Chapter 10 End The Engagement
Linda’s brows were all bunched up, clearly overwhelmed. And when she heard Serena‘ s last sentence, a flash of guilt swept across her face.
Serena kept going. “Mrs. Donovan, I’m not asking for much. I just want to spend a little time with Chris before he gets engaged–just something to remember him by.
“Could
you please tell Eleanor to stop coming after me? My doctor said my condition’s. getting worse. I really can’t take any more stress. My dad died saving Eleanor… Is she trying to pay me back by driving me to my grave too?”
arents, we can‘
Linda finally caved. “Get up. You’re like this because of Eleanor. As her parents, t help but feel responsible.
“If you hadn’t kept quiet back when the whole kidnapping thing happened, she’d be in jail by now. And honestly? Maybe that would’ve taught her a lesson. She never learns unless she gets burned. Just rest up, okay? I’ll figure something out.
Eleanor bit her lip, nose stinging. She thought she was already numb to how these people around her felt. That nothing they said could hurt her anymore. But hearing her mom actually say those words out loud still cut deep…
She thought to herself, ‘Was it really that hard to believe me? They say no one knows a daughter better than her mom, so why would she rather take some stranger’s word over mine?
‘Fine. If that’s how it is, why should I hang on to this so–called family love at all?”
Just then, someone knocked on the door. “Miss Donovan, Mrs. Donovan’s back. She wants you downstairs.”
“Got it,” said Eleanor. She walked over to the closet and pulled out a small box. Inside were her license and all her ID documents, everything ready to go–just in case she ever decided to leave.
She’d put that box together the moment she started college. Deep down, she’d always wanted to run from this family.
When Eleanor- got to the living room, Linda was slumped on the couch, rubbing her temples like she was dealing with the world’s biggest headache.
“You needed me for something?” Eleanor asked. “If not, I’ll head back upstairs.”
“What’s with that attitude?” Linda snapped, glaring at her. “You blew this whole thing up over nothing. What do you even get out of that? We already helped cover for your last time, and Serena said she’d let it go.
“So why did you have to stir it up again? Honestly, we should’ve let you suffer back then. Maybe then you’d actually learn.”
Eleanor let out a short laugh. “Suffer? So what, Mrs. Donovan? You regret not sending
Chapter 10 End The Engagement
me to jail now?”
“Watch your mouth, young lady!” Linda’s anger boiled over. “You’re dragging our family name through the mud.”
ke your real
“Well, if you’re that embarrassed by me, you’re welcome to treat Serena daughter. I’m totally fine cutting ties.” Eleanor’s tone was light, almost playful.
She said, “If you actually cared about me, you’d be digging into what really happened back then, not just buying into whatever Serena says.
“And as for Chris? After all this mess, there’s no way we’re still getting married. You love Serena so much, why not give her a shot?”
“You really have no sense at all, do you?” Linda slammed her hand on the coffee table, clearly furious. “Serena just wanted something to remember. None of this would’ve blown up if you’d kept quiet.”
Eleanor scoffed. “Only you would fall for that line. You know how this usually plays out, right? Cry, throw a tantrum, then threaten to off herself, Mrs. Donovan, want to bet?
‘Give it a few days–Serena’s going to say she’d rather die than let this go. Might not even be you she targets. Could be Chris. He treats her like she’s made of gold.” “That’s ridiculous!” Linda shot back. “Serena’s not like that. If she really wanted to marry Chris, would she have let you two stay together this long?
“You’re the one who’s clueless. You never figured out how to keep a man. If you’d put in even a little effort, Chris wouldn’t have tossed you aside like garbage.”
That kind of talk used to mess with Eleanor’s head. But not anymore. Not after everything that had gone down, and not after she decided to end the engagement.
She had poured her heart into this relationship–strangers could see that. But to the people who were supposed to love her most? She was just some bratty, selfish girl who brought it all on herself.
Eleanor looked at Linda, half–smiling. “Maybe instead of lecturing me, you should be at the hospital with your precious Serena.
“Chris’s mom’s a total snob who only cares about status. Now that the whole world. knows Chris cheated with Serena, you think she’s going to let that slide?”
Linda groaned. “That’s all because of you. If you’d just made a public statement, all those rumors would’ve gone away. The press is your mess–fix it.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Eleanor said, yawning. “I’m tired. I’m heading to bed. You love Serena so much, let her be the one to marry Chris. Sounds like a perfect match.” Back in her room, Eleanor locked the door just in case. She let out a long breath and collapsed onto her bed. All those memories started playing back like a movie she couldn’t pause.
By the time she realized it, her pillow was soaked. She wiped her face, and without a
Chapter 10 End The Engagement
second thought, made the call.
As soon as it connected, she said, “Tyler, I’ll marry you. But there’s a little issue with my driver’s license. I’ll go sort it out first thing tomorrow. Once it’s fixed, I’ll file for the
marriage license right away.”
Eleanor didn’t want Tyler to think she was stalling, so she gave him a quick rundown of everything that had happened.
Tyler’s voice came through, deep and steady. “You don’t have to go. I’ll have Keith meet you tomorrow. Just give him the documents.”
“OK, thanks, Tyler. Also, just a heads–up–if we want to minimize the fallout, I’m going to come on strong. You’re going to have to play the poor guy who gets backed into a corner.”
There was a pause. “No.” Tyler thought to himself, ‘This would make things worse for her‘
“Tyler, I’m trying to protect you here. If anything happens to you because of me, I can’t live with it. I’m drafting an agreement, too. Anyway, I’ll leave you be now.” Before he could say anything, Eleanor hung up. Her heart was racing.
She thought, “Tyler’s a good guy. I can’t be the reason people start trash–talking him! The next day, Eleanor handed her driver’s license to Keith. She hesitated, then asked, Keith… You know Tyler better than anyone. Does he really want to marry me?”
“Of course, Miss Donovan. You don’t have to carry all that weight on your shoulders,” said Keith.
“But people talk,” she n
“That’s why I’ve got a plan. I wrote up an agreement.
Could you please pass it along to Tyler for me?”
Keith looked at the document but didn’t take it. “Wouldn’t it mean more if you handed it
to Mr. Langford yourself? He actually asked me to bring you over.
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