Chapter 2: The Bride's Secret
The silence in the ballroom felt unbearable.
Everyone stared at the bride.
The woman who had been smiling beside the groom only minutes earlier now looked like a stranger.
The groom's voice trembled.
"Why?"
The bride's eyes filled with tears.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it," he demanded.
For a moment, she remained silent.
Then she finally spoke.
"They made me do it."
Confusion spread through the crowd.
"Who?" the groom asked.
The bride looked toward the back of the ballroom.
A tall man immediately tried to leave.
The maid pointed at him.
"That's him!"
Several guests blocked the man's path.
Security rushed forward and grabbed him before he could escape.
The bride collapsed into a chair.
"It's my brother," she whispered.
The ballroom erupted with shock.
She explained everything.
Months earlier, her brother had accumulated enormous gambling debts. Dangerous criminals were demanding repayment. When they learned she was engaged to a wealthy businessman, they saw an opportunity.
They ordered her to poison the groom after the wedding ceremony.
If she refused, her brother would be killed.
The groom listened in disbelief.
"You could have come to me," he said.
"I was terrified," she cried.
The maid stepped forward.
"I overheard her arguing with that man this afternoon."
The groom looked at her.
"So that's why you checked the cameras?"
The maid nodded.
"I wasn't sure. I just knew something felt wrong."
Police officers arrived shortly afterward.
The bride's brother and several accomplices were arrested.
But although the truth had come out, the damage had already been done.
The groom looked at the woman he had loved.
May you like
The trust between them had shattered.
And some things could never be repaired.
