The Puppet Unstrung: Chloe's Freedom

ous, that I thought I must have misheard him. The beeping of the heart monitor

I asked, my voice

nervingly calm. "Sarah's maid of honor had

d, hard, and utterly serious. This wasn't a joke. This was a punishment. He wanted me to stand by his side and

t the newly awakened part of my mind, the part that was no longer controlled by the narrative, saw the trap. A dramatic refusal was wh

. I took a deep, shuddering breath and

," I

and a flicker of raw anger crossed his face. This wasn't

d, his voice risin

spite the tremor in my hands. "I'

he bridal shop at ten a.m. tomorrow for the final fitting. Don't be la

my lips. I curled into a ball, the cheap hospital blanket rough against my cheek, and wept for th

remembered a summer afternoon when we were sixteen. We were hiding from a sudden rainstorm in my dad's old barn. He had carved our initials into one of the wooden beams. 'E + C' . He had looked

faded into a backdrop for the reel of my past mistakes playing on a loop in my head. The next morning,

, glowing with happiness. She greeted me with a warm hug. "Chloe! I'm so g

smile on my face feeli

she said, pulling me t

It was an elegant, A-line gown with delicate lace sleeves

rs ago, the one I had shown Ethan one night, whisp

ered. He had remembered every de

the curtain, she looked breathtaking. Ethan, who had been standing by the window, turned. His eyes met mi

he said to her, his vo

even loo

low and urgent, grabbing his arm as Sara

my touch had burned him. "W

e," I begged.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be with my fiancée." H

hysical weight, pressing down on my chest. I had to say somethi

ah," I said, the words tasting like

love with it the moment I saw it.

to Ethan one last time, my last shre

udible. "Please. Can't she just...

Chloe? Is there something special about this dress?"

cious whisper that only I could hear. "You know, for years, I imagined you in this dres

ok Sarah's hand, his expression

of our shared past. He wasn't just moving on. He was systematically burning every bridge, every