The Last Tomorrow

Chapter 3

ELISE' POV

She tried again.

The password still incorrect.

“Seriously, Nathan?”

She held her head, frustrated. Then suddenly remembered something.

Nathan had once told her that if she ever needed access to get into his laptop, she should just try the name of their old dog.

She doubted for a second, but that was her last hope.

With her hands trembling she typed the name and the screen unlocked. She was so happy and immediately opened his documents, hoping to find something useful.

But most of the files seemed normal, schoolwork and personal notes. She had already given up at this point, with a heavy heart she was about to close the laptop.

Then a folder caught her attention. It was labelled September. At first she decided not to pay attention to it because it was her birth month, but hoped she'd find something out of it.

She clicked on it. There were only a few files inside, mostly containing photographs and documents she couldn't make sense of. One file however, had a strange name.

R Project.

A project?... Before she could make sense of it she heard a knock on her door. It was her mother.

“Elise?”

Vivian stood at the entrance, glaring at the laptop and back at her daughter making her way into the room.

“What are you doing here darling?”

“Nothing.”

“You've been here all morning?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Because you haven't eaten, and your father is still upset about last night. I don't want another argument between you two.”

“So you two need me to be strong and healthy for you Lucas.”

Elise let out a feign laugh.

“Please, don't start!”

“I'm not starting anything mum, you and your husband did. I can't understand why everyone is more concerned about my marriage than Nathan's death.”

Vivian's expression changed, she held her hands above her lips.

“Elise…you know how much we miss him!”

“Do I?” Elise asked quietly. “Because sometimes I look around this house, everything so normal and I wonder if I'm the only one who remembers he's gone.”

Her mother turned her gaze.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then Elise asked the question that had been bothering her since the night Nathan died.

“Mum, was Nathan's death really an accident?”

Vivian couldn't believe her ears.

Her look tightened.

“What sort of question is that?”

“I need an answer!”

“Of course it was an accident. Why would you think otherwise?”

For a moment she stared at her mother, hoping to find the slightest hint of uncertainty.

“I don't know”, she lied. “I just keep thinking about him, my bad.”

Her mum walked over to her, and gently patted her shoulder.

“Your brother is no more. We can't keep torturing ourselves with questions that have no answers.”

Elise removed her hands, “Maybe they have answers. We just haven't found them yet.”

Her mother said nothing, and somehow that silence bothered her more following the message she had received.

By evening, Elise had made up her mind.

She would marry Lucas Reed.

Not because her father had ordered it. Not because the two families thought it would strengthen their empires.

She would do it because someone had given her unreasonable doubt that Nathan's death was connected to the Reeds. She would do it to get justice for Nathan.

She still didn't know whether Lucas was involved in the death, or if it was just his parents, or if she was just being manipulated by the mysterious sender.

But she didn't want to risk finding out the truth to ignoring the possibility.

She walked towards her mirror, just looking at herself.

Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her face screamed exhaustion.

She thought about the life she had always imagined, the wedding she always dreamed of, all that seemed impossible now and the thought of it only made Elise cry more.

She picked up her phone and opened the message one last time.

“If you want me to marry Lucas Reed, then I'll do it.” Whatever it takes for my Nathan.

Elise wiped her tears and headed for the dining room. Since Nathan's death the table had been oddly quiet, but tonight's tiredness seemed different.

When Elsie arrived none of them had noticed. Her father scrolling through his tablet and her mother sipping her tea.

When she finally pulled out a chair her mother raised her head up.

“Good evening Elise.”

“Good evening mum.”

Elise reached for a glass of water, trying to avoid her mother's gaze.

“You finally decided to grace us with your presence tonight.”, her father said out loudly still on his tablet.

Elise raised an eyebrow.“Is that a problem?”

“Must you always have something displeasing to say?”, her father finally put his tablet away.

Elise almost laughed.

*Yesterday he had announced my wedding to an entire room filled with people. Yet somehow, I was the disrespectful one.” Elise thought to herself.

“I've made a decision.”She said, ignoring his remark.

Both her parents were eager to hear what she had to say.

“I'm willing to get married to Lucas Reed.”

Her mother's eyes widened.

Her father removed his glasses in disbelief, wondering if he had heard something else.

“You're willing to what?!”

“Marry Lucas Reed. Isn't that what you've always wanted all along?”

Her father leaned back in his chair, carefully studying her.

“And what made you suddenly change your mind?, did an angel appear to you in your dreams?”

She met his gaze without fear.

“Oh please, don't try to be funny, isn't this what you wanted?”

“Elise!”

“What?You wanted me to blindly agree, and I've agreed now. Now we can all be happy.”

“Darling, you don't have to speak to your father in that manner.” Her mother tried to calm the both of them

“Then he should stop giving me reasons to.”

With that Elise stood, ready to take her leave.

Then she paused, “One more thing. When do I get to meet my future husband?”

“You'll meet him in the morning tomorrow. The Reeds have invited us over for lunch.”