Chapter 3
“I slept about as well as someone could expect after being kicked out of her own bridal bed on her wedding night,” Elena replied coldly. Victoria’s smile didn't waver for a fraction of a second, though her eyes hardened into sharp, calculating points of piercing gray.
“Oh, darling, don't be so dramatic; family takes precedence over petty marital traditions when health and comfort are involved,” Victoria dismissed smoothly. “Since when is hijacking my bed considered a medical emergency requiring you to sleep right beside my husband?” Elena challenged directly.
Victoria stepped closer, the scent of expensive French perfume masking whatever subtle chemical undertone lingered beneath her immaculate exterior. “Julian is my flesh and blood, Elena; no piece of paper or wedding ceremony will ever change the bond we share,” Victoria whispered menacingly.
Before Elena could fire back a sharp retort, Julian walked into the kitchen wearing a crisp white bathrobe and rubbing the back of his neck. “Morning, ladies... what's all the tension about before we even have our first cup of coffee?” Julian asked, feigning casual ignorance.
“Your mother spent our wedding night sharing our bed, Julian, and you expect me to just smile and pour coffee like everything is normal?” Elena snapped. Julian sighed heavily, adopting that familiar, exhausting expression of patient exhaustion that always made Elena feel like she was the irrational one.
“Elena, please, don't start our marriage with a screaming match over where Mom slept when she wasn't feeling well,” Julian pleaded, shaking his head. “She wasn't sick, Julian, she was faking intoxication to get into our room, and you know it!” Elena shouted in sheer frustration.
“That is enough, Elena! You are insulting my mother in her own home, and I will not tolerate this disrespect on our first day as husband and wife,” Julian scolded harshly. Elena stared at him in utter disbelief, watching how easily he capitulated to his mother's psychological gravitational pull.
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The front doorbell chimed loudly through the house, shattering the suffocating tension in the kitchen and signaling the arrival of the early morning wedding brunch guests. Victoria smoothed down her blazer instantly, transforming back into the gracious, smiling matriarch of the affluent suburban estate.
“Go wash your face, dear; we wouldn't want our family and friends seeing the bride looking so distraught on her first morning,” Victoria instructed coolly. Elena turned away, her fists clenched so tightly her fingernails dug painfully into the soft skin of her palms.
