Chapter 4 - The AftermathBy 2:00 PM, the grand ballroom was empty of guests.
The catering staff, whom Elise had insulted continuously throughout the morning preparations, were paid double by my father and sent home for the day with full plates of food.
I sat on the velvet bench in the bridal suite—where my ivory dress had been stolen hours earlier—and finally unbuttoned the bright polyester costume, pulling it off to reveal the simple silk slip I wore underneath.
My chief bridesmaid, Maya, walked in holding a hot mug of tea and a garment bag.
"We found it," Maya said gently.
I looked up. "Where was it?"
"In the basement boiler room," she replied, opening the garment bag to reveal my custom ivory gown. "Elise had paid one of the junior staff fifty dollars to stuff it behind the furnace so it would get covered in grease."
I looked at the dress. There was a dark smudge along the train, but otherwise, it was intact.
A knock sounded at the door. My father stepped inside, followed by Bennett.
Bennett looked destroyed. His hair was messy, his tie was undone, and his eyes were red from holding back tears.
"Clara," Bennett whispered, stopping near the threshold. "Can I please have five minutes?"
My father looked at me, waiting for my signal. I gave a small nod, and my father and Maya stepped outside, closing the heavy oak door behind them.
"I didn't know," Bennett said, his voice breaking as he stepped closer. "Clara, I swear on my life, I didn't know about the debt. My mother told me our accounts were fine. She told me the merger with your father's firm was just a formality."
"And the insults, Bennett?" I asked quietly, looking at him through the mirror. "Did you know about those? When she called me ordinary? When she told you I needed to learn my place? You laughed."
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Bennett lowered his head, tears finally spilling over his cheeks. "I was a coward. I thought... I thought if I went along with her, she would leave us alone once we were married. I thought I was keeping the peace."
"You weren't keeping the peace, Bennett," I said, standing up to face him. "You were letting her destroy me so you wouldn't have to stand up to her. And a man who won't protect his wife from his own family isn't ready to be a husband."
