The Wedding Party

Part 56: A Fire

Ten years ago, a storm brewed over the island as Helena stood defiantly before her father. The wind whipped her hair around her face, and she could feel the electricity in the air – though whether it was due to the storm or the tension between them, she couldn't tell.

"Why am I being sent away?" Helena demanded, her voice barely audible over the howling gale.

Her father's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched as he spat out, "Because Cole got what he deserved."

Helena felt a cold shiver run down her spine at his words, but she couldn't dwell on them now – not when there were more pressing matters at hand.

In the present, Macey continued to reveal the truth about Brandt and Cole. "The first time Bo Brandt came to the island," Macey said, her voice low and strained, "our father used a few deputies to convince him to leave. They gay bashed him, and then bumped up the charges when he was arrested for assault for fighting back."

Helena knew that her father wasn't perfect, but this level of cruelty was something she'd never imagined. She felt sick, her stomach twisting into knots as she considered the implications of her father's actions.

"Thank you," she whispered again, thoughts racing through her mind like wildfire. What else had been hidden from her all these years?

Meanwhile, Jairo found Olive in her room, hastily packing her belongings into suitcases. Her hands trembled as she folded clothes, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.

"Olive, what are you doing?" Jairo asked gently, concern etched on his face.

"I'm calling off the wedding," Olive choked out, tears threatening to spill once more. "Permanently."

Jairo didn't know what to say, and as a heavy silence settled over the room, Amelia could be seen nearby, absentmindedly playing with a choke collar. A note slid under her door, catching her attention. Her delicate fingers picked up the paper and as she read it, her eyes widened. Without a word, Amelia left the room.

Unbeknownst to them all, Kyan had doubled back for the cash. He approached the Manor's incinerator, a bag full of money clutched in his hands. With a deep breath, he opened the incinerator and tossed the money inside. The bills crackled and burned, the flames hungrily consuming them. Kyan watched, transfixed, as his financial lifeline went up in smoke.

Suddenly, he was yanked away from the incinerator, pain searing through him as he was sliced several times by an unseen assailant. Panic surged through Kyan as he tried to pull himself away, but instead, his hand collided with the scorching hot mouth of the incinerator. He screamed in agony, the smell of charred flesh filling the air as darkness overtook him, claiming his life in its cold embrace.