Broken Promises

It was the happiest day of my life. The morning sun shone through my bedroom window, reflecting softly on the white wedding dress hanging by the mirror. It wasn't just any dress. It was a relic of my late mother, a dress filled with memories and hopes for a beautiful future. I had always imagined wearing that dress on my wedding day, and finally, that day had come.

"Claire, you're beautiful," said Jena, my best friend, busy smoothing the dress hem at my feet. She looked at me through the mirror, smiling genuinely. "Ashton will be mesmerized by you."

I chuckled, imagining Ashton's expression despite my mixed feelings. "I hope he doesn't faint at the altar."

Jena shook her head. "If he faints, I'll wake him up myself. You're already too perfect for this day."

I smiled, trying to shake off the nerves starting to creep in. Today was the day I had been waiting for. Ashton and I have been together for three years. Today, we will tie the knot, with all our hearts, our dreams realized.

My cell phone rang as I looked at my reflection again before leaving and feeling ready to step into a new chapter of my life. My heart skipped a beat as I reached for the phone.

It was Edith, Ashton's best friend, and maybe she wanted to say that Ashton was ready too.

"Claire, there's bad news: Elena's been in an accident."

Edith's voice on the other end of the line made me freeze. "What?" I asked, hardly believing what I had just heard.

"Ashton left the house, and he said he was going to the hospital," Edith's voice continued.

I stood transfixed, my phone almost falling out of my hand. Elena, my step-sister, was involved in an accident. And Ashton, my fiancé, went to see her without telling me.

***

Jena was the first to react. She put her hands on my shoulders, her face tense. "Claire, this is too much. Elena again?"

I could only nod weakly. Elena was always the center of attention, somehow. This wasn't the first time something big for me was interrupted by an 'accident' or 'incident' that happened to her.

"You have to go to the hospital. It's your wedding. You should be Ashton's priority." Jena said.

I nodded in agreement. Even though my heart was filled with mixed worry and anger, I couldn't just let my special day be ruined.

When we arrived at the infirmary, the sight I saw broke my heart. Ashton stood by Elena's bedside, his face full of concern as he adjusted the pillow for her. His hand touched Elena gently as if he were guarding something fragile.

"Elena, what else do you need? Water? A blanket?" he asked in such a gentle tone, a tone he had never used for me.

I stood at the door, feeling my blood boil. I stepped inside, and Ashton finally noticed me. His face instantly changed.

“Claire..." Elena said in a guilty tone.

"Elena, how are you?" I asked, trying to remain calm despite my shaky voice.

Elena scrunched up her face as if she was enduring intense pain. I had memorized that expression, mainly when she conveyed pain. It's not that I don't care, but I can't trust Elena anymore because she does this too often.

"I... I'd love to attend your wedding, Claire, but I can't."

"That's okay, Elena. I'll send you a live video so you can watch our wedding ceremony. Ashton and I are getting married in two hours, and Jena'll accompany you. You...."

"Claire." Ashton cut off my words.

"We have to postpone the wedding," Ashton said quickly.

I was shocked. "Postpone? Ashton, this is our long-awaited wedding day."

"Ashton's right," interrupted Rosalind, my stepmother, who had suddenly appeared in the room. "Elena wants to be there, Claire. Can't you wait until she's healed?”

“I'm in favor of the marriage going ahead," I said, trying to defend myself.

"But Elena needs time to recover," Rosalind said sternly. "You don't want to get married without her support, do you?"

I turned to Ashton, hoping he would defend me. But he just shook his head. "Claire, you don't understand. Elena means a lot to me, and she's my best friend. We have to wait."

My heart broke hearing that. I knew I couldn't win this argument without the three of them against me.

"Why is it so hard for you guys to see things from Claire's point of view? This wedding is so important, Ashton. Can you just put it off?" Jena spoke up.

"You'd better stay out of it," Rosalind replied with a tense look.

