Chapter 2
Victoria screamed before the ambulance arrived.
Not because my mother was hurt.
Because I had taken the ring.
“Give it back,” she snapped, holding out one gloved hand. “That ring belongs to me.”
I stared at her.
“My mother is on the floor.”
“And she is fine.”
My mother winced as I helped her sit upright.
“She is not fine.”
Claudia finally set down her champagne.
“Daniel, emotions are high. Let’s not ruin two families over a clumsy accident.”
“A clumsy accident?”
Bianca crossed her arms.
“She lost her balance. Everyone saw it.”
I turned to my sister.
My own sister.
The girl my mother had also raised.
The woman who had spent the last year clinging to Victoria like wealth might rub off on her skin.
“You laughed.”
Bianca’s mouth tightened.
“I was nervous.”
“No,” I said. “You were cruel.”
Her face flushed.
Victoria lifted her chin.
“You’re going to regret speaking to us this way.”
I almost smiled.
There it was.
The real voice beneath the bridal sweetness.
The threat beneath the lace.
The boutique manager came forward, pale and shaking.
“Mr. Hale, emergency services are on the way.”
“Thank you.”
Victoria whipped toward her.
“You are not calling anyone. Do you know who my father is?”
The manager shrank back.
I stepped between them.
“I know who he is. And by tonight, he will know who you are.”
For the first time, fear flickered in Victoria’s eyes.
My mother squeezed my hand.
“Daniel, please don’t make a scene.”
I turned back to her.
Her voice was small.
It nearly killed me.
“Mom, she hurt you in public. The scene already happened.”
Paramedics arrived minutes later.
They checked Mom’s hip, shoulder, wrist, and blood pressure.
She kept apologizing.
To them.
To me.
To everyone.
“I’m sorry for the trouble.”
One paramedic, a woman with tired eyes, touched Mom’s shoulder gently.
“You didn’t cause trouble, ma’am.”
Victoria scoffed.
The paramedic looked at her once.
Coldly.
Good.
As they lifted Mom onto a stretcher, Victoria grabbed my arm.
“Daniel, think. The invitations are out. The venue is paid for. My father has investors flying in. You cannot humiliate me like this.”
I looked down at her hand.
“Let go.”
She tightened her grip.
“Don’t be stupid.”
I removed her hand from my sleeve.
“You shoved my mother.”
“She got in my way.”
The words came out before she could dress them up.
Everyone heard.
The boutique manager heard.
The paramedics heard.
Bianca heard.
Claudia closed her eyes as if annoyed by Victoria’s mistake, not ashamed of it.
I pulled out my phone.
Victoria narrowed her eyes.
“Who are you calling?”
“My attorney.”
Her face hardened.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I called Martin Reed anyway.
He answered on the second ring.
“Daniel?”
“Cancel every wedding payment you can. Freeze any shared vendor accounts. Send notice to the venue. I’m ending the engagement.”
Silence.
Then Martin said, “What happened?”
“My fiancée assaulted my mother.”
Victoria lunged for the phone.
Security caught her by the arms.
She screamed my name like I had betrayed her.
I followed my mother to the ambulance.
Bianca ran after me.
“Danny, wait.”
I turned.
She looked younger suddenly.
Scared.
“Don’t cut me off.”
The words revealed her first concern.
Not Mom.
Money.
I stared at her.
“You watched Mom fall.”
Her eyes filled.
“Victoria said if I helped her, I’d ruin everything.”
“And you believed that was worse than leaving our mother on the floor?”
Bianca started crying.
I stepped into the ambulance.
May you like
The doors closed.
And for the first time in years, my sister was left outside.
