She Was Paid $20,000 to Play a Bride—Then Found Out It Was Real

PART 2:

‘ We’re ready for you, Miss Parker. ‘ Thank you. I wish someone would finally give me a script. ‘ Calm down, Angela. Focus on the job. Act well, collect  the money, and go home. That’s all you have to do. ‘ He’s gorgeous. Is he a new actor or maybe a model?  ‘ Angelina Parker, do you take this man to be your husband? To remain beside him in prosperity and hardship, in sickness and in health? ‘ What? ‘ Excuse me, father.

 May I speak with my bride for a moment? Are you all right? ‘ Uh, yes, of course. I’m sorry. I’m just a little anxious. This is my first time playing a bride. Why does your voice sound different? What changed? ‘ My voice? Does it sound bad on camera? ‘ Don’t you know that you’re actually about to get married? ‘ You do realize this is my first time acting as a bride, right? The pay is generous, but the director might scold us if we keep talking.

‘ Just keep saying yes. ‘ All right, you’re the lead actor. I’ll follow your queue. ‘ Yes. ‘ You may kiss the bride. ‘ Don’t kiss me. That wasn’t part of the deal. ‘ Don’t rush into the light. Some roads were heaven while their heart. ‘ That jerk. He did it even after I warned him.

 I was only told to pretend to be a bride. I should have thought of that before accepting this job. ‘ Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, please come forward to cut the wedding cake. [cheering] ‘ I have to do that, too. ‘ Yes, ma’am. Everyone is waiting. Let’s cut the cake. Ready? My love. ‘ Yes. ‘ Perfect. ‘ Smile for the guest, sweetheart. ‘ I’m trying.

 It would be easier if anyone had bothered to give me a schedule. Neither one was chasing.  One believed in destiny. [singing] One believed in morning hidden. ‘ Where is the extras dressing room? ‘ Ma’am, Mr. Henderson is asking for you. ‘ Wait a second, brother. Where is the dressing room for the extras? ‘ What extras, ma’am? I’m afraid I don’t understand.

‘ Never mind. I’ll ask Charlie. Where is he? There she is. ‘ This is your bride. She’s Angelina Parker, correct? ‘ Yes, Mom. This is Angie, short for Angelina. Come here, sweetheart. Angela is your nickname, isn’t it? ‘ Yes, that’s right. ‘ Are you certain she’s the same Angelina, son? Something feels  different.

‘ I’m certain, Mom. I recognize her voice. This is Angie. All right. We’ll call you tomorrow before everyone leaves for the vacation home in Hawaii. ‘ Good night, Mom. Good night, Dad.  ‘ Where do you think you’re going? ‘ Can’t we take a break from filming? You paid me well, but even extras deserve a few hours off. I’m exhausted.

 And hey, why are you locking me in? This isn’t right. Don’t you want to rest? I’m tired. And that kiss wasn’t even part of our agreement. Did you really think we were supposed to do all of this? ‘ Did you really think we were only acting? ‘ Of course I did. Who told you otherwise? ‘ No one needed to tell me.

 That was a real wedding. You and I were legally married today. ‘ What are you saying? ‘ You heard me. The ceremony was real. ‘ But you knew I wasn’t the woman you were supposed to marry. You still fed me those lines and told me to keep saying yes. I was foolish enough to agree because I thought I was following an actor’s cue.

‘ My family would have been humiliated if everyone discovered that the bride had run away. I didn’t tell my parents the truth, although I think they already suspect something. They could tell that you weren’t the woman they expected. ‘ Why didn’t you know what your own fiance looked like? ‘ I used to be blind.

 We were together for 5 years, but I only had surgery to restore my sight last year. I had never actually seen my girlfriend’s face. ‘ That still doesn’t explain why you married me. Me, Charlie? Why me? ‘ I should be asking you that question. Why were you the woman who showed up? I sent someone to bring Angelina Parker to the salon.

 Why did you come in her place? ‘ A man gave me $20,000. He told me I was being hired as an extra. He said I had to give my full name whenever anyone asked and that I should do my best to play a bride. I had no idea I was practically selling myself for $20,000. What am I going to do? This can’t be happening. I’m not the woman you intended to marry. I need to leave.

Sir, here are Mrs. Parker’s belongings. ‘ Hey, be careful. My phone is in there. ‘ WHAT WAS THAT? Is it a bomb? THROW THE BAG AWAY BEFORE IT EXPLODES. ‘ BOOM. ‘ You’re unbelievable. What on earth is that noisy thing? ‘ Don’t be so dramatic. Haven’t you ever seen a phone? This is a cell phone. ‘ It looks ancient.

