Chapter 3 - Locked Doors
Eleanor dropped to her knees in the mud, frantically searching through the wet gravel with her bare hands.
Her white dress turned dark brown as it absorbed the muddy water.
"Eleanor, get up, this is absurd!" Julian demanded, grabbing her under her arms.
"I am not leaving until I find it!" she yelled, swinging her hand back.
Her hand struck Julian directly across the cheek with a sharp slap.
Julian stood frozen, his head turned to the side, his jaw clenched tight.
The two security guards stopped in their tracks, staring in shock.
Julian slowly turned his head back to look at Eleanor.
His eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth or affection.
"Take the bride to the upper dressing room," Julian commanded the security guards.
"What? No! Don't touch me!" Eleanor shouted as the guards stepped forward.
The two guards grabbed Eleanor by her arms, lifting her to her feet.
"Julian! What are you doing?!" Eleanor screamed, kicking against the muddy ground.
"You are hysterical, my love," Julian said in a calm, flat tone.
"I am calling Dr. Vance to give you a sedative so you can rest," Julian added.
"You are insane! Let me go!" Eleanor screamed as the guards dragged her back inside the chapel.
The guests in the hallway gasped as Eleanor was dragged past them in her ruined, muddy wedding dress.
"The wedding is temporarily delayed due to the bride feeling unwell!" Julian announced loudly to the crowd.
The guests began to whisper furiously amongst themselves.
The guards dragged Eleanor up the winding staircase to the third floor.
They shoved her inside the bride's prep room and slammed the thick mahogany door shut.
A heavy lock clicked into place from the outside.
"Let me out!" Eleanor screamed, pounding her fists against the wooden door.
Her hands bruised against the solid wood, but the door didn't budge.
She ran to the window and tried to pull it open.
The window had been nailed shut from the outside.
Panic surged through Eleanor's body like high-voltage electricity.
Her mother was alive.
Julian knew her mother was alive.
And now, Eleanor was trapped inside a locked room on her own wedding day.
Suddenly, a quiet tapping sound came from inside the room's air vent near the floor.
Eleanor froze, holding her breath.
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"Miss Eleanor..." a small voice squeaked from behind the metal grill of the vent.
It was Lily.
