Chapter 5
Half a month later, it happened to be Isabella’s birthday.
It was also the day Julian Shaw had promised to come for me.
In recent days, the gossip circulating in our social circles had almost died down, thanks to my father’s efforts to suppress it.
After all, no one truly believed the General’s daughter would actually marry a cripple.
Even my parents and James were convinced my declaration had been just a fit of pique.
What they didn’t know was that I had long grown disillusioned with this family. The desire to leave
had never left me.
Early that morning, as I was about to open my door, I heard hushed conversation from the yard
outside.
It was James.
“Keep it down. If she wakes up and finds out we’re taking Bella to The Hamptons for her birthday,
she’ll throw a fit and ruin the trip.”
My mother’s voice was hesitant.
“Are we really leaving Eleanor home alone?”
“I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this…”
“Stop overthinking it,” my father urged, organizing the luggage.
“I finally managed to get this time off. There are guards and the housekeeper here. It’s not like
she’ll be neglected.”
Isabella chimed in with feigned consideration.
“Maybe… we should invite Sister to come along?”
James snorted dismissively. “Do you want any peace and quiet on your birthday or not?”
My mother sighed.
“Ah, we’ll make it up to Eleanor when we get back.”
Soon, it was completely quiet outside my door.
I pushed it open and looked up at the clear, cloudless blue sky.
Chapter 5
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What a beautiful day.
So, I turned and changed into the wedding dress I had prepared long ago.
I hadn’t expected Julian to arrange an entire motorcade.
A line of identical black limousines, their grilles adorned with bright red roses.
He had even hired a military band, playing all the way from the National Mall to the historic district.
Plenty of citizens gathered to watch along the route. Wedding favors and red envelopes containing money were scattered generously into the crowd.
Sitting in the car, listening to the trumpets outside, my first thought was, how could a disabled veteran in a wheelchair pull off such a grand production?
But remembering the innate, commanding poise in his speech and demeanor, an intuition told me, his identity was far more than it appeared on the surface.
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