 I didn’t know phones like this still existed. ‘ Don’t act so superior. Just because you own some fancy gadget doesn’t give you the right to insult mine. It still works perfectly. I’m leaving. You married the wrong person and I need to find the man who paid me. Maybe he knows where your real fiance is. ‘ You can’t leave. Documents.

 Whether you understood them or not, you are legally my wife. ‘ You know I’m not the woman you expected. I’m Angela. Just Angela. I only went through with that bride performance because I’m an extra. ‘ This wasn’t a performance. My life isn’t a movie. If everyone discovers what happened, my entire family will be disgraced. I can’t allow that.

‘ Then what exactly do you expect me to do? ‘ Act like my wife starting now. You don’t leave my side. Wherever I go, you go. ‘ Absolutely not. ‘ Don’t you understand the position you’re in? I could file a case against you for impersonation. I could say you had accompllices. Since I used to be blind, I had no idea what my fianceé looked like.

 I could claim you harmed her, stole her identity, and tricked me into marrying you. The nerve of you. ‘ Now, this is somehow my fault. I’m an extra in television shows and movies. Why is my life being turned upside down? Because someone lied to me. ‘ You still can’t leave. ‘ Everyone in this hotel knows you as my wife. That’s final. ‘ It’s now or never. inestin.

‘ What are you doing? ‘ Leave me alone. Aren’t you ashamed of marrying the wrong woman just because you’re afraid of embarrassment? You’re a coward. ‘ You’re the crazy one. Don’t you understand that my family’s honor is at stake? I refuse to be humiliated in front of hundreds of guests. ‘ My family may not be prominent, but they have empty stomachs.

 What happens to them if I disappear? I’m the only one supporting them. Don’t you understand that? And your solution was to jump from the balcony. We’re on the 10th floor. ‘ The 10th floor? ‘ Yes, 10th floor. You’re lucky I stopped you. I don’t want your body splattered across the sidewalk. ‘ Fine, but this marriage cannot continue.

‘ Then let’s make a deal. $5 million. Is that enough? ‘ What? ‘ $5 million in exchange for remaining married to me. Wherever I go, you go. In public, you behave like my wife. ‘ And what about the rest of your so-called wely duties? ‘ We’ll discuss those later. ‘ No, I won’t sell my freedom for $5 million.

  I can still work to support my family. And marriage has never been part of my plans. ‘ What are you doing? Put me down, you jerk. ‘ Be quiet. You’re too noisy. I spent months preparing for this wedding.  I won’t let the entire marriage collapse in one night. ‘ What are you planning to do? Stop. We can’t do that. I won’t agree to it.

‘ What are you doing? ‘ What does it look like? I’m lying on my stomach. ‘ But why? ‘ Because I want to rest now. Be quiet for a while. You talk too much. Stop squirming. Relax. I’m not going to do anything to you tonight. ‘ You  don’t get to decide what happens to me tonight or any other night. ‘ Then don’t run away.

 And I won’t have to keep chasing you, ‘ pervert. Morning  painted silver on thevenue.  ‘ People believe you’re the daughter of a wealthy family. It will look suspicious if you continue carrying worn out luggage and an antique phone. ‘ My belongings may be old, but at least they’re mine. Don’t think buying me new things means you own me.

‘ I don’t. I’m protecting the story we were forced to create. ‘ You created it. ‘ I was tricked into it.This is our vacation home. ‘ Mr. Charlie, congratulations on your wedding. I hope you and your bride give this family a baby very soon. Mr. Williams, you’re going to make my wife shy. It’s nice to meet you, Mr.

Williams.  [singing] ‘ Angelina, come here. I want you to cook something. After that, take a shower. We have plans, and I don’t like delaying anything I can have immediately. ‘ You’re disgusting. ‘ Why? What did you expect from the man you married? Do you think a husband waits forever for his wife to decide whether she wants him? One reason people marry is to share that kind of intimacy.

So, you think my body is included in the $5 million arrangement you proposed? That money barely covers the forced kiss you gave me. Now you’re trying to claim my body, too. How convenient for you. ‘ Is that what you think? ‘ It’s exactly what I think. ‘ What the Put me down. ‘ Stop shouting.

