Chapter 1~Beneath the veil
2470 Words
Elena's pov
The airplane hummed softly as it moved through the clouds, steady and controlled.
I stared at the documents spread across my lap, eyes scanning the same line for what felt like the tenth time.It didn’t register.
I exhaled sharply and shut the file.
Focus was never my problem. I didn’t build my reputation in London by being careless. At twenty-three I had already handled high-profile contract disputes most senior lawyers wouldn’t touch.
So no—
This wasn’t normal.
It wasn’t the case.
It was the dreams.
Blood.
That was always how it started.
Dark. Thick. Spreading across the ground like it had a mind of its own.
There was someone lying in it.
Someone I couldn’t see clearly buh the mouth was moving but no words came out ,I tried to decipher it all I could get was something about your dad
My hands lifted slowly,blood coated my fingers ,not mine
I blinked …
Back to reality
I exhaled slowly and reached for the necklace around my neck.
My fingers curled around it instinctively.
It was the only thing I had left of my mother ,it was apparently the only thing on her on the day of her accident
I opened the small pendant carefully. A name was engraved inside.
“Liana.”
Not mine.
Not hers.
I didn’t know whose it was.
But it mattered.
For some reason, it always calmed me.
Like it was holding something my mind couldn’t reach.
I shut it gently.
“Who are.you…?” I murmured closing my eyes briefly
Miss, are you alright?”
I opened them again.
The flight attendant stood beside me, her expression laced with concern.
I forced a small smile. “I’m fine.”
It was a lie.
But it was an easy one.
————-
Canada
Home that what they called it
I didn’t
By the time I arrived, evening had already begun to settle.
The estate stood tall and unchanged.Cold.Perfect.
Unwelcoming.
I hadn’t wanted to come back.
I had built a life far away from here one that was mine, untouched by shadows I couldn’t explain. Years of work. Of distance. Of carefully ignoring the gaps in my memory that never quite made sense.
And yet…
I was here.
Because of a call.
“Come back,” my father had said.
Not please.
Not I miss you.
Just those two words.
And then—
“Your sister is getting married.”
Sister.
The word felt strange on my tongue hahaha as if
The moment the car stopped, I stepped out, the warm air wrapping around me instantly. For a second, I just stood there, staring.
Welcome back.”
The voice snapped me out of it.
I turned.
She stood at the entrance, dressed too elegantly, her lips curved into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
My father’s wife diana
Years later, and she still looked exactly the same.
Artificial.
I gave a nod. “It’s been a while.”
“Too long,” she replied smoothly, stepping closer. Her gaze swept over me,
Judging.
Well, look who finally decided to show up.”
I turned.
Father’s daughter serah stood there, dressed casually but still polished, her expression openly annoyed,She was beautiful—annoyingly so. Smooth caramel skin, sharp cheekbones, and long, straight black hair that fell perfectly down her back No fake sweetness,No pretending.
Just dislike.
“I thought you’d stay in London forever,” she said.
“I almost did,” I replied.
She scoffed,”still dramatic, I see,” she added.
I met her gaze, unfazed. “Still talking too much, I see.”
Her smile tightened.
Good.
Enough.”
My father’s voice cut through the tension like a blade.
I turned slightly.
He stood a few steps behind them, his expression unreadable.
Always cold.
“You must be tired,” he said, already turning away. “Get some rest. “The wedding is tomorrow night “.
Who plans a wedding at night?I thought
My stepmother answered smoothly, like she could read my mind
“He’s a very busy man. That’s the only time he’s available.”
I let out a quiet scoff.
So important he schedules his wedding like a business meeting.
Men
I had never believed in them.
Not after what I remembered.
Or rather…
What little I remembered.
Love?
It didn’t last.
It didn’t mean anything,If a man could claim he loved a woman and then remarry barely days after she died…
Then love was nothing but convenience i looked in the direction of my father with pure disgust
I would never fall in love or marry ,it was a promise I made to myself
Sis…”
That voice.
Soft.
Familiar.i turned and there he was,Taller than the last time I saw him, but still soft around the edges in a way that hadn’t hardened yet. His hair was slightly messy, like he had run his hands through it too many times, and his eyes bright, warm, and painfully familiar lit up the moment they met mine.
