Chapter 5
The heavy steel handcuffs bit sharply into Elena’s bruised wrists as the two police officers hauled her roughly to her feet. The bitter metallic taste of adrenaline and salt coated her tongue as she fought against their grip, not out of brute force, but with the frantic, exhausting desperation of someone trying to hold onto the last shreds of truth.
"Don't listen to him!" Elena cried, her voice cracking as she was dragged backward down the flower-strewn aisle. She twisted her neck around, locking her eyes onto her sister. "Clara, think! Why would there be a casket at your wedding? Why would Alex vanish the exact week Julian took over our father's company? Ask him where the money went, Clara! Ask him what happened to the real Alex!"
Clara flinched as if struck across the face. She reached out and grabbed the edge of the altar for support, her breath coming in shallow, shuddering gasps. The white silk of her wedding gown seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, dragging her down into the cold reality of the room. She looked from Elena’s bruised, desperate face to Julian’s impassive, handsome expression. For two years, Julian had been her rock, the gentle shoulder she cried on when the world told her that her older sister was a cold-blooded murderer who had embezzled corporate funds and poisoned her fiancé out of greed.
Julian stepped smoothly in front of Clara, blocking her line of sight, and placed a warm, steady hand on her bare shoulder. "Don't listen to her ravings, my love," Julian murmured softly, his voice rich with practiced empathy. "The trauma of the trial and prison broke her mind. Let the authorities handle her. We will get through this."
Clara nodded slowly, though her eyes remained wide and unfocused. The seeds of doubt, once planted, had taken deep root in her mind.
As the officers dragged Elena past the rows of terrified guests, the whispers washed over her like cold water. She kept her chin up, refusing to let them see her break completely, even as the harsh glare of the police cruiser lights outside blinded her momentarily. They pushed her into the back of a waiting squad car, slamming the heavy metal door shut with a finality that seemed to seal her fate.
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Inside the frigid patrol car, Elena stared out the rain-streaked window at the glittering facade of the wedding venue. She knew the police would take her back to the penitentiary, adding years to her sentence for the violent escape. She knew Julian had powerful friends, untraceable accounts, and a network of protection that spanned the entire state. But as she rubbed her chafed wrists against the coarse orange fabric of her jumpsuit, a cold, hard resolve settled deep within her chest. Julian had underestimated her resilience. He had thought a prison cell would permanently silence the woman who knew too much about his corporate empire built on blood and deception.
The squad car’s engine roared to life, pulling away from the curb and leaving the glittering wedding reception behind in the rainy night.
