Chapter Four
795 Words
The Grandfather's Wish
The next morning, Elena woke with a headache.
The sun was already shining through the curtains, painting golden patterns across the bedroom floor.
Beside her, Adrian's side of the bed was empty.
He had left early.
Or perhaps he had never really been there at all.
Elena sat up slowly and glanced at the framed wedding photo on the dresser.
A beautiful bride.
A handsome groom.
A perfect picture.
A perfect lie.
She stared at it for a long moment before a painful memory surfaced.
A memory she had spent six years trying to forget.
---
Six years earlier.
The day before the wedding.
Elena stood in the garden of the Hart estate.
Her white dress fluttered in the breeze as she nervously waited beneath a large oak tree.
She had been excited.
Terrified.
Hopeful.
She was about to marry the man she had loved for years.
Then Adrian arrived.
Even then, something about him seemed distant.
Cold.
He stopped a few feet away from her.
His expression unreadable.
"There's something I need to tell you."
Elena smiled nervously.
"What is it?"
He didn't smile back.
Instead, he looked away.
As if the conversation bored him already.
"I don't love you."
The words struck her like a slap.
For a moment, she thought she had misheard.
"What?"
Adrian sighed.
"I said I don't love you."
The world seemed to tilt beneath her feet.
She stared at him in disbelief.
"But... we're getting married tomorrow."
"I know."
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
As though he were discussing the weather.
"Then why?"
Adrian was silent for several seconds.
Finally, he answered.
"My grandfather."
Elena frowned.
"What about him?"
His jaw tightened.
"He's dying."
She already knew that.
His grandfather had been ill for months.
The old man had always been kind to her.
Like the grandfather she never had.
"He wants to see me married before he dies."
The pieces slowly began falling into place.
And Elena wished they wouldn't.
"He chose you."
Every word felt heavier than the last.
"My grandfather loves you."
Elena's hands trembled.
"So... you're marrying me because he wants you to?"
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
The answer shattered something inside her.
A thousand dreams breaking all at once.
She wanted to cry.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to run away.
Instead, she stood there silently.
Heartbroken.
Adrian finally looked at her.
For the first time, there was something almost apologetic in his eyes.
Almost.
"You deserve the truth."
The truth.
What a cruel gift.
"I won't pretend to love you."
Elena swallowed painfully.
"Will you ever try?"
His answer came immediately.
"No."
The word felt like a knife.
She lowered her head so he wouldn't see the tears gathering in her eyes.
But he saw them anyway.
And still, he said nothing.
No comfort.
No kindness.
No regret.
Just silence.
Then he added one final thing.
"If you still want to marry me tomorrow, that's your choice."
Her choice.
The words were laughable.
Because her heart had already chosen him years ago.
And hearts were foolish things.
Especially hearts in love.
---
Back in the present, Elena closed her eyes.
The memory hurt just as much as it had six years ago.
Maybe even more.
Because now she understood something she hadn't understood back then.
Adrian had warned her.
He had told her exactly who he was.
Exactly what kind of marriage this would be.
And yet she had stayed.
Not because she was weak.
Not because she was foolish.
But because she had been desperate to be loved.
She had mistaken hope for reality.
A knock on the bedroom door interrupted her thoughts.
It was one of the housemaids.
"Mrs. Hart?"
Elena quickly wiped her eyes.
"Yes?"
The maid hesitated.
"Mr. Hart asked me to tell you that he'll be having dinner out tonight."
Elena nodded slowly.
Of course he would.
The maid lingered awkwardly.
As though she wanted to say something else.
Then she quietly left.
The room became silent once more.
Elena looked at the wedding photo again.
This time, she noticed something she had never noticed before.
In the picture, she was smiling.
Adrian wasn't.
Not really.
The photographer had captured a smile.
But not happiness.
Not love.
Just obligation.
For the first time, Elena wondered what would have happened if she had walked away that day.
Would she have been happier?
Would she have been free?
Would she have found someone who truly loved her?
The questions lingered.
And for the first time, she didn't immediately push them away.
Because somewhere deep inside her heart, a tiny crack had begun to form.
A crack in the illusion she had spent years protecting.
And once an illusion starts breaking...
The truth isn't far behind.
- Writer