I didn’t think. I just pulled him into a hug.
He still smelled the same. Clean. Familiar. Safe.
“You’ve gotten taller,” I murmured, pulling back slightly to look at him.
He grinned, a small dimple appearing on his cheek. “You say that every time.”
“Because every time, it’s true.”
I tapped his forehead lightly.
“I missed you baby.”
The word slipped out naturally.
It always had.
He wasn’t my stepbrother.
Not to me.
“Stay,” he said suddenly, holding my hand. “Just tonight. Please.”
I hesitated,I had planned on spending the night at an hotel Buh before I could refuse he made a cute baby face i sighed
“I’ll leave tomorrow morning,” I said.
“After the wedding,” he corrected quickly.
I sighed.
“…Fine. Just tonight.”
His smile made it worth it.
—————-
That night, the dream came again.
But this time
It felt closer.
Realer,I saw flashes.
A road.
A crash.
Pain.
I woke up suddenly.
My heart was racing.
I sat up, breathing hard, scanning the room.
Right.
Canada.
My father’s house.
I pressed a hand to my head unconsciously.
I had hit it when I was younger.
That was all I knew.
Everything before that felt… incomplete.
Blurred.
I didn’t know if the nightmares were memories…
Or just my mind playing tricks on me.
My fingers tightened around the necklace.
“Liana…”
The name left my lips softly.
It calmed me.
Even if I didn’t understand why.By the time I checked the clock, it was already 4:07 PM.
Almost time.
The house felt suffocating.
I needed air.
I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water.
“You’re here.”
I turned,My stepmother stood at the doorway.
“Could you go get your sister “she proceeded
I’m not her assistant,” I replied.
Her eyes hardened slightly. “Please”
Where is she?”
I hesitated
“In the summer house. She’s getting ready there.”
The summer house was a little far from the main building,
“Why me?” I asked.where’s everyone else?”
“They stepped out for a moment. I would’ve gone myself, but the guests are already arriving. I can’t leave now.”
She paused.
“Go and bring her. It’s almost time.”
It sounded reasonable.
Normal
the house felt too tight.
Too loud,too suffocating
I needed some air even if Twas for a few minutes I decided to go
“Okay “i said
The walk there felt longer than I remembered,Twas quiet ,too quiet
By d time I stepped inside, my unease had already grown
It was empty.
No stylists. No servants. No movement.
That wasn’t normal.
Not today
I frowned slightly.
Maybe they stepped out?I said to no one in particular
I pushed the door open.
She was there.
She turned immediately.her face twisted with disgust
“What do you want?”
You’re needed at the altar,” I said.
She scoffed. “And they sent you? That’ insulting
I exhaled slowly “Just come.”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
I turned to leave. “Then stay. I don’t care.”
I should’ve known she wouldn’t listen.
The door slid open,2 men walked in.
They werent dressed like staff.
Not family.
As I opened my mouth ti speak
One of them frowned. “I thought she’d be alone.”pointing in serah’s direction
“Plans change,” the other replied, glancing at me.
A pause.
Then—
“Well… guess we take both.”
My heart slammed.
“What—”
They moved fast.Everything happened way too fast.
Hands grabbed.
Voices rose.
“Let go of me!”i yelled
I struggled, pushing back, but one of them shoved me hard.
My head hit the edge of something,
Pain shot through me instantly.
Warm blood trickled down the side of my face.
My vision blurred,serah screamed, trying to pull away
She stumbled,Slipped near the terrace,a sudden scream
And then—
She fell.
Silence.
My heart stopped.
I rushed forward, my hands shaking as I looked down—
No.
No, no—
I didn’t know why the scene felt familiar or why I had this insatiable urge to call to my mom ,”mom dont die please I won’t disturb u and Liana anymore please mommy”
“Serah”
The voice ripped through the air.it snapped me back to reality
I turned sharply.
My father.
Diana
“Where’s serah “she said scanning the room
“WHAT DID YOU DO”my father said
I pointed in tge direction of the terrace
My daughter!!
diana yelled dropping to her knees, her scream breaking into sobs.
“What did you do to her?!”
“I didn’t—” my voice shook. “I didn’t push her—”
A sharp slap.
