West of the Flints

CHAPTER 6

Elora stared at herself in the mirror with her wedding dress clinging to her physique. She looked stunning, but her thoughts were a confused clutter and her nerves were going haywire.

'It's just for a year, right? What's the worst that could happen?", Elora thought to herself.

Elora's thoughts were cut short by a knock on the changing room door.

"Come in!" She yelled.

Harper West, Elora's mother walked in with worry etched on her face

“Mom, you made it!” Elora blurted out as she ran to hug her. “I'm so happy you finally accepted my decision and…”

“Elora, I'm not here to support your decision but to pull you out from making a bad one” she cut in abruptly as she pulled Elora off her, with her hands on her arms.

She led Elora to sit on the chair in front of the mirror and she stood behind her and continued, “Look at how beautiful you are and imagine throwing it away for some silly deal”.

She knelt beside Elora as she turned to her. “Marriage is a lifetime choice and you don't want to marry someone you hate or who doesn't value you, just for money."

"I thought you were better than this, better than Cora”, she said as she rubbed her hands on Elora's gently.

“Mom, I had the decision to make between marrying and saving Dad's life or doing nothing and I decided to do the right thing. Would you rather I fold my hands and watch Dad die?” Elora retorted.

“Cupcake, let's not use your father's accident as a cover-up, you did that because you felt you had to solve it by yourself without any help from Cora and I." She paused.

"If you had seen it as a family decision and worked with us, I'm positive we would have found a way to save your father, through prayers and sourcing for the money from family members.” Harper continued as she heaved a sigh, then stood up, turned away from Elora and shook her head in disappointment.

“Are you saying I did this to appear as some hero? Your suggestion doesn't even sound practical, Mom. Dad would've been paralyzed if I didn't act on time” Elora retorted, standing up to face her.

“If it's not that, then tell me why you left us at the hospital like a savior to find solutions on your own. You like acting like a hero and it gives you a certain high and I'm telling you my cupcake, this time it is costing you too much". She stated, with frustration written all over her face.

"Please don't go through with this wedding. There is still time for you to back out.” She took some steps towards Elora as she spoke with tears welling up in her eyes and her hands reaching out to her.

“It's too late to turn back now, we'd be sued for all we have and we could go to jail. I can't put you and Cora through that. I won't be able to live knowing I brought you that much pain”. Elora whispered to her, almost breaking down in tears.

"We can mortgage the house and go to stay with my sister till we're back on our feet, just so we'll be able to repay the loan. You don't have to go through this alone.” Harper stated, sounding irritated by Elora's resolve to go through with the marriage.

Feeling frustrated with tears streaming down her face, Elora cried out, “You're not listening to me Mom! The consequences are dire and I can't put you through that. The only way you can help is by being here for me as I go through this”.

Elora took a pause, dabbed her tears from her cheeks, and asked, “Mom, please can we just not fight for today? I need you to be by my side today”.

“I cannot stand by you as you make the wrong decision", she resolved.

“Ten minutes to your wedding ma” a voice interrupted from the other side of the door.

“Just touching up on my makeup, I will be there in a minute or two”, Elora yelled.

“Mom, I have to go now. I'll see you after the wedding. I love you, Mom". Elora said with a somber tone and Harper looked defeated.

Just as Elora was about to cross the threshold to go to her wedding venue, her mother stopped her.

"If you cross that threshold and go through with this wedding, it would automatically mean that you have severed all ties with us". Harper West, Elora's mom, said firmly.

Elora felt like her heart had just been ripped out of her chest and shredded into a million pieces, but it was either this or watching her family suffer for backing out of this wedding and she would choose the former over and over again.

"I'm sorry, Mom!", Elora whimpered, before running out of the room.

Elora began to second-guess her decision as she walked down the hall, but she kept reassuring herself that it was for the best.

As Elora took her place at the altar facing Caspian, she kept looking through the crowd with the hope that she'd see her mother mouth out the words, “I was only bluffing about severing ties with you, I love you and I'm here for you”.

But those words never came and neither did she.

Caspian cleared his throat, interjecting Elora's thoughts and bringing her back to reality.

The priest asked, "Do you, Elora West, take this man, Caspian Flint, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

She hesitated for a bit, but then she realized that this was the only sacrifice she could make to keep her family safe and taken care of.

Elora lifted her eyes to look at Caspian, who was staring at her with a sly smirk and she responded, "Yes, I do" and put the ring on his finger.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

The priest directed the next question to Caspian, "Do you, Caspian Flint, take this lady, Elora West, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do", he replied without hesitation while slipping the ring onto my finger.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride". The priest directed.

Caspian grabbed Elora's waist and pulled her in for a kiss. Elora had always dreamt of a fairytale wedding growing up and now that she was at her wedding, she felt like sleeping beauty. The only difference was that this wasn't her true love's kiss.