Chapter 8 - The Walk Down the Aisle
The ceremony, by all accounts streamed online by attendees, was a masterpiece of manufactured romance.
Sutton floated down the floral-lined aisle in a custom thirty-thousand-dollar gown with an eight-foot train, sobbing delicate, camera-ready tears. Harrison stood at the altar, rigid, handsome, his expression unreadable behind a polished mask of bridal decorum.
When the officiant asked the standard vows, Harrison spoke with calm precision. He didn't stutter. He didn't flinch.
When Sutton leaned in for the kiss, she whispered something into his ear, smiling brilliantly for the four professional photographers circling them like vultures.
She thought the hard part was over. She thought she had secured the Vanderbilt-tier fortune, the high-society status, and the narrative of the saintly, grieving sister who soldiered on despite family tragedy.
At five-forty-five, the chapel doors opened, and the two hundred elite guests migrated toward the Grand Ballroom for the champagne reception.
Crystal chandeliers cast a golden glow over white-linen tables overflowing with white orchids and silver cutlery. A ten-piece jazz band played softly in the corner.
Sutton and Harrison were introduced as husband and wife to thunderous applause. Sutton raised her hands in triumph, blowing kisses to her influencer friends seated near the center stage. My mother was wiping away tears at the mother-of-the-bride table, clutching an expensive vintage handbag, already radiating the smug arrogance of a woman who had successfully secured her family's future.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the master of ceremonies announced over the sound system. "Before dinner is served, the bride and groom have prepared a very special retrospective—a tribute to family, sisterhood, and the journey that brought them to this magical evening. Please turn your attention to the main screen!"
The lights dimmed automatically.
Sutton stood beside Harrison, clutching his arm, turning toward the twenty-foot projection screen with a triumphant, radiant smile.
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"Roll the tape," Liam whispered into his phone from the hospital room.
***
