Chapter 8: The Weight of Regret**
As handcuffs clicked around Julian’s wrists, he screamed curses into the rain, his polished veneer completely disintegrating as agents forced him into the back of a cruiser. The wedding guests who had followed the commotion watched in stunned horror from the estate gates, murmuring among themselves.
Elena stood in the middle of the wet pavement, the adrenaline finally leaving her body. Her knees gave out, and she sank to the asphalt, the cold rain soaking through every layer of her lace gown.
Arthur knelt down beside her immediately, ignoring the sharp pain in his own ribs, and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” she whispered through broken sobs, shivering uncontrollably. “I was so embarrassed by you. I wanted to fit in with their world so badly that I forgot where I came from. I almost let a monster destroy us.”
Arthur gently brushed the wet hair away from her face, his thumb wiping a tear from her cheek. “Pride is a blinding thing, Ellie. It makes fools of us all at some point. What matters is that you woke up before the ink dried.”
May you like
He helped her to her feet, supporting her weight as they walked past the gaping wedding guests toward a simple yellow taxi Arthur had left parked down the lane.
---