 I won’t allow the wedding I planned for months to go to waste. ‘ What are you going to do now? Stop. I refuse to do this. What are you doing?  ‘ I’m lying down, obviously. ‘ Why are you lying like that? ‘ Because I’m tired and I want to rest. I also want you beside me. ‘ I thought you wanted me to cook. ‘ Change my mind. Don’t move.

 I’m letting you off the hook for now. ‘ There is no hook. You can’t force me to become the wife you imagined. ‘ And you can’t disappear without helping me fix  the disaster we both walked into. ‘ I didn’t do anything to deserve this. All I wanted was a job. Yet I’m the one who’s frightened and miserable. ‘ You can’t leave yet.

 The world believes you’re my wife. Until we find a way through this, stay beside me. ‘ This park is so much fun. ‘ Yeah, better than the beach. ‘ Oh, look, the ocean. ‘ Let’s go to the arcade. ‘ Okay, the claw machines. ‘ You’re on. ‘ Aren’t we ever going to the beach? We could go swimming, explore the islands, or at least visit a nice resort.

‘ No, we’re going to eat and play here. ‘ I’m out of tokens, and I haven’t won a single toy. This thing is rigged. ‘ Calm down. Don’t destroy it. You’ll have to pay for the damage. ‘ I’ve spent a fortune on tokens and won nothing. The machine is cheating me. I should smash it. ‘ Knock it off and give me the rest of your tokens.

 But I want something in return. ‘ What do you want? ‘ If I win five stuff toys in a row from these machines, you’ll take me to a beautiful beach resort or let me go island hopping. ‘ Fine. Let’s see whether you’re as talented as you claim. If you win five in a row, I’ll do what you want. ‘ You asked for it. These machines are easy.

 I played them all the time back home.  [singing] ‘ I don’t believe this. You’re actually good at it. ‘ A deal is a deal. We’re going to the beach. ‘ All right, you win. Even if your heart still calls it just a game,  every step you take is pulling something. ‘ Well, Charlie, fancy meeting you here. I suppose fate wanted our paths to cross.

Hello, Troy. We’re having a pool party later. Maybe we’ll finally see whether you learn to swim again after getting your sight back. Fine. I’ll see you at the Henderson Five-Star Hotel. ‘ Are you all right? You look nervous. I’m fine. Why would you ask? ‘ Because you went pale the moment your cousin mentioned swimming.

‘ It’s nothing. Don’t you have anything nicer to wear? I bought you several swimsuits. ‘ You’re the one who chose all of them, including this one. Stop changing the subject. Do you have a problem with swimming? Is that why you avoided the beach until I forced you to come? ‘ I’m cold. Maybe I need someone to warm me up.

‘ Nice try. Tell me what’s really going on. ‘ There’s nothing to tell. ‘  ‘ Why are you acting like this? You can still turn around if you don’t want to be here. ‘ I said I would come. I’m not giving Troy the satisfaction of watching me run away. Oh, Charlie, are you still traumatized by the water? Afraid history might repeat itself? What are you talking about? You were 18 when you nearly drowned and lost your sight, weren’t you? The irony is that you used to be an exceptional swimmer.

 Everyone called you Charlie the Great. Now look at you hiding with your tail between your legs. ‘ Come  on, sweetheart. Let’s go somewhere else. You don’t have to prove anything to these people. ‘ Not so fast. We’re having a swimming contest and Charlie already agreed to compete. ‘ When exactly did you arrange this competition? ‘ Stay out of it.

 You probably think I don’t know your little secret. I know she isn’t the woman you were supposed to marry. You may have been blind, Charlie, but the rest of us weren’t. Is that what this is about? Fine. Where do you want to race? Name the time and place. Right now, blind boy. ‘ Can you really do this? It’s all right to refuse. Don’t let him provoke you.

Even if you win, he’ll probably find another way to humiliate you. ‘ I can’t back down. ‘ Why not? ‘ Because I won’t let him insult you in front of everyone. You’re my wife. You’re the woman I married. You’re not fake. And you’re not pretending. Do you understand ‘ that stubborn man? If anything goes wrong, I’ll dive in and save Charlie.

The race begins on my signal. Ready? Are you ready to lose? On your marks, get set. ‘ [snorts] ‘ Sweetheart, can you hear me? Angela, please answer me. I know CPR. Move aside. I’ll give her mouth to mouth. Are you out of your mind? She’s my wife. Then you do it. Just hurry or she might die. That’s it. Breathe, sweetheart.

