ELARA'S POV
I stabbed my finger with the needle for the third time today.
"Ouch!" I sucked on my fingertip, tasting blood. The tiny red dot spread across the white fabric of my wedding dress. My heart dropped.
No, no, no. Not today. Not the day before my wedding.
I grabbed a tissue and pressed it against the stain, hoping it would disappear. The white dress lay across my bed, almost finished. Just a few more stitches on the hem, and it would be perfect. Perfect for tomorrow. Perfect for Liam.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I smiled when I saw his name.
"Hey, babe," I answered, still holding the tissue against my dress.
"Elara." His voice sounded strange. Flat. Cold.
I sat up straighter. "Liam? Are you okay?"
A long pause. Too long.
"We need to talk. Can you come to your parents' house in an hour?"
My stomach twisted. "My parents' house? Why? I thought we were having dinner at—"
"Just come, Elara. It's important." He hung up before I could ask more questions.
I stared at my phone. My hands started shaking.
This was normal, right? Couples get nervous before weddings. Maybe he wanted to surprise me with something. Maybe he bought me a gift and left it at Mom's house. Yes, that had to be it.
I looked at the blood stain on my dress. It hadn't disappeared. If anything, it looked bigger now.
I pushed the thought away and grabbed my car keys.
The drive to my childhood home took twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of my mind racing with questions. Twenty minutes of my heart beating faster and faster.
Liam's car was already in the driveway. So was my stepmother's. And Chloe's.
Why was everyone here?
I walked up the front steps and opened the door. The house was quiet. Too quiet.
"Hello?" I called out.
"In the living room, dear." My stepmother's voice drifted from down the hall.
I walked slowly, my feet feeling heavy. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones.
When I entered the living room, I froze.
Liam sat on the couch, staring at the floor. My stepmother stood by the window with her arms crossed. And Chloe—my stepsister—sat in the big chair, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Her face was red and puffy.
"What's going on?" I asked. My voice came out small and scared.
Liam finally looked up at me. His eyes were sad. So, so sad.
"Sit down, Elara," my stepmother said.
"I don't want to sit down. I want someone to tell me what's happening."
Liam stood up. He walked toward me but stopped a few feet away. Like he was afraid to get too close.
"Elara, I..." He ran his hand through his hair. "I can't marry you tomorrow."
The world stopped spinning.
"What?" I whispered.
"I'm so sorry. I know this is terrible timing, but—"
"But what?" My voice got louder. "Liam, our wedding is tomorrow! The guests are coming. The food is ordered. My dress is—" I stopped. I thought about the blood stain. The bad sign.
"I know," he said. "I know all of that. But something happened."
Chloe sobbed louder from her chair. I looked at her, really looked at her. She was wearing a hospital bracelet on her wrist.
"Chloe is sick," my stepmother said softly. "Very sick."
My anger melted into confusion. "Sick? What do you mean?"
"The doctors ran tests last week," Chloe said between sobs. "They found something bad. Really bad. They say I only have a few months to live."
I felt like someone punched me in the stomach. "Chloe, I'm so sorry. That's awful. But I don't understand what this has to do with—"
"She has a dying wish," Liam interrupted.
I looked at him. His face was serious. Too serious.
"A dying wish?" I repeated.
"She wants to get married before she dies," my stepmother said. "She wants to know what it feels like to be a bride. To wear a white dress. To have one perfect day before..." She trailed off.
My brain tried to process this information. It didn't make sense.
"Okay," I said slowly. "That's sad. We can help plan something for her. We can—"
"She wants to marry me," Liam said.
Everything went silent. I couldn't hear anything except my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.
"Excuse me?" I said.
"She's loved me for years, Elara. She never told anyone because she knew we were together. But now that she's dying, she finally said something. She asked if I would grant her this one wish."
I started laughing. I couldn't help it. This had to be a joke. A really, really bad joke.
"You're kidding, right? This is some weird prank before the wedding? To test me or something?"
No one laughed with me.
"Elara, be reasonable," my stepmother said. "Your sister is dying."
"She's my stepsister," I said. The words came out harsh. "And I still don't understand. Why does she need to marry my fiancé?"
"Because I love him!" Chloe cried. "I've always loved him! And now I'm dying, and I'll never get to be happy!"
"So I don't get to be happy?" I looked at Liam. "You're actually considering this?"
He wouldn't meet my eyes. "It's just for a little while. Just to make her happy before she goes. Then, after... after it's over, we can get married. You and me. Like we planned."
I felt my knees go weak. "You want me to wait? You want me to stand aside while you marry my stepsister, and then come back to me when she dies?"
"When you say it like that, it sounds bad—"
"It IS bad!" I screamed. "It's insane! How can you ask me to do this?"
"Elara, don't be selfish," my stepmother said sharply. "Think about Chloe for once in your life."
"Selfish?" I turned to her. "I'm selfish? I've done everything for this family! I gave up my dream job in New York to stay here. I helped pay for Chloe's car. I—"
"And we're grateful," my stepmother interrupted. "Which is why you should understand. Family helps family. Chloe needs this."
I looked at each of them. My stepmother's cold face. Chloe's fake tears. Liam's cowardly eyes.
"So, that's it?" I asked. "You've all decided? I don't get a say?"
"The wedding is tomorrow anyway," Liam said quietly. "We'll just... change the bride. Everything's already paid for. Everything's ready. It makes sense."
"It makes sense?" I repeated. I felt something break inside my chest. "You're going to use MY wedding for HER?"
"Oh, stop being dramatic," my stepmother said. "You'll get your turn later."
"Get out," I said.
Everyone looked at me.
"What?" Liam asked.
"I said GET OUT! Get out of this house! Get out of my life!" Tears poured down my face. "If you marry her, Liam, we're done. Forever. I won't be your second choice. I won't be your backup plan."
"Elara, please—"
"Get out!" I screamed louder.
My stepmother's face turned hard. "If that's how you feel, then maybe YOU should get out."
I stared at her. "What?"
"This is my house. If you can't support your sister in her time of need, then you're not welcome here anymore."
The room spun. "You're kicking me out?"
"I'm asking you to leave until you can be reasonable."
I looked at Liam one more time. Hoping he would say something. Hoping he would choose me.
He looked at the floor.
"Fine," I whispered. "I'll go."
I turned and walked out of that house. I walked out of my old life.
I got in my car and drove away, tears blurring my vision.
I didn't know where I was going.
I didn't know what I would do.
I only knew one thing.
Everything I loved was gone.