Chapter 5
The silence in the grand ballroom was suffocating. Victoria’s chest heaved as she stared at her father’s unconscious body. The beautiful, elegant bride was unraveling at the seams. She looked at Adrian, realizing that the man she was supposed to marry was a monster she could not control.
Then, her frantic eyes darted to Clara. The four-year-old girl was still kneeling on the floor, clutching baby Mia, crying silently. Victoria saw a slight bulge in the pocket of Clara’s dusty flower-girl dress. Driven by a blind, irrational panic to destroy any remaining evidence that could ruin her life, Victoria made a fatal mistake.
Victoria suddenly lunged toward Clara, her manicured hands reaching aggressively for the little girl’s dress pocket.
"Give it to me!" Victoria shrieked, entirely losing her mind.
Before her fingers could even graze the child, Adrian stepped into her path. He moved like a shadow, throwing his arm out and firmly blocking Victoria’s advance, shielding Clara and the baby completely behind his broad back.
"Do not touch her," Adrian commanded, his voice a low, lethal rumble.
Victoria, hysterical and completely unhinged by the collapse of her wedding, swung her arm wildly. She slapped Adrian hard across the cheek, her diamond engagement ring catching his skin.
The sharp smack rang out. Adrian absorbed the hit without taking a single step backward. He slowly turned his face back to her, his cold eyes burning with absolute, unforgiving fury.
"You hit me," Adrian said softly.
He didn't wait for her to respond. Adrian drew his right arm back and delivered one thunderous, open-handed slap across Victoria’s face.
The impact was devastating. Victoria spun violently backward, her elaborate bridal gown whipping around her legs. Her high heels lost traction on the slick marble floor. She crashed backward directly into the freestanding wedding-card cabinet.
The tall, heavy cabinet tipped backward from the force of her collision. It slammed into the wall, and the doors burst open. Hundreds of thick, expensive envelopes cascaded out, showering across her white gown like a waterfall of paper. Decorative gift boxes tumbled heavily from the upper shelves, bouncing off the marble. Victoria collapsed into a weeping, pathetic heap beneath the scattered wedding cards, her perfect hair ruined, a bright red handprint blooming across her fair cheek.
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While the bride wept on the floor, Clara sniffled and reached a trembling hand into her dusty dress pocket. The little girl pulled out a small, heavy, sealed envelope.
"Mommy said to give this to you," Clara whispered, holding it up with shaking hands. "She said you were the only one who could open it."
