Chapter 2 - The Stunned Crowd Witnesses My Hidden Physical Bruises
The heavy lace of my wedding gown fell away in a single, fluid motion, pooling around my satin heels like seafoam.
Four hundred pristine wedding guests gasped in unison, the collective sound echoing sharply against the sacred vaulted ceilings of the cathedral.
Every eye in the grand church locked onto the horrifying constellation of dark purple and yellow bruises coating my arms and collarbone.
Adrian stood frozen beside the altar, his face completely draining of color as his arrogant smirk shattered into raw panic.
His mother, Celeste, stood up from the front row so fast her velvet chair tipped backward onto the stone floor with a loud clatter.
“She’s lying! It’s theatrical makeup! Someone stop her!” Celeste shrieked, her voice cracking with desperate, shrill hysteria.
I didn't flinch, keeping my shoulders back and my chin held high as the camera shutters flashed relentlessly from the press gallery.
“You wanted everyone to see who I belong to, Adrian,” I said clearly, my voice ringing steady through the altar microphones.
“Now let them all see the price of your sick, controlling domestic tyranny.”
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Adrian lunged forward to grab my arm, but a heavy, authoritative hand slammed down firmly onto his shoulder.
***
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