Chapter 3 - The Matriarch's Command
"Security," Élida announced, her voice slicing through the heavy silence of the cathedral. She spoke with the practiced, tranquil tone of someone who issued commands daily. "Escort this young woman to the exit."
At her words, the spell that had frozen the room seemed to partially break. From the peripheries of the opulent hall, two uniformed men, burly and stern-faced, began to move down the side aisles. They walked with heavy, deliberate steps, clearly uncomfortable with the situation but bound by the paycheck signed by the Cabrales family.
Valentina saw them approaching from the corners of her eyes. They were coming to remove her from her own wedding, treating her not as a jilted bride, but as an unruly trespasser.
May you like
Élida adjusted her diamond necklace, her chin tilted upward, a subtle twitch of satisfaction resting at the corner of her mouth. She expected tears. She expected begging. She expected Valentina to run down the aisle in shame. The guests held their breath, their eyes darting between the approaching guards and the bride dripping in red wine.
As the heavy footsteps of the security guards drew nearer, echoing against the stone pillars, Valentina took a deep breath, the sharp scent of the spilled vintage Merlot filling her lungs.
