Chapter 1 - Shattered Glass and Silence
The crystal chandeliers of the Grandview Ballroom hummed with a deceptive warmth, casting golden light over the polished oak floor where Elena stood in her pristine white wedding gown. Beneath her satin-clad heel, the face of Clara—adorned in a crushed maroon dress—pressed against the wood grain, her freckled skin stark against the dark lacquer.
"Get your foot off her, Elena! Are you out of your absolute mind?" Julian screamed, his black tuxedo jacket flying open as he sprinted across the room, his eyes wild with a terror that far exceeded the boundaries of a normal wedding guest.
Elena didn't blink. Her breath hitched once, a shallow, controlled gasp, before her voice cut through the ambient murmur of the frozen crowd like broken glass.
"Am I out of my mind, Julian? Or did I finally find the truth you and my dear sister tried to bury beneath cheap champagne and vows of devotion?"
Julian lunged forward, his face flushed with panic, but before he could reach the center of the dance floor, his polished leather shoe caught the edge of a spilled champagne flute. He crashed hard, his nose striking the wood with a sickening crunch, leaving him sprawled out face-first in front of the horrified onlookers.
Elena stared down at her fallen groom, her hands flying to her mouth in simulated shock.
"Julian!" she cried out, though her voice lacked any real warmth.
Clara scrambled backward on her knees, wiping a smear of blood from her lip, her chest heaving as she pointed a trembling finger up at Elena's skirts.
"You psycho," Clara spat, her voice cracking. "You didn't just find the texts... you knew about the baby the whole time, didn't you?"
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Elena lowered her hands slowly, a cold, calculated smile touching the corners of her lips as she looked past Julian's groaning form and locked eyes with the best man holding the wedding video camera.
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