Chapter 2: The Locked Door
Elena didn't scream. She didn't cry. She dropped the broken gold chain, gathered the heavy silk of her wedding gown in both hands, and ran.
"Elena, wait!" Marcus yelled, sprinting after her.
She burst out of the bridal suite, rushing past horrified bridesmaids and panicked wedding planners. She sprinted down the long, carpeted hallways toward the east wing.
Her father, Arthur, had claimed the east wing was structurally unsafe. He had kept it under "renovation" for an entire decade. No one was allowed inside.
Elena reached the heavy oak double doors and pulled the brass handle. Locked.
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Marcus caught up to her. He didn't ask questions. He didn't tell her to calm down or worry about the guests waiting in the ballroom. He looked at the heavy, steel fire extinguisher mounted on the wall. Marcus ripped it from its bracket, raised it above his head, and violently smashed it against the brass lock.
The metal shattered. The heavy doors swung open.