 Just breathe. [gasps] You terrified me. Don’t ever scare me like that again. ‘ I’m sorry. That wasn’t part of my plan. Some idiot pushed me from behind. ‘ Charlie, what’s wrong, Charlie? Are you using your wife as an excuse to run from our race? That’s for insulting my wife. Now, let’s finish this and put an end to your bragging.

‘ Go, sweetheart. You can do it. ‘ Welcome back, Charlie the Great. Thanks, Troy. ‘    ‘ This may be my best chance to escape. He’s distracted and he won’t know where to find me if I leave now. ‘ And you got a smile. A heart that’s  real. One more call, one more ride.

 Open face, standing by your  side. Life keep moving, never too slow. ‘ Angela, ‘ sweetheart, where are you? ‘ No, ‘ she wouldn’t leave without saying anything.  ‘  ‘ Charlie, we know the truth. The woman you married was not the wealthy Angelina your families expected to see at the altar. ‘ That wedding cannot be valid.

‘ According to whom? Angela is the only woman I will ever accept as my wife. I won’t marry anyone else. But son, we’ve already found the woman you were originally supposed to marry. ‘ I’m here. Charlie ‘ Angelina, ‘ you knew the woman at the altar wasn’t the one you expected. Why did you go through with the wedding? ‘ At first, I did it because I didn’t want my family to be humiliated.

 But that was only my first reason. If I could return to that moment now, I would still marry Angela, even knowing she wasn’t the woman everyone expected. She’s worth marrying. I’m certain of that. Even though we lived together for only a month. ‘ I know where you can find her. But can you truly accept her life as it is? She doesn’t come from wealth.

 Her world is nothing like yours. ‘ Yes, I can. Please tell me where she is. ‘ Hey, sis. You should have accepted that rich husband’s offer. Walking away from $5 million was such a waste. Jen, stop bothering me about it. I’d rather wash clothes for a living. At least laundry doesn’t threaten my freedom or trap me in a hotel suite.

‘ But do you miss him? No. That sounded convincing. Angela, there’s a new acting job that pays $20,000. You only have to play a street vendor fighting off a few gangsters. Are you interested? Why do they want me? There are plenty of other women around here. They asked for you specifically.

 You’re a seasoned professional. Who knows, this might finally be your big break. The last person who promised me a big break accidentally married me to a billionaire. ‘ What are the chances of that happening twice? ‘ What is it this time? Why do I always end up in these strange independent productions? ‘ Stop worrying. They’re paying well.

‘ Are you Angelina Parker? ‘ No, I’m Angela. ‘ That’s her. Take her. ‘ Let me go, you lunatics. My name is Angela. Angela, someone help her. You traitors. I’LL COME BACK FOR every one of you. ‘ What is going on? ‘ Ow. Stop that. You have a vious swing. ‘ Charlie. ‘ Angela, stop. ‘ You? ‘ Yes, me.

 After you vanished without a word, my life descended into chaos. Look at me. I even had to pretend to be a mafia boss just to get you into this van. ‘ You had me kidnapped. ‘ I had my wife collected after every polite attempt to find her failed. ‘ Whether I left or not was my choice. You don’t own me. ‘ You’re right. I don’t own you.

 But you left in the middle of our honeymoon without telling me whether you were safe. You terrified me. I searched all over Hawaii and New York. I won’t let you disappear like that again. ‘ So now I’m the villain because I escaped a marriage I never agreed to. No, I’m the fool who handled everything badly. But ready or not, we are going back to Hawaii to finish the conversation you ran away from.

 This time, you can tell me what you want and I will listen. ‘ And if I still want to leave, ‘ then I’ll take you home myself. But first, you’re going to hear the truth.  ‘  ‘ You look beautiful. You’re making it difficult for me to concentrate on swimming. ‘ We just got into the pool. I thought this was supposed to help you become completely comfortable in the water.

‘ My fear of water disappeared the moment I had to save you. Something else still haunts me, though. ‘ What? You leaving without a word? ‘ Why me? How did I, of all people, become Charlie Henderson’s accidental bride? ‘ Because you are the woman I love before I even understood who you were. ‘ What do you mean? ‘ The woman my family expected me to marry admitted that she never planned to go through with the wedding.

 She knew I wasn’t truly in love with her. She also knew that you and I had met 5 years ago. ‘ 5 years ago? I don’t remember meeting you. ‘ You helped a blind man at the airport. You spent almost an entire day guiding him around while he waited for someone to collect him. ‘ Wait, were you that skinny blind kid I met at the airport? I remember comforting someone who was crying.

