BETRAYAL

CAST OUT

Episode 3

The morning sun spilled through the curtains, but for Nora, the world felt darker than ever. She hadn’t slept a single moment. Her mind replayed every smile, every word, every betrayal from the night before.

She finally gathered the courage to step out of her room. They filled the house with the scent of breakfast, yet it felt nothing like home.

Downstairs, her parents sat at the dining table with Roxeth between them, glowing like a queen already. Laughter echoed,laughter that had no space for her.

“Good morning,” Nora said softly, though her voice cracked.

Her mother barely glanced at her. “Sit, if you must.”

Nora’s chest tightened, but she obeyed, lowering herself into a chair. She reached for the teapot, her hands shaking, when her father’s voice cut through the silence.

“There’s something you need to understand, Nora.” His tone was calm, but final. “From this day forward, you are no longer tied to the Frank family. Roxeth is the bride. Accept your position quietly.”

“My position?” Nora repeated, her eyes stinging. “You mean the place you carved out for me since childhood? The life you trained me for? You’re just handing it all to her?”

Her mother’s spoon clinked against her cup. “You always lacked the sharpness Roxeth has. This is what’s best for the family.”

Nora’s gaze snapped to her sister. Roxeth met her eyes with a smug smile, as if daring her to protest.

The injustice burned. “You raised me to be his bride,” Nora whispered, her hands trembling. “You told me this was my duty,my destiny!”

Her father’s stare turned cold. “Then consider this your new duty: stay silent. Don’t cause trouble. Be grateful you still have a place in this house.”

Something inside Nora broke. A place in this house? After being stripped of her future, her worth, her dignity,this was all they had left for her.

She rose slowly, her chair scraping against the floor.

“If silence is what you want from me,” she said, her voice trembling but strong, “then I will give you silence. But don’t mistake it for surrender. One day, you’ll regret choosing her over me.”

For the first time, the laughter at the table faded. Roxeth’s smile faltered, just slightly.

Nora didn’t wait for their reply. She turned and walked away, each step echoing with the weight of her vow.

Upstairs, in the solitude of her room, she packed away the last remnants of her broken engagement dress. She didn’t know where her path would lead, or how she would fight back,but one thing was certain:

She was no longer the obedient daughter who bowed her head.

The fire had been lit.

And Nora would never forgive them.