“Before I answer that question,” my voice boomed.
It wasn’t my normal speaking voice. It was amplified by the massive 10,000-watt surround sound system of the Grand Ballroom. It echoed off the vaulted ceiling, loud enough to rattle the stained glass windows.
The guests jumped. Ethan flinched, stepping back.
“Before I answer,” I continued, my voice steady and crystalline, “I think everyone needs to hear Ethan‘s real vows. The ones he practiced in the waiting room ten minutes ago.”
Chapter 4: The Fatal Recording
Confusion washed over Ethan’s face. “Elena? What are you—”
I didn’t let him finish. I signaled Mark again.
A sharp burst of static cut through the air, causing people to cover their ears. Then, silence.
And then, a voice.
“I can’t help it, Mom. I just want this over with.”
It was Ethan. Crystal clear. Undeniable. The acoustics of the ballroom stripped away any ambiguity. It sounded like he was standing in the center of the room, shouting.
The color drained from Ethan’s face so fast it looked like he had been slapped with flour. He spun around, looking at the speakers, then back at me.
“I can’t stand another hour of her whining about the ‘energy’ of the ceremony. God, she’s exhausting.”
A gasp went through the crowd. Five hundred people inhaled at once. It sounded like the air being sucked out of the room.
Ethan lunged for me. “Turn it off! Elena, stop!”
My cousin Marcus, a former linebacker and one of the groomsmen, stepped forward and clamped a heavy hand on Ethan‘s shoulder, rooting him to the spot.
The recording continued, merciless.
Linda’s voice rang out next, shrill and malicious, amplified to a monstrous volume.
“Patience. Think about the prize, Ethan. The Carter Real Estate trust. The downtown portfolio alone is worth half a billion.”
My father stood up. His chair clattered to the floor. His face was a mask of shock and dawning fury.
