Chapter 4 - The Getaway
I didn't stick around to watch the rest.
I got into my car, locked the doors, and drove away as the chaos erupted behind me.
My phone started ringing before I even hit the highway.
First it was my mother. Then my father. Then a dozen unknown numbers.
I muted the device and tossed it onto the passenger seat.
The silence in the car was deafening, but it felt like freedom.
For twenty-eight years, I had bent over backward to earn my family's love.
I had paid off their debts, funded their lifestyle, and smiled through their insults.
Never again.
When I finally arrived at my apartment, I poured myself a glass of cheap wine and opened my laptop.
I unmuted my phone.
Forty-two missed calls. A hundred text messages.
I opened the first text from my mother.
How could you? You ruined your sister's life! Come back here and fix this immediately!
I deleted it.
Then, my screen flashed with an incoming call from Julian, the groom.
I hesitated for a moment before swiping right.
"Hello?" I said softly.
"Eleanor," Julian's voice was hoarse. He sounded like he was in shock. "Is it true?"
"You saw the screen, Julian. You heard her voice."
"She told me her parents were paying for everything," he whispered. "She told me you refused to contribute a dime because you were jealous."
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.
"I transferred forty-five thousand dollars to her account over the last six months."
Silence stretched on the other end of the line.
"Where did the money go, Eleanor?" he finally asked. "If it didn't go to the wedding, where is it?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "But you need to ask your new wife."
"She's not my wife," Julian said flatly. "We hadn't signed the marriage certificate yet. And we never will."
May you like
He hung up.
I stared at the phone. The wedding was off.
