Trapped In a Nightmare
1351 Words
Elena’s POV
The walls of my father’s house felt suffocating.
I had lived here my entire life, yet now it felt foreign—like a place I no longer belonged to. Every step I took echoed through the empty halls, as if the house itself was reminding me that my time here was running out.
In just a few days, I would be leaving. Not by choice. Not with hope or excitement.
I would be leaving as Adrian Lancaster’s wife.
I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the edge of the vanity in my bedroom. My reflection stared back at me, pale and exhausted, my lips pressed into a thin line. There were dark circles beneath my eyes, a testament to the sleepless nights I had spent dreading the inevitable.
I wasn’t ready for this marriage. I would never be ready.
But no one cared about what I wanted.
I turned away from the mirror, my chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. The wedding was happening whether I wanted it to or not.
And I had no way out.
The morning sun streamed through the curtains, but it did little to lift the heavy weight pressing against my chest.
Breakfast was a quiet, suffocating affair. My father sat across from me at the long dining table, reading the newspaper as if nothing was wrong, as if his only daughter wasn’t about to be handed over to a man who didn’t want her.
I clenched my fork tightly, staring down at my untouched food.
The frustration had been building inside me for days, and I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I don’t want to do this,” I said suddenly, my voice cutting through the silence.
My father didn’t even look up from his paper. “You don’t have a choice.”
His indifference stoked the fire of my anger.
I dropped my fork onto my plate with a loud clang. “You’re really going to make me go through with this? He doesn’t care about me, Dad. He’s doing this to punish us. And you’re just letting it happen?”
Daniel Sterling finally set the newspaper down, his sharp gaze locking onto mine. “Do you think I want this for you?” His tone was calm, but there was an edge to it. “Do you think I don’t lie awake at night, wondering how I let it come to this?”
The words stung more than I wanted to admit.
“Then why aren’t you stopping it?” I demanded, my voice thick with frustration.
“Because we can’t afford to,” he said bluntly.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
I knew that. I had always known that.
Adrian Lancaster had the power to destroy my father. To ruin everything.
But knowing that didn’t make it any easier to accept.
“I hate this,” I whispered, pushing my plate away.
For a moment, something flickered in my father’s expression—something dangerously close to regret. “I know.”
But that was the problem, wasn’t it?
He knew.
And he was still letting it happen.
I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. “No, you don’t,” I said coldly. “Because at the end of this, you still have your life. I’m the one who has to live with him. I’m the one who has to bear the weight of this marriage.”
He didn’t try to stop me as I turned and walked away.
Because there was nothing left to say.
I spent the rest of the day trying to ignore reality.
The house was buzzing with preparations for a wedding I wanted no part of.
The wedding planners had arrived early in the morning, moving around with bright smiles and endless discussions about flowers, music, and table arrangements.
I wanted to scream at them.
I wanted to tell them to stop.
To tell them that this wasn’t a celebration—it was a punishment.
But I didn’t. Because what would be the point?
Instead, I found myself wandering the estate, avoiding everyone. Avoiding my father. Avoiding the suffocating truth that my life wasn’t mine anymore.
Everywhere I turned, there were reminders.
Discussions about the guest list. Dress fittings. Security arrangements.
All for a wedding that felt more like a funeral.
I ended up in the library, my fingers tracing the spines of old books. I wasn’t really looking for anything—I was just trying to find something, anything, to ground me.
But nothing could distract me from the dread pooling in my stomach.
Because no matter what I did, time wouldn’t stop.
And soon, I would walk down that aisle.
Toward a man who would never love me.
Nightfall came, but sleep didn’t.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts tangled in a mess of anger and frustration.
Adrian hadn’t called. Hadn’t reached out. Hadn’t even asked where I was.
Because he didn’t care.
I turned onto my side, pulling the blanket tighter around me, but it did nothing to shield me from the suffocating weight pressing against my chest.
This wasn’t just about the wedding.
It was about everything.
I had spent my whole life trying to be the perfect daughter, trying to make my father proud. And where had that gotten me?
Marrying a man who despised me.
Sacrificing my future for a father who wouldn’t even fight for me.
Tears burned at the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
Crying wouldn’t change anything.
It wouldn’t stop this wedding. It wouldn’t make Adrian want me. It wouldn’t erase the fact that in just a few days, I would be trapped in a marriage I couldn’t escape.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.
For the first time in my life, I felt truly powerless.
And I hated it.
The next morning, I woke up feeling like a ghost in my own life.
The house was already awake, filled with the sounds of preparations.
I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, staring at my reflection.
I didn’t recognize the girl looking back at me.
Her eyes were empty. Her lips pressed into a thin, unyielding line.
She looked like someone who had already lost.
I turned away.
I couldn’t do this.
I wasn’t ready.
I wasn’t prepared to stand in front of the world and pretend that this marriage was real. To pretend that Adrian Lancaster was my future.
A knock on the door made me tense.
I turned to see my father standing in the doorway.
His expression was unreadable, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes.
“It’s almost time for the final dress fitting,” he said quietly.
I swallowed hard. “I don’t care.”
“Elena.” His voice was softer than before. “I know this isn’t what you wanted. But you have to be strong.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Strong?” My voice cracked. “You want me to be strong so I can marry a man who doesn’t even want me? A man who won’t even look at me?”
Daniel exhaled slowly. “You’re stronger than you think.”
I shook my head, my throat tight with emotion. “I don’t want to be strong,” I whispered. “I just want to be free.”
For a long moment, my father said nothing.
And then, finally, he turned and walked away.
Leaving me alone with my fate.
That night, as I lay in bed, I made a silent promise to myself.
I might not have a choice in this marriage.
But I would not let Adrian Lancaster break me.
I would not let him see how much this was destroying me.
If I had to be trapped in this marriage, then I would be the one to decide how much of myself I was willing to give.
I closed my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest.
The wedding was only days away.
And I was running out of time.
- Writer
