Episode 18
Michael Carter (FL dad)
…What?
Sarah Carter (FL mom)
That’s impossible!
David Bennett (ML dad)
(David clenches his jaw, his eyes flickering with something unreadable.)
Michael Carter (FL dad)
(voice rising) What do you mean, gone?!
Lily Carter (FL younger sis)
(shaking, holds up the letter) She’s gone! I went to check on her, and she wasn’t there. Her wedding dress is still hanging, untouched! I found this on her desk! (holds up the letter, her hands trembling.)
(Sarah snatches the letter, her eyes scanning the words. A muscle twitches in her jaw. Michael leans over her shoulder, reading in silence. The room grows suffocating.)
David Bennett (ML dad)
(cold, arms crossed) I knew this would happen
David Bennett (ML dad)
(His voice is emotionless, but his fingers tighten into a fist. The weight of his words hangs over the room like a guillotine.)
(Elena steps into the room, eyebrows furrowing at the tension. She had been preparing to greet the guests, but now… something feels off.)
Elena Carter (FL)
(frowning) Mom? Dad? What’s going on? Everyone’s waiting for you outside—
(Her sentence cuts off when she notices the way her parents are standing. The look on her father’s face. The clenched letter in her mother’s hand. The dark expression on David Bennett’s face.)
Sarah Carter (FL mom)
(turning to her, voice trembling) Your sister ran away.
Elena Carter (FL)
(laughs nervously) What?
(She waits for someone to say, "Just kidding," but the silence is louder than any words. Her stomach drops.)
David Bennett (ML dad)
(serious) She’s gone. Disappeared. Left a letter behind.
Elena Carter (FL)
(shaking her head, her chest tightening) She—She wouldn’t—Why would she do that?
Elena Carter (FL)
(Her voice cracks at the end.) *Evelyn was never the reckless one. Never the selfish one. So why…?*
Michael Carter (FL dad)
(rubbing his temples, voice edged with frustration) Does it matter? She’s gone, and now we have to fix this.
Elena Carter (FL)
(heart pounding) Fix? What do you mean, fix?
David Bennett (ML dad)
(voice firm, eyes like steel) Elena, I don’t know anything. But this—this is about my reputation. I needed assurance, and your sister couldn’t even give me that
(His words send a chill down Elena’s spine. There’s no sadness in his voice. No heartbreak over Evelyn. Just… anger. Just damage control.)
Elena Carter (FL)
(frustrated, voice rising) So what?! What are you expecting now?!
David Bennett (ML dad)
(Deadly) You’ll take her place.
Elena Carter (FL)
(stares, disbelieving) No… No, no, NO.
Sarah Carter (FL mom)
(expression unreadable) Yes.
Elena Carter (FL)
(shaking her head furiously, stepping back) I— I’m NOT walking down that aisle! You’re insane if you think—
Michael Carter (FL dad)
(cutting in, voice firm) Enough! You will do as we say.
(Elena feels the walls closing in. The room feels smaller, suffocating.)
Elena Carter (FL)
Evelyn RAN AWAY. That’s not MY problem!
Sarah Carter (FL mom)
(coldly) It is now
(A beat of silence. The finality of those words sinks into Elena’s bones. Her breath stutters. Her pulse races.)
Elena Carter (FL)
(whispers) You’re sacrificing me to fix this mess?
David Bennett (ML dad)
(voice steady, unwavering) Elena, listen to me. The guests are here. The media is watching. If this wedding doesn’t happen, both families will face disgrace.
Elena Carter (FL)
*Disgrace. That’s all they care about. Not Evelyn. Not me?? Just their name.*
Elena Carter (FL)
(bitter laugh, eyes burning) Oh, well, we must keep up appearances, right?
(Sarah doesn’t respond. Instead, she picks up the veil Evelyn should have worn, shoving it into Elena’s hands.)
Sarah Carter (FL mom)
Put it on
Elena Carter (FL)
(Elena stares at the veil. The delicate lace brushes against her fingertips. But it feels like chains.)
Elena Carter (FL)
(shaking, whispering) This isn’t happening.
And with that, her fate was sealed
What happened next? Well, you already know
If you have forgot you can read episode 16 again
LUNA (Author)
Are you guys finding this story intresting?? Let me know
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