Chapter 4 - The Wine Incident
|
Mariana leaned back in her chair, a cruel smirk spreading across her face as she watched her son lose his composure. She was enjoying this. She had built this entire trap just to watch me break.
"She’s defying you, Rafael," Mariana whispered, her voice laced with poison. "Right here in public. What kind of man lets his wife treat him like a servant?"
Rafael’s eyes turned red with anger. He glared at me as if I were a stranger who had insulted his life's work.
"I am giving you one final chance, Elena," Rafael hissed, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of the table. "Put your card down."
"I told you no," I said, holding his gaze without flinching. "Pay for your mother yourself."
Before I could react, Rafael’s hand shot out. He grabbed his crystal wine glass—still half-full of heavy, dark red Gran Reserva—and hurled the liquid straight into my face.
SPLASH!
The ice-cold wine hit me like a physical blow. It splashed into my eyes, stung my nose, and drenched my hair. Dark red drops rained down over my face, staining the front of my cream-colored cardigan and soaking into the fabric of my navy dress.
I gasped, blinded for a second as the alcohol burned my skin.
Rafael leaned across the table, his teeth bared, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying whisper that made my blood run cold.
"You pay up, Elena," he hissed, "or this marriage is over right now."
The entire restaurant seemed to stop moving. In the background, a waiter dropped a silver tray with a loud clatter. Patrons at nearby tables turned around, their faces pale with shock.
Beside him, Mariana didn't look appalled. She leaned back, resting her chin on her hand, her smirk widening into a full, triumphant smile.
"Sometimes," Mariana murmured softly, "a woman needs a clear reminder of who holds the leash."
May you like
I sat completely still, liquid dripping from my chin onto my lap. I didn't scream. I didn't cry.
Inside my chest, something vital and fragile snapped clean in two.
