Chapter 2 — The Truth Behind the Bruises
Chapter 2 — The Truth Behind the Bruises
Silence swallowed the ballroom.
The groom's words echoed through the crystal hall.
"She is my mother."
Every guest stared at the exhausted woman in the staff uniform.
The bride blinked in disbelief.
"...What?"
The groom slowly released his mother, but kept one protective arm around her shoulders.
"You've spent the last six months calling the wedding planner, demanding perfection..." he said quietly. "Yet you never noticed the woman carrying half the decorations was my own mother."
His mother's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry, Ethan..." she whispered.
"You have nothing to apologize for."
The bride scoffed.
"So what? She's staff."
The groom looked at her as if he had never truly seen her before.
"No," he answered.
"She took this temporary job because she secretly sold her jewelry to help pay for our wedding after your father backed out of his promise."
The room gasped.
The groom gently lifted the sleeve of his mother's uniform.
Dark bruises covered her forearm.
"I begged her to stay home," he said.
"She worked anyway because she didn't want me to know we were struggling."
The bride's confidence disappeared.
May you like
For the first time that day...
She looked afraid.
