Chapter 3 - The Bride's Cruelty
The cruel laughter of the wedding guests slowly died down as the massive wooden doors of the venue swung open.
Vanessa stepped out onto the stone patio. She was in her early thirties, wearing a breathtaking, custom-made white wedding dress that cost more than most people made in a decade. She looked absolutely flawless, but her soul was completely rotten. She held a crystal glass of champagne, her lips curled into a vicious, triumphant smirk as she looked down the stone steps at her scarred ex-fiancé.
"I can't believe you actually showed up, Declan," Vanessa sneered, her voice dripping with toxic, unearned arrogance. She slowly walked down the steps, her heavy white train dragging elegantly behind her.
She stopped a few feet away from where Declan was still kneeling beside Delaney. Vanessa’s eyes darted to Delaney's deep-green dress, scanning the fabric with absolute, unfiltered disgust.
"And you brought the charity case with you," Vanessa laughed cruelly, taking a sip of her champagne. "I guess it makes sense. A scarred, penniless failure like you deserves a bargain-bin girlfriend. You two really belong together in the gutter."
Delaney winced, the vicious words cutting deep. She instinctively shrank back, feeling completely vulnerable and utterly exposed in front of the high-society crowd.
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But Declan’s expression didn't falter. He didn't look at his ex-wife with sadness or jealousy. He looked at the woman in the white wedding dress with profound, absolute pity. He tightened his gentle, reassuring grip on Delaney’s arm, anchoring her to the ground.
👉 Vanessa thought she had completely destroyed them, entirely blind to the dark, dangerous shift happening in Declan's eyes.
