The Wedding Plan

Chapter 50

When Sebastian went into the bedroom after working all day, Eleanor was already asleep on the couch. They barely acknowledged each other during the day. As Sebastian tenderly looked at her, he thought about picking her up and putting her on the bed, but at the risk of her waking up and be mad at him, he decided it was best to leave her like that. It was a chilly night, and the room was cold, so he put another blanket over her and tucked her in.

The alarm clock rang, and Sebastian turned it off. Eleanor got off the couch in an instant and went straight into the bathroom, ignoring him as he said good morning. Sebastian hurt even more with her silence than if she were screaming at him. At least he would know what he had done wrong if she yelled at him.

Eleanor got out the bathroom and went straight to the closet, again leaving Sebastian more confused. He took a shower and putted on his tuxedo. As he saw Eleanor leaving the closet — with her dark red dress on and her hair tied up in a braid that went down her shoulder — his heart stopped

'You look amazing.'

'You don't look so bad yourself,' she said with a smile, and the world went blank for Sebastian.

He knew her smile was fake; he had seen so many real ones that he was sure this time she was pretending; it was her last effort to keep the pact they made. This was torture. Seeing her in agony for being close to him hurt even more than he thought possible.

She walked towards the door, but he grabbed her wrist before her hand grabbed the doorknob.

'Please, Eleanor. Please,' he begged. 'Just talk to me. Tell me what happened. Whatever it is, I can fix it. I promise you that I can fix it. Just tell me.'

Two small tears rolled down her face, even though she was trying so hard to keep them in.

'Nothing,' she said, while wiping the tears with the back of her hand.

'You can't possibly think that I believe in that.'

'It doesn't matter, Sebastian. I'm done.'

'Done with what?'

'With this. Whatever this is I can't do it anymore.'

Sebastian grabbed her face and kissed her, but she pushed him away.

'Never do that again unless you mean it!'

'I mean it. I meant every kiss. For real this time. I told you that, didn't I?'

Eleanor looked at him without saying a word.

'You still don't believe me, do you?'

And again, she couldn't find the strength in her to speak. She was afraid that if she did, she would fall into his arms, even if he were lying.

'Why don't you believe me? What do I need to do to make you believe me?'

Eleanor could hear the desperation in Sebastian's voice, but she was too conflicted after hearing him talk to Lina. And besides, the day wasn't about them. They didn't have the time to talk things over.

'We're going to be late,' she said, using all her strength to force the words out.

'Fine. If this is what you want. There's nothing else I can do to make you trust me.'

After hearing his tone of voice and seeing his eyes getting red, Eleanor regretted her behavior. What if I'm not being fair? She wondered.

'I,' — her voice cracked, and Sebastian looked at her as hope returned to him — 'the day isn't about us. We can talk after. Can't we?'

He nodded. He wasn't happy about not being able to solve immediately whatever it was that was going on with Eleanor, but at least she talked to him. She gave him hope.

They went downstairs, with fake smiles on their faces, and for those that didn't bother to take a closer look at them, they seemed like the perfect couple. But it had come to an end. The good parts were as magical as someone could ask for, but everything has an ending. She thought.

Lina called Eleanor to her room. What does Lina want? She wondered.

Eleanor entered the room, and Lina was in front of the vanity. Lina looked stunning. She looked like the perfect bride, like she had just crawled out of a magazine.

Her hair was up with pearls around it, her makeup was beautiful but simple, the best features were without a doubt her smile and blue eyes. The wedding dress had a sweetheart neckline with of the shoulder straps, a corset that tied on the back with a satin ribbon, the bottom had a long train with lace around the trim.

'You look breathtaking,' Eleanor said as she walked towards Lina.

'Thank you. You look gorgeous,' she said with a dazzling smile.

'Do you need anything?'

'No, that's not why I asked you to come here.'

Eleanor's heart sunk; Lina was about to talk to her about Sebastian.

'Is everything ok? With you?'

'Today is all about you and Ian. Nothing else should matter. You should not be worried about other people.'

'That's precisely why I am worried. Since it is my day, I want everyone around me to be happy. I want it to be a good day for everyone.'

Trying to hold back her tears, Eleanor looked down at the floor.

'I know that it all started as a lie,' Lina confessed.