‘ Kid, seriously? ‘ Come back. ‘ I wasn’t crying. Dust got into my eyes. ‘ You were blind. How did dust in your eyes make any difference? [laughter] I’m sorry. I honestly thought you were a teenager. You were so thin and your eyes were full of tears. That’s not the point. You gave me a handkerchief and said, “Kid,  don’t cry.

 Your ride will come soon.” Then you gave me your sandwich. You left the handkerchief with me. The name Angelina Parker was embroidered on it. My nanny read the name to me. I still have it. ‘ All right, don’t be angry, kid. At least we weren’t thrown together entirely by chance. Maybe we really were meant to find each other.

‘ No more deals, no more threats, no more pretending. Do you want to remain married to me? ‘ Yes, but this time I’m saying it because I understand the question. ‘ Then will you stay with me? ‘ I will as your partner, not your prisoner. ‘ Agreed. ‘ And you will never have me kidnapped again. ‘ I’ll try very hard to resist, ‘ Charlie.

‘ I promise. Mom, your cooking is amazing. ‘ You can thank Angela for the recipe. ‘ Oh, no. You were the one who actually cooked it, Mom. But thank you. Speaking of family, after dinner, Angela and I are going to Chicago. It’s time for me to meet her parents properly. You brought their daughter here and married her without first facing her family.

That won’t do. ‘ It’s all right, Dad. My parents are used to me traveling for work. They’ll be shocked that I’m married, but they’ll manage. ‘ That isn’t good enough. Charlie, you and Angela will stay with her family for an entire month. You need to serve and respect your in-laws, too.  Understood? ‘ Yes, sir.

I didn’t know your father was an action star. Oh, so you’re the man who wants to get my daughter pregnant after having her carried away? ‘ Dad, seriously, ‘ Taso, put that knife down. If you keep threatening my granddaughter’s husband, I’ll clobber you with this pan. ‘ What’s happening, Taso? Is that the man who hurt our Angela? ‘ I didn’t realize your entire family belonged in a martial arts movie from the 70s.

‘ Enough, please. Can’t you see how pale my husband is, [laughter] ‘ son? You really can’t take a joke. The truth is, I’m glad someone finally married this stubborn daughter of mine. Otherwise, she might have stayed single forever. ‘ Our home is small, but at least it’s clean. Welcome, Charlie. ‘ Good evening, Mrs. Wright.

 I’m very happy to meet you. ‘ I’m sorry about the sleeping arrangements. The only bedroom upstairs is cramped, and I usually share it with Jennifer. Don’t worry, sis. I’ll stay at Sylvia’s place while you two love birds are here. You didn’t need to say that so loudly. Don’t worry. I also won’t tell Charlie how you got drunk and cried for hours after leaving him.

 Jennifer, you kept sobbing. I miss you so much, darling. You wailed so loudly that everyone in the neighborhood learned who your darling was. Jennifer, stop it. ‘ Really? ‘ Absolutely. She called you darling at least a hundred times. ‘ You know, sweetheart, I thought this place would be terrifying. Now I see how wrong I was.

‘ A neighborhood can be crowded and messy without its people being bad. Some people are born with silver spoons. We were born without spoons at all. But we survive. And most people here are decent. ‘ Welcome to my mansion. ‘ I like it. It has more life in it than some real mansions I visited. ‘ Come on, let’s go to bed.

‘ Wait, you were on this cheer team? I attended the same university. I remember seeing one of the cheerleaders cry after the team lost. Was that you? ‘ Yes, that was me. We had practiced for months and I was devastated when we lost. ‘ So, I may have seen you even before the airport. ‘ Maybe you were destined to keep finding me.

It makes me wonder how many other times our paths cross with either of us realizing it. ‘ It means only one thing. You and I were meant to be together. Mrs. Angela Henderson and Mr. Charlie Henderson. Charlie, how exactly did you lose your sight? I know what happened when you nearly drowned,  but you never told me the details.

‘ When I went under, the current knocked me around. My head struck a piece of metal. The injury damaged my vision and after that I became terrified of deep water. ‘ Then you came along. When I saw you sinking, saving you mattered more than my fear. Because of you, I found my courage again. ‘ At least you’re all right now.

‘ Promise me something. If you don’t want to see me frightened and miserable again, never disappear without telling me. ‘ I promise. And you promise never to trap me when you’re afraid of losing me. I promise  ‘ a good day. Oh, smile a little brighter now.