I pulled Jena out of the room with me. It was enough that I felt like I was having a bad day. We sat on the waiting chairs.

After a few minutes, Ashton appeared out of the room, and I followed him. I knew I had to talk to him in private.

"Ashton, what do you mean by saying we must wait?" I asked in a shaky voice. "We've been waiting for this day for a long time. I don't care their reasons, but we must get married.”

She looked at me with an impatient expression. "Claire, this isn't just about us. Elena is also part of this family."

"Do you need to tell me that?" I looked at him with eyes that were starting to get wet. "Since when do you care more about Elena than me?"

"It's not about that, Claire. You're selfish not to think about your sister's situation."

I paused. Selfish? Was I selfish for wanting to get married on the day we had planned together?

"Isn't Elena the selfish one? She broke a bone, and we have to wait for her to heal to get married?"

"Look, Claire, you must remember that you and I are even together because of Elena. She brought us together."

His words were like a crushing blow. I remember when I first met Ashton three years ago. Elena introduced us with a triumphant smile as if she had given me her toy as a child.

"Ashton, have you ever treated me like this? Have you ever cared for me when I was sick like you cared for Elena today?"

He was silent, unable to answer. I knew the answer. All this time, Ashton was never there for me like he was for Elena.

"Claire, go home. You need time to reflect on this."

“It's not me who needs to ponder something. It's you, Ashton.”

“Why me? I'm just saying that you need to wait until Elena heals. Is that not clear enough? Why are you acting as if I hurt you with those words?"

I looked at him intensely, took his hand, and spoke more softly. It seems he needs to be made aware of the situation.

“Didn't you realize until this moment that she had entered our sphere? Why must we wait for everything to go according to Elena's mood? Why does she always get hurt whenever I hold a small or big event? My birthday had to end even an hour in because we had to escort her, who had been hit by hot soup. Then, during the engagement, you and I had to finish quickly because she fell in the toilet and made a scene with our guests. Are you...?"

Ashton raised his hand, cutting off all the reality that should have brought him to his senses.

"Do you hate Elena so much that you think it's all her plan? You're memorizing unnecessary things that will destroy your relationship, even us?"

I looked at Ashton, who was still blind to this strangeness.

"Since when Ashton?”

“I'm asking you. Since when did I lose the old you? You always discussed everything with me before doing it. You listened well to all my suggestions. Since when did you become like this?"

"Stop it, Claire. Don't be like a kid who wasn't given candy, then you sulk and do unnecessary drama. We're in a hospital, so don't make a scene."

I looked down, chuckling at this whole incident. I just realized something that I should have learned a long time ago.

"I just remembered, ever since Elena returned from abroad, I've been… Lost you." I looked at Ashton again with tears that I couldn't hold back. Slowly flowing down my cheeks

Ashton furrowed his brows; I thought he was going to hug me and apologize.

Ashton turned around. His feet moved away from me.

"You've come too far, Claire; you should go home; I can't drive you. I suggest you think about it; getting married is not easy, especially since I won't stay away from Elena after that..”

Ashton left me drowning in tears. I fell to the floor. My legs were so weak.

I felt someone grab my shoulder. It was Jena.

"We're going home. You need to rest."

Jena helped me stand up and held me in the parking lot.

***

Jena accompanied me on my way home. I couldn't stop crying. It felt like everything I had built up with Ashton was instantly destroyed.

"Claire, you can't go on like this," Jena said, trying to comfort me. "Elena always makes everything centered around her. She seemed intent on destroying everything. I'm not instigating you, but I care about you. You should be happy on your terms, not because of Elena's or Ashton's lack of judgment."

"I knew it from the start," I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks. "But why can't Ashton see it?"

When I got home, I took off the wedding dress with shaking hands. I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the dress for a long time.

"Elena..." I muttered. "What do you want from me?"

I didn't know the answer, but I vowed to find it. If Elena tried to ruin my life, and Ashton wanted to avoid this marriage, I wouldn't stand idly by..