Chapter 5 - Leaving the Altar
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The two hundred guests sat frozen in their mahogany pews, paralyzed by the sudden, violent rupture of high-society decorum. The wealthy friends Adrian had invited stared at me with wide, expectant eyes. They were waiting for the scene to play out according to the script written for women like me. They waited for my shoulders to shake, for the tears to spill over my carefully applied makeup. They waited for me to apologize to the man who had just struck me, to pick up the pen with trembling hands, and to obey his violent command.
That was the woman Adrian thought he had married. But I was not that woman anymore.
I slowly turned my head back to face him, pressing two fingers gently against my burning, throbbing cheek. The blood on my lip was warm. I looked at the man who had promised to love me just five minutes earlier, and then, slowly, I smiled. It was not a smile of surrender, but one of absolute, chilling clarity.
"All right," I said softly, my voice perfectly steady.
Adrian instantly relaxed, his shoulders dropping as a triumphant smirk touched his lips. In the front row, Celeste actually laughed, a short, cruel sound of victory. They thought they had won.
Instead of reaching for the pen, I reached for my left hand. I gripped the heavy, flawless diamond engagement ring he had placed on my finger a year ago, and I pulled it off. I set the ring down onto the altar, right on top of his fraudulent contract. I turned my back on my abuser and faced the silent crowd.
"Please enjoy the reception," I announced clearly, my voice echoing through the nave. "Everything has already been paid for."
May you like
"Elena," Adrian warned, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl.
I ignored him, gathered my heavy silk skirts, and walked back down the aisle, entirely alone.
