Chapter 2 - The Emerald Dress
Saturday afternoon arrived with a pristine, cloudless sky. It was the kind of perfect California day that money could buy, and Julian had certainly bought it.
The Oak Creek Country Club was a fortress of old money and arrogance. Valets parked endless lines of Mercedes and Porsches. A string quartet played softly on the manicured lawn.
I pulled up in a sleek black town car, arranged by Marcus.
I stepped out, and for the first time in seven months, I didn't look like the broken, barren wife Julian had left behind. I wore a tailored, emerald-green silk dress that hugged my recovered figure perfectly. My hair was styled in sleek waves. I looked expensive. I looked dangerous.
And strapped into the luxury tactical stroller I pushed in front of me was Leo, dressed in a tiny navy suit, fast asleep.
As I walked up the marble steps toward the outdoor ceremony, heads began to turn.
Julian’s mother, Eleanor, was standing by the entrance, greeting guests with her signature fake smile. When she saw me, her champagne glass slipped, shattering against the stone patio.
“Clara?” she gasped, her face draining of blood. Her eyes darted from my emerald dress down to the stroller. “What… what are you doing here? What is that?”
“Julian invited me, Eleanor,” I said sweetly, pulling the gold invitation from my clutch and handing it to her. “He said he wanted me to see what a complete family looks like.”
Eleanor stared at the baby in the stroller. Leo shifted, opening his eyes. Julian’s eyes.
“Is that…” Eleanor choked, clutching her pearls.
“Excuse me,” I said, stepping past her frozen form. “I need to find my seat.”
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The whispers started immediately, rippling through the crowd like a shockwave. But I didn't flinch. I kept my chin high and walked straight down the center aisle, parking the stroller in the very last row.
The trap was set.
