Chapter 1 - Shattered Vows
"How could you lie to me?" Arthur shouted, his voice cracking with a raw, agonizing disbelief that echoed through the wooden chapel.
"Arthur, please, let me explain, it is not what you think at all," Claire stammered, her face draining of all color as she stumbled backward against the altar.
"Explain what? That you abandoned our daughter, that you left her bruised and crying while you played dress-up in this white gown?" Arthur demanded, stepping closer with trembling fists.
"Daddy, she hit me when I asked about our home," six-year-old Lily sobbed, holding up the crumpled photograph of a smiling family that felt like a lifetime away.
"Shut up, you little liar, you are ruining everything!" Claire shrieked, losing her composed facade in a sudden flash of pure, venomous panic.
The entire sanctuary froze, the guests gasping in collective horror at the harsh, cruel tone directed at an innocent child.
Arthur stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the woman he had vowed to love just seconds ago as if she were a total stranger.
"Did you just call your own daughter a liar?" Arthur whispered, the betrayal burning deep inside his chest like acid.
"No, Arthur, I meant—the stress of the wedding, my mind is just racing," Claire recovered quickly, tears welling in her eyes as she reached for his lapel.
"Do not touch me," Arthur hissed, violently swatting her hand away from his tuxedo.
The officiant quietly stepped back, removing his glasses and shaking his head in profound disappointment.
"We are done here, the wedding is canceled," Arthur declared, turning his back on the altar and kneeling down to embrace Lily.
As Arthur lifted the trembling little girl into his arms, Claire's expression hardened from desperate to chillingly cold.
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"You cannot leave me, Arthur, you signed the papers this morning," Claire whispered with a sinister smile that only he could see.
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