Chapter 1
The heavy silence that blanketed the luxurious wedding hall felt heavier than lead as Julian's words hung suspended in the air. Victoria stared down at her ivory satin and lace wedding gown with a look of sheer, unmitigated horror.
Her champagne flute trembled violently in her manicured hand, spilling a few drops of golden liquid onto the white rose petals below. Maya slowly pushed herself up from the polished marble floor, brushing the dust from her light blue button-down shirt.
Her dark hair fell across her face as she looked up with tear-filled eyes at the man who had just dismantled a monstrous lie. The framed US flag hanging prominently in the background of the hall seemed to bear silent witness to the restoration of justice.
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Whispers erupted among the seated wedding guests like a sudden gust of wind rustling through dry autumn leaves. High-society socialites leaned across their tables, their eyes darting nervously between the pale bride and the stern groom.
Victoria's carefully constructed façade of aristocratic perfection cracked right down the middle, revealing the panic underneath.
