Chapter 2 - The Red Stain
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A waiter had slammed directly into me.
The heavy silver tray he was carrying tilted dangerously, and time seemed to slow down. I watched the three crystal goblets of expensive, dark red vintage Cabernet tip over the edge.
The wine poured down in a heavy, cold waterfall. It soaked my hair, splashed across my face, and completely drenched the bodice of my pale, platinum silk gown. The dark red stain bloomed across the expensive fabric like a bleeding wound.
I gasped, the cold liquid shocking my skin.
The entire ballroom, which had been buzzing with hundreds of conversations and soft jazz music, instantly went dead silent. Over three hundred guests turned their heads to look at the woman sitting by the kitchen doors, dripping in red wine.
Then, the worst sound in the world echoed through the room.
My father stood up from the head table. He picked up his crystal glass, tapped it with a silver spoon, and grabbed the microphone meant for the best man's speech.
“Well,” my father announced, his voice booming through the high-end speakers. “Some things never change, do they? Thirty-two years old, no husband, no real career, and still so desperate for attention that she has to make a scene at her younger sister’s wedding.”
Laughter rippled through the room. It started soft, then grew louder as the wealthy elite of Boston joined in on the cruelty.
My mother, draped in diamonds and emeralds, leaned toward my father, ensuring her voice carried over the microphone.
“Pathetic spinster,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
More laughter erupted.
I looked across the massive ballroom, my eyes stinging from the alcohol. At the center of it all, my sister Claire was covering her mouth with her manicured hands, pretending to be horrified by the accident.
But I saw the wicked, triumphant smile hiding behind her fingers.
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Years ago, a moment like this would have completely destroyed me. I would have run out of the room crying, hiding in a bathroom stall until the party was over.
Not tonight. Tonight was going to be very different.
