THE WEDDING VENUE - AFTERMATH
The day ended,with a slow, agonizing evacuation. The guests scuttled away like rats fleeing a sinking ship, whispering behind their hands, clutching their expensive gift bags as if they were compensation for the trauma they had just witnessed.
The botanical garden, once a fairytale setting, now looked like a crime scene. White roses were trampled into the mud, champagne flutes were shattered on the stone paths, and the altar stood empty, mocking us.
Both family heads—Elijah Kingston and the patriarch of the Hawthorne family—were huddled in a corner, speaking in low, furious tones. They were trying to salvage business deals from the wreckage of a marriage, agreeing to "address the issue at a later date" to avoid a public brawl.
But not everyone was so compo
