A Wedding Without a Bride
Chapter 08 - A Wedding Without a Bride
The guests were sent home.
Some left quietly.
Others whispered into their phones before reaching their cars.
By sunset, photographs of Eleanor soaked on the lawn had already appeared online.
The story spread quickly.
WEALTHY WEDDING TURNS UGLY.
MOTHER HUMILIATED AT SON'S MANSION.
No one knew the full truth.
Eleanor didn't care about strangers.
She cared about Daniel.
And Madison.
The wedding had collapsed before the vows.
Madison sat alone in the bridal suite.
Daniel stood outside the door but couldn't bring himself to knock.
Eleanor found him there.
"You love her?"
Daniel nodded.
"Then talk to her."
"What if she knew more than she's admitting?"
"Then you'll learn the truth."
Daniel looked at his mother.
"How can you say that after what happened to you?"
Eleanor touched his cheek.
"Because pain doesn't excuse cowardice."
Daniel knocked.
Madison opened the door.
They talked for nearly two hours.
Madison admitted she knew her mother had pressured Eleanor about the property.
But she didn't know about the forged deed.
She had accepted Victoria's version because it was convenient.
Just as Daniel had.
They had both chosen comfort over questions.
By midnight, they made a decision.
There would be no wedding.
Not tomorrow.
Not next week.
They would separate temporarily.
Not because they stopped loving each other.
Because neither of them knew how much of their relationship had been built inside other people's lies.
Downstairs, Eleanor received another phone call from her attorney.
The foreclosure could potentially be stopped.
But only if they proved fraud quickly.
There was one problem.
The original deed was missing.
May you like
And Charles had disappeared.
Along with his briefcase.
