When His Eyes Opened

It was the day of Avonsville socialite Avery Tate’s wedding, but there was no groom in sight.

The groom, Elliot Foster, had been in a vegetative state since a car crash half a year ago. His doctors said that he was not going to make it until the end of the year.

In a grief-stricken act, Elliot’s mother decided to arrange a marriage for her son before he met his untimely end.

The Fosters were one of the wealthiest families in Avonsville, but no socialite in her right mind would want to marry a man who was knocking on Death’s door.

……

Avery sat at the vanity with her slender figure gracefully dressed in a white wedding gown. With her elegant makeup that brought out the exquisiteness of her pale complexion, she looked as delicate as a budding red rose.

Yet, there was an uneasiness in her almond-shaped eyes.

There was only another 20 minutes until the ceremony, and Avery was frantically sliding her fingers across her phone screen, anxiously awaiting a text message.

She had a boyfriend before she was forced to marry Elliot, and it was a terrible coincidence that he just happened to be Elliot’s nephew, Cole Foster.

However, they had never made their relationship public.

Avery had texted Cole the night before in hopes that they would escape Avonsville together and elope. She had stayed up all night waiting, but she never got a reply.

She could wait no longer.

Avery rose from her seat, clenched her hand around her phone and made up an excuse to leave the room.

She hurried down the corridor and froze in her tracks as she walked past one of the rooms.

Avery heard the sound of her sister, Cassandra giggling delightedly through the slightly ajar room door.

bet my dumb sister is still waiting for you to go to her, Cole! Maybe you should go and butter her up a little more. What are we

as he held Cassandra in his arms and nuzzled his thin lips against her neck. “Even if she tries to back out now, the guards will drag her

lose her mind if she

a violent buzzing in her head. She took a step back and

gown and held back the tears

was admitted into hospital

so she could reap the benefits. She had made it sound like the marriage was for the good of the Tate family, but Avery knew that this was Wanda’s

was least expected, was the fact that the boyfriend who said he loved her would turn around and betray

to carry on with the wedding. He said that he would marry her once Elliot

were crushed, and she could barely

the room intensified, Avery clenched her fists, and her eyes turned

her stepmother and stepsister’s bullying for her father’s sake. She suffered through all kinds of injustices for

was too

would no longer allow them to take her for a

take back all that

ceremony began shortly

in her wedding gown with a bouquet of flowers in her hands, Avery walked down the aisle as soft, romantic music

own vows and

looked puzzled, but she

on, she was Mrs. Foster, and she

the palm of his hand, did not have much longer to

……

night, Avery was sent to Elliot’s

the city’s affluent

take in the mansion’s layout, Mrs. Cooper had dragged

the large bed. She

his chiseled face, and he exuded a majestic aura of

was unusually pale from spending all that time indoors, but his handsome face made

not sick, Avery would have never