Her Stepmother Pushed Her Off a Mountain So Her Own Daughter Could Marry a Billionaire
Agnes gripped her daughter’s hand.
“He chose a girl beneath a veil. He has not truly seen her. By the time the sun rises on the wedding day, Sarah will be gone, and the mountain will swallow her secret.”
That night, while Sarah slept on a thin mat dreaming of freedom, her stepmother and stepsister planned her death.
The night before the wedding, the village slept under a sky full of cold stars. Sarah dreamed of the city—of a house with many windows and a bed that did not smell of damp straw.
Then a rough hand shook her awake.
“Wake up, child,” Agnes whispered, her voice unnaturally soft. “It is the morning of your joy. But before the sun sees your face, there is one thing we must do.”
Sarah sat up, confused.
“Is it time for the ceremony?”
“Not yet,” Agnes said, wrapping a heavy shawl around her shoulders. “In our family, a bride must receive the blessing of the mountain. We must climb to the high ledge before the first rooster crows. If the mist touches your forehead at the peak, your marriage will be blessed with children and wealth.”
Sarah hesitated. The great blue mountain was full of stories. The elders said the paths were narrow and treacherous.
“Is it safe?” she asked.
Before Agnes could answer, Isidora stepped from the shadows already dressed in a thick wrapper.
“Are you a coward, Sarah? Do you want your marriage to be cursed? I am coming with you to show you the way.”
Feeling guilty for doubting them, Sarah nodded.
“I will go. I want my father to be proud of me.”
They left the compound in silence. John was not awakened. No lantern was lit. Agnes led the way, followed by Sarah, then Isidora. The path grew steeper and rougher as they climbed. Dirt turned to stone. Trees became twisted silhouettes. The wind screamed across the rocks.
At last they reached a narrow ledge. On one side was the mountain wall. On the other, a deep ravine full of mist and darkness.
“The high ledge,” Agnes announced. “Step forward, Sarah. Look east. The blessing is waiting for you.”
Sarah moved to the edge, staring into the darkness. She did not notice Agnes and Isidora exchange a glance. She did not see Agnes raise her hands.
“Look closer,” Agnes said.
Sarah leaned forward.
Then two powerful hands slammed into her back.
She gasped. Her feet left the rock. For one terrible moment she hung in the air. She saw Isidora standing behind Agnes, her face twisted into a cruel smile.
“Goodbye, sister,” Isidora said. “I will wear your rings today.”
Sarah’s fingers scraped the ledge. For a heartbeat she held on. Then Agnes stepped forward and crushed her fingers beneath her boot.
Sarah screamed and fell.
The world became wind, stone, and darkness. She struck a rocky outcrop, spun through branches, and crashed against a lonely pine tree growing from the cliffside. The tree slowed her fall before snapping under her weight.
At last she landed on a narrow shelf of rock halfway down the mountain.
And then everything went black.
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