Hope

16. "Excuse me?"

Things had never been more tense in the Wells mansion. The house was separated into the ones getting married and their parents. With everyone being busy with planning or work parent wise, I decided to be a bit of a creep in a way and spy on my sister and Richard who were spending the day together here.

Tommy was out with his dad to find a ring and tux so I was on my own. Everything I watched with Beth and Richard was just so natural. They were playful, competitive, affectionate. I never saw their smiles leave their faces. Everything Tommy had told me, well, yelled at me came to mind. I sighed. I couldn't let my sister sacrifice her happiness just to protect me. I had to stand on my own and be an adult.

Beth and Richard were so stuck in their little bubble, they didn't even notice I was sitting behind a bush near the multipurpose court where they were. Richard actually had Beth pinned to the floor as they both laughed hysterically. "You are such a sore loser." Beth laughed louder as Richard started to tickle her.  

After a moment he stopped and just kept her pinned under him. "What?" Beth's voice was softer and the most caring I had ever known as she looked up at him. "I, I, I'm falling for you, Angel. I'm falling for you so hard. It scares me." My heart clenched.

"Don't be, because I've already fallen." I glanced round to see the pair kissing with only a passion I had seen in films or read about, smiles stayed on their faces as they kissed. I felt myself envying my sister. She had never shown any interest in love whilst I had. What Tommy and I had was definitely something that could build to something special but, it wasn't what they had.

"Okay, get off loser. We have more games for me to win."

I couldn't watch anymore. It was painful knowing I was the one used against my sister, Tommy was sorted if he got cut off, Richard had made sure of that. Beth would be and Richard was safe. I was the move that had them at check mate. I had to change the game, somehow.

I needed to work, a decent job where I could make a living without anyone supporting me. I knew the influence my parents had on the business world. They would make it impossible for me to work in the UK. In the UK. They didn't have control in other countries. The lady thing I wanted to happen was to leave my country and everything I knew but, if me starting fresh as an individual finally meant happiness for my sister. It was worth it. I sighed. It was time to look for work and ASAP.

I spent the rest of the day online and looking at all my options, all the countries I could possibly move to where my parents couldn't do anything. I found myself crying. I didn't want to leave Tommy just as we started something, and I definitely didn't want to leave Beth. I wanted to see more of Beth.

"Elenor?" Great.

"Yeah mum?"

"What you doing?"

I didn't bother to hide away my screen when she came into my room uninvited. There was no point in delaying at least cancelling my engagement. "I don't want to marry Richard." I stated bluntly and finally closed my laptop to spin and face her.

My mum stood tall with her arms crossed, hip dipped and her trademark disapproving scowl on her face. Normally, this look had me beat but, no more. I couldn't. Beth had sacrificed so much for me, enduring worse that our parents had ever given me. It was my turn.

"Your sister has gotten to you, hasn't she?" I rolled my eyes. "Not everything is to do with Beth, mum. I don't love Richard and he doesn't love me. We were marrying for the lights of you, dad and his parents. That's ridiculous. We deserve to be happy." I tried to stay strong but my voice cracked, as it always did when confronting one of my parents.

"You need to marry someone of pure blood Elenor Maye Rebecca Wells! We were kind enough to let you go to university and not just be a trophy wife but this is our world! This is how it..."