Chapter 1
The heavy, stifling twilight air over the elegant outdoor wedding reception hung thick with tension as the ambient party chatter faded entirely.
Thirty-year-old Clara clutched her weeping two-year-old daughter, Maya, tightly against her emerald green silk dress, her heart pounding with white-hot fury.
Sixty-five-year-old Eleanor stood a few paces away, her navy blue evening gown slightly askew and her hand pressed against her stinging red cheek.
Thirty-two-year-old Ethan stood between them, his light grey suit jacket shifting as he looked around frantically at the stunned wedding guests watching from afar.
The small cupcake with pink frosting lay completely ruined on the stone patio, smeared next to the subtle US flag standing near the dessert table.
"Don't ever touch her!" Clara had snarled just moments before, her fierce maternal glare burning holes straight through Eleanor's arrogant, judgmental expression.
Now, the tense bass drone that had been rising in the background hung over the reception like a dark, suffocating cloud ready to burst.
Maya’s soft, heartbreaking sniffles echoed through the quiet courtyard, puncturing the agonizing silence that had gripped every single invited guest in attendance.
May you like
Ethan grabbed Clara's arm with rough, aggressive urgency, his face twisting into a mask of nervous embarrassment and stern, misplaced anger.
"Stop it, you are ruining my sister's wedding!" Ethan hissed through gritted teeth, his eyes darting toward the judging eyes of his wealthy family.
