Chapter 1 - Beginning
The crimson stain spread like a blossoming wound across the pristine white lace of the designer gown. Red wine, heavy and fragrant, dripped rhythmically onto the polished marble floor of the cathedral. Drop. Drop. Drop. It was the only sound that seemed to exist in a space occupied by two hundred guests.
Valentina slowly raised her eyes. She did not cry. She did not scream. She did not crumple to the floor in a fit of hysterics. She simply stood before the grand, ornate altar, her hands trembling only slightly at her sides. She looked at Élida Montserrat de Cabrales—the woman who was supposed to become her mother-in-law in mere minutes—with a profound, unsettling calmness that no one in the sprawling room knew how to interpret.
May you like
The silence that blanketed the cathedral was absolute, so thick and heavy it felt as though it could be sliced with a blade. The extravagant floral arrangements of white orchids and yellow roses stood untouched and pristine, as if cruelly mocking the utter destruction that had just occurred. The officiating priest stood frozen, his mouth slightly ajar, the holy book trembling in his aged hands. The bridesmaids, dressed in pale gold, exchanged terrified glances, unsure whether they should rush forward to help or remain anchored to their spots.
Valentina felt the cold dampness of the wine seeping through the silk lining of her dress, touching her skin. It was a baptism of humiliation, yet, as she stared into the unblinking eyes of the older woman, she felt the first true spark of profound clarity she had experienced in years.
