Chapter 11 The Road That Never Reached Tomorrow
922 Words
The massive iron gates of the Harrington Estate opened slowly.
Richard Harrington's black luxury sedan rolled into the quiet night, leaving behind the lights, music, and laughter that had filled the estate only moments before.
Charlotte looked back through the rear window.
The mansion stood proudly beneath the golden lights, just as it always had.
She smiled.
"Best birthday ever."
Eleanor turned in her seat.
"I was wondering when you were finally going to admit it."
Charlotte laughed.
"I'll admit it."
Richard smiled as he kept his eyes on the road.
"So all those years of planning were worth it?"
"They were."
Charlotte leaned comfortably against the seat.
"Thank you."
Neither of her parents answered immediately.
Sometimes silence said more than words.
---
For several minutes, the journey was peaceful.
The city lights slowly gave way to quieter roads.
Charlotte took Lucien's pen from her purse and admired it once again.
She traced the engraved words with her finger.
Write your own future.
Eleanor noticed.
"You really like that pen."
Charlotte smiled.
"I don't know why."
She looked at it again.
"It feels like more than a gift."
Richard chuckled.
"Perhaps because tomorrow you'll use it for something important."
Charlotte immediately looked up.
"There you go again."
"What?"
"You keep teasing me."
Richard laughed.
"I've waited eighteen years."
"I think you can wait one more night."
Charlotte folded her arms dramatically.
"I disagree."
Eleanor laughed.
"I think she's inherited your impatience."
Richard nodded.
"Unfortunately."
The three of them laughed together.
None of them knew it would be the last laughter they would ever share.
---
Charlotte looked out through the window.
The moonlight reflected across the quiet road.
"Dad."
"Hmm?"
"When did you decide tomorrow was the right time?"
Richard was quiet for a moment.
"The day you were born."
Charlotte frowned.
"What?"
He smiled softly.
"The moment I held you in my arms, I made a promise."
"A promise?"
"That when you turned eighteen, I would trust you with everything."
Charlotte looked at him with curiosity.
"Everything?"
"Our family's greatest responsibility."
She wanted to ask more questions.
But something in her father's voice told her not to.
Tomorrow.
She only had to wait until tomorrow.
---
Several kilometres behind them, another vehicle entered the same road.
Its headlights remained at a careful distance.
Not close enough to attract attention.
Not far enough to lose sight of the Harrington sedan.
Inside, two men exchanged brief glances.
"The target has left the estate."
The driver nodded once.
"The timing matches."
Neither of them spoke again.
---
Richard gently pressed the brake as they approached a curve.
The car didn't slow.
He frowned.
He pressed again.
Nothing.
His expression changed instantly.
Eleanor noticed.
"Richard?"
He didn't answer.
His foot pushed harder.
Still nothing.
A cold feeling spread through his body.
"The brakes..."
Charlotte looked up immediately.
"What about them?"
Richard gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"They're gone."
The smile disappeared from Charlotte's face.
---
Richard tried every emergency procedure he knew.
He pumped the brake pedal repeatedly.
Nothing.
He pulled the emergency brake.
The car barely responded.
The vehicle continued gaining speed as the road sloped downward.
Eleanor reached for her husband's arm.
"Richard..."
"I'm trying."
His voice remained steady.
But Charlotte heard the fear hidden beneath it.
---
The road ahead curved sharply.
Richard turned the steering wheel.
The tyres screamed against the asphalt.
The car barely held the road.
Charlotte instinctively held onto the seat in front of her.
Her other hand tightened around the pen.
"Dad..."
Richard looked into the rear-view mirror.
His daughter.
The little girl who used to run through the halls of the Harrington mansion.
The young woman whose future had only just begun.
"I'm sorry."
Charlotte shook her head.
"No..."
He forced a smile.
"You've always been stronger than you know."
Tears filled Eleanor's eyes.
"Richard..."
He reached across and squeezed her hand.
"I love you."
She held on tightly.
"And I love you."
Charlotte's voice trembled.
"I love both of you."
For one beautiful, heartbreaking moment...
Nothing else mattered.
---
The next curve came too fast.
Richard fought the steering wheel with everything he had.
The sedan struck the roadside barrier.
Metal screamed.
Glass exploded.
The car spun violently across the road before crashing through the guardrail.
Everything became chaos.
Charlotte felt herself thrown sideways.
The world turned upside down.
The sound of twisting steel drowned out every scream.
Then—
Silence.
---
Charlotte slowly opened her eyes.
Her ears rang.
Smoke filled the air.
Pain shot through every part of her body.
She could barely breathe.
"Mom..."
No answer.
"Dad..."
Only silence.
She tried to move.
A sharp pain spread across her face and shoulder.
Her vision blurred.
She looked toward the front seats.
Richard and Eleanor were motionless.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"No..."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"No... please..."
She stretched out her hand.
She couldn't reach them.
Instead, her fingers found the pen still clutched in her palm.
The bracelet remained around her wrist.
The last gifts she had received before her world shattered.
---
Somewhere in the distance...
Sirens.
Voices.
Running footsteps.
"There's a vehicle down here!"
"Hurry!"
"We have survivors!"
Charlotte wanted to answer.
She wanted to tell them her name.
She wanted to tell them someone had done this.
She tried to speak.
But darkness overtook her once again.
The last thought that crossed her mind was not about herself.
It was about the promise her father had made.
Tomorrow.
A tomorrow...
That would never come.
- Writer
