Elena spent eight years haunted by the sudden disappearance of her younger sister, Clara, on what should have been the happiest day of her life. When Clara suddenly reappears on her front porch after nearly a decade of silence, Elena is forced to confront a devastating family secret that changes everything she thought she knew about her marriage.
The morning my sister Clara disappeared, I was standing in the bridal suite with a steaming mug of chamomile tea in one hand and my grandmother’s pearl necklace in the other.
It was 8:00 a.m.
In four hours, I was supposed to walk down the aisle.
I had pictured that morning since we were little girls sharing a bunk bed. In my mind, Clara would be bustling around the room, fixing my veil, making terrible jokes to calm my nerves, and crying before the makeup artist even touched her face.
Instead, the suite was dead silent.
“Clara?” I called out, knocking softly on the door of the adjoining room.
No answer.
