I exhaled slowly.
Twenty minutes.
I could survive twenty more minutes.
At least, that’s what I thought.
Then everything went wrong.
Emma reached for her apple juice.
At that exact moment, a server carrying a tray of drinks passed behind her.
Her elbow bumped the tray.
One glass tipped.
Then another.
A large glass of red wine crashed onto the floor.
The sound echoed across the reception.
Conversations stopped.
Music seemed to fade.
Every head turned.
A few drops landed on Madison’s wedding dress.
Barely visible.
A stain no bigger than a quarter.
But Madison reacted as though someone had set her gown on fire.
“Oh my God!”
She screamed so loudly that guests jumped.
“My dress!”
Emma froze.
Her eyes widened.
The crayon slipped from her fingers.
Madison pointed directly at her.
“Your daughter ruined my wedding!”
The entire garden fell silent.
I immediately stood.
“I’m so sorry.”
I grabbed a napkin.
“It was an accident.”
Madison jerked away.
“Don’t touch me!”
Several guests exchanged uncomfortable glances.
Others pulled out phones.
Watching.
Waiting.
Enjoying the drama.
Emma ran behind me and wrapped her arms around my leg.
I could feel her trembling.
“It was an accident,” I repeated.
Madison’s face reddened.
“You always do this.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“You always ruin everything.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Because part of me knew she meant them.
Not the wine.
Not the dress.
My existence.
My father suddenly appeared beside her.
“What happened?”
Madison pointed.
“They ruined my dress.”
My father didn’t ask questions.
Didn’t look at the stain.
Didn’t ask if Emma was okay.
Instead, he looked directly at me.
“I knew inviting you was a mistake.”
My chest tightened.
“Don’t do this.”
“The mistake,” he said coldly, “was allowing you through the gate.”
Emma squeezed me tighter.
I felt something inside me begin to break.
“Don’t talk about my daughter like that.”
“Your daughter?”
He laughed.
“She’s part of the problem.”
Something in me snapped.
“Don’t.”
The word came out sharper than I intended.
My father stepped closer.
His face darkened.
For a second, I genuinely thought he might hit me.
Instead, he shoved me.
Hard.
Everything happened instantly.
I lost my balance.
Emma screamed.
The edge of my heel slipped against wet stone.
And suddenly we were falling backward into the decorative fountain behind us.
The water swallowed us whole.
Cold.
Violent.
Shocking.
Emma cried out.
I surfaced immediately, pulling her into my arms.
Water streamed from my hair.
My dress clung to my body.
Emma was sobbing.
And then I heard it.
Laughter.
Actual laughter.
Guests were laughing.
Some were recording.
