushed the doors open, revealing a room full of guests who all turned to look at me.

And then, the officiant’s voice rang out, loud and clear.

“Signore e signori, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the bride and groom—Mia Thompson and Ryan Collins!”

Wait. What?

For a moment, time stood still. The kind of still where your mind goes completely blank as it tries to process the impossibility of what’s happening. My eyes darted around the room, searching for Lily, searching for an explanation. But all I found were hundreds of eyes on me, applauding like I was the star of the show.

No. This couldn’t be happening. I wasn’t the bride—Lily was supposed to be the bride!

I turned to look beside me, only to lock eyes with a man—a very handsome, very bewildered man—who I’d never seen before in my life. His expression mirrored my own: shock, confusion, and a hint of dawning horror.

“Who the hell are you?” I blurted out, forgetting my manners in the face of sheer disbelief.

The man blinked, his sharp blue eyes narrowing as he seemed to finally find his voice. “Ryan Collins. And you?”

“Mia Thompson,” I whispered back, barely able to believe the words coming out of my mouth. “But I’m not supposed to be here!”

“Neither am I!” Ryan snapped, his voice low and urgent. “This is a mistake—a huge mistake!”

The room erupted in applause, drowning out our protests. Before I knew it, the wedding planner, whom I now mentally dubbed “Madame Miscommunication,” was at my side, beaming as if she’d just orchestrated the most beautiful union in history.

“Congratulations!” she gushed, completely oblivious to the panic in our eyes. “You two look so perfect together!”

I opened my mouth to correct her, to scream that this was all wrong, but she misread my wide-eyed terror as bridal nerves.

“Everything is under control,” she whispered, giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Just take it one step at a time. You’ll be a married woman before you know it!”

I spun around to face Ryan, desperate for some semblance of sanity. “We need to stop this—now.”

But before Ryan could respond, a stern, commanding voice cut through the chaos. “Ryan, my boy! A splendid match!”

A tall, distinguished man who had to be Ryan’s father appeared beside him, clapping a firm hand on Ryan’s shoulder. The resemblance was uncanny—same piercing blue eyes, same strong jawline—though where Ryan looked panicked, his father was radiating approval.

“You’ve done well,” Mr. Collins said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “This union will benefit both our families greatly.”

Ryan opened his mouth to protest, but his father’s grip tightened, a silent warning that now was not the time for objections. I glanced at Ryan, silently pleading for him to do something, anything to fix this mess, but the poor guy looked as trapped as I felt.

Then, to make matters worse, I spotted my parents pushing their way through the crowd. My mom had tears in her eyes, and my dad’s face was beaming with pride.

“Mia, sweetheart!” My mom threw her arms around me, squeezing me tight. “I can’t believe it! You’ve gone and married such a fine young man!”

“No, Mom, it’s not—” I tried to explain, but she wasn’t listening. Nobody was listening.

“You didn’t tell us you were getting married!” my dad added, clapping Ryan on the back with enough force to make him stagger. “But I always knew you’d find someone special.”

“It’s a mistake!” I finally managed to shout, breaking free from my mom’s embrace. “I’m not supposed to be here! This isn’t my wedding!”

The room fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting into laughter. The kind of laughter that said, “Oh, she’s so nervous, how adorable!” My protests were brushed off as some sort of endearing pre-wedding jitters.

Ryan ran a hand through his hair, clearly at a loss. “This is insane,” he muttered under his breath. “We need to find a way out of this.”

I nodded vigorously, but the guests had already started moving forward, congratulating us, offering well wishes, and completely disregarding the truth of the situation.

I was swept away by a tide of well-meaning relatives, friends, and complete strangers, all eager to celebrate a wedding that wasn’t supposed to happen. Ryan and I were separated by the crowd, and I could only watch helplessly as he was pulled in the opposite direction, his protests similarly lost in the sea of celebratory chaos.

For a moment, I considered making a break for it, just running out the door and leaving the whole mess behind. But then I caught sight of Lily’s parents across the room. They looked utterly bewildered, clearly wondering why their daughter wasn’t the one in the spotlight. And that’s when it hit me.

I couldn’t just leave. If I bolted now, I’d not only ruin this wedding, but I’d also ruin my friendship with Lily—and who knows what kind of mess Ryan would be left to deal with.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to smile as I was pulled toward a makeshift stage where Ryan was already standing, looking like a man on the gallows. The DJ started playing some romantic tune, and I knew there was no escaping the next phase of this debacle: the first dance.

“Ready?” I asked Ryan as I reached him, my voice thick with irony.

He sighed, offering me his hand. “Not even a little bit.”

We moved to the center of the dance floor, and the music swelled around us. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on us, but all I could think about was how absurd this whole situation was. There I was, dancing with a stranger who had somehow become my accidental husband, in front of a room full of people who thought this was the happiest day of my life.

As we swayed awkwardly to the music, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. The whole thing was just too ridiculous. Ryan raised an eyebrow, glancing down at me.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

I shook my head, still chuckling. “Just thinking about how I’m going to explain this to Lily.”

Ryan snorted, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. “And I’m wondering how I’m going to explain this to my boss.”

We both laughed then, the absurdity of our situation hitting us full force. For a moment, the tension between us eased, and we were just two people caught up in a bizarre, surreal moment.

But as the dance ended and the guests cheered, reality came crashing back. We were in deep trouble, and I had no idea how we were going to get out of it.

As we pulled apart, I caught Ryan’s gaze and saw the same mix of determination and desperation that I felt.

“We need to figure this out,” I whispered, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

“Agreed,” Ryan replied, his expression grim. “But first, we need to survive the rest of this wedding.”

I nodded, taking a deep breath as we were once again swept up by the crowd. Somehow, someway, we were going to have to untangle this mess. But for now, all we could do was play along and hope that the next twist in this crazy day didn’t make things even worse.

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