Chapter 4 - The Unmasking
Emily collapsed onto the steps of the altar,
her pearl-white gown pooling around her like a shroud.
She wasn't crying because she was sorry;
she was crying because she had lost control of the narrative.
The guests were no longer looking at her with admiration,
but with a profound,
uncomfortable disgust.
"You're all so mean!"
she wailed,
her voice high and thin.
"You're ruining everything!"
Daniel looked down at her,
and for the first time,
the love that had been in his eyes was completely gone,
replaced by a cold,
hard realization.
"No,
Emily,"
he said,
his voice barely a whisper.
"You ruined it."
"I thought I was marrying a woman who was kind,
who was compassionate."
"I thought you were the one who had suffered and come out stronger."
"But you're just a girl who used a tragedy to make yourself the center of the world."
He looked at the ring in his hand,
the diamond catching the light from the stained glass.
"I can't do this."
"I won't do this."
He looked at me,
and he bowed his head in a gesture of deep,
silent apology.
Then,
he turned and walked down the steps of the altar,
passing Emily without a second glance.
The church erupting in a chaotic symphony of whispers and movement.
My mother reached out to me,
her hand trembling.
"Clara,
I'm so sorry..."
I pulled my arm back,
my gloved hand resting on the wheel of my chair.
"Don't,"
I said.
"Don't apologize now because everyone is watching."
"You had nineteen years to stand up for me."
"You had nineteen years to tell Emily that the person who saved her was someone to be proud of."
"Instead,
you let her believe that my existence was a blemish on her life."
Margaret Callahan walked toward me then,
her green silk dress rustling with every step.
She reached out and took my hand,
her grip firm and warm.
"Clara,"
she said,
her eyes full of a kindness I hadn't seen in a long time.
"You are the most beautiful person in this room."
"And I would be honored if you would come back to my home with me."
"There is a dinner waiting,"
"and it is meant for family."
"And today,"
"I think I have found a new daughter."
I looked at the altar,
where Emily was being helped up by my parents,
her "perfect" wedding now a heap of ruined expectations.
I looked at the sister I had nearly died for,
and I realized that I didn't hate her.
I felt only a deep,
hollow pity.
I had given her life,
but I couldn't give her character.
That was the one thing she had to find for herself,
May you like
and judging by the way she was clutching her dress and screaming at the photographer,
she was a long way from finding it.