“You were the only one here!” my father shouted.
“I didn’t—”
“I didnt “
I kept on repeating the words likr a broken record
How could you do this?diana cried, shaking.
“She’s gone… she’s gone…”
A knock,then a voice
“Sir—the guests are waiting. It’s almost time.”
Silence filled the room.
My father ran a hand through his hair, pacing.
Then stopped.
And looked at me.
You’ll take her place.”
The words didn’t register at first.
“What?”
“You’ll marry him.”
My chest tightened. “No.”
His gaze hardened,”we owe him a whole lot “
“He’ll destroy us.”
“I don’t care,” I snapped
The marriage was my idea. A way to settle the debt. To keep peace.”he said
“And now the bride fell of d terrace all thanks to you”Diana yelled
“No”
“No”
“No”
We protected nd tooo care of you all these years,” he snapped.
“And this is how you repay us?”
“Protect?cared for?hahaha dont make me laugh “i snapped back
He will kill us,” Diana said quietly.
“He won’t stop at your father. He won’t stop at me.”
I rolled my eyes The least you can do,” he said coldly, “is fix what you’ve done.”
“I’m not marrying anyone.”
“Do you think he’ll let this go?”
I didn’t respond.
I’m a lawyer,” I shot back. “He can’t just do anything—”
My father laughed.
Cold.
Mocking.
“Do you even know who he is?”
Silence.
“Lawyer,” he scoffed. “How pathetic.”
His voice dropped.
“To him, you are nothing.”
What about your brother?”
My breath caught.
“Do you think he’ll spare him?” my father said.
“He’ll kill everyone.”
“You said you love him,” my stepmother added softly.
“That you’d do anything for him.”
Her voice lowered.
“Prove it.”
Everything went quiet.
They dressed me.
The gown felt heavy.
The veil covered my face.
My mind felt… blank.
The wedding was dimly lit.
Quiet.
Controlled.
Not many people.
I walked slowly, the sound of my heels soft against the floor.
The veil blurred everything, turning faces into shadows and lights into faint glows.
For a moment I almost stopped.
I almost walked away
Then I saw him.
My brother.
Standing among the few guests, his head slightly lowered as he pressed his phone, completely unaware… completely unbothered.
Like nothing was wrong.
Like the world wasn’t about to shift.
My chest tightened.
He didn’t even know it was me.
Didn’t know what I was about to do.
Didn’t know what this could cost.
I swallowed hard.
I couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t risk him.
So I kept walking
And then—
Something caught my eye.
A figure.
Standing off to the side, half-hidden in the dim light.
Just a profile
But—
My breath caught.
It looked… familiar.
Too familiar.
The angle of the face. The stillness.
It felt wrong.
My fingers tightened slightly.
Serah…?
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
But the moment I looked again
It was gone.
Like it had never been there.
I frowned faintly
Maybe I was imagining things.
Maybe the nightmares were starting to follow me into reality
My gaze shifted
And landed on Diana
She stood among the guests, a hand lightly covering her lips—
but her shoulders were shaking.
Not from grief.
From laughter.
Soft.
Contained.
Wrong.
Far too happy for a woman whose daughter had just fallen from a terrace.
Something wasn’t right.
Nothing was righ
Movement ahead drew my attention
The groom.
I still couldn’t see his face clearly.
The lighting refused to reveal him.
Only his outline,Still. Calm. Waiting.
Then—
Someone leaned toward him and whispered something into his ear.
He didn’t react immediately.
Just a slight tilt of his head.
Like he already knew.
Like nothing surprised hi
I stopped in front of him.
Close enough now to feel it.
His presence.
Heavy.
Unshaken.
Watching.
He stepped forward slightly.
Then leaned down.
His voice brushed softly against my ear.
“You’re trembling.”
A pause.
Then, quieter—
“Good.”
My breath caught
“I prefer honesty,” he murmured.
“And fear…”
A faint pause.
“…is the most honest thing in this rooom”
I froze.
And in that moment—
Standing in a dimly lit room filled with strangers—
Seeing things I couldn’t explain—
Surrounded by people I no longer trusted—
I realized something slowly
I had no idea what I was walking into
- Writer
