CHAPTER 3
“You locked her in that room,” Gabriel said, his voice terrifyingly calm, cutting through the silence of the massive cathedral-ceilinged venue. He didn't ask a question; he stated a fact that landed with the weight of a guilty verdict from a federal judge.
Serena’s hands fluttered to her throat, her diamonds catching the chandelier light as she stammered, “Gabriel, darling, it was… she was misbehaving. I was only trying to calm her down so we could finish the ceremony!”
The crowd gasped, the sound like a collective intake of breath from a thousand lungs, as the sheer absurdity of her excuse echoed through the hall. Gabriel looked at her as if she were a roach crawling on the pristine white runner of his wedding aisle.
“You think you can treat my daughter like a pet to be caged when she’s inconvenient to your social climb?” Gabriel asked, stepping into her personal space. He reached out, not to touch her, but to tear the expensive, custom-made veil from her hair with one sharp, dismissive motion.
May you like
The fabric drifted to the floor like a dead thing, discarded and unwanted, marking the official end of their union before the ink had even dried. Serena began to sob, not from remorse, but from the terrifying realization that her golden ticket was rapidly turning into an orange prison jumpsuit.
“Security!” Gabriel roared, the command echoing off the stained-glass windows and vibrating the very foundations of the mansion. “Remove this woman from my property immediately, and do not let her take a single item that she did not bring here herself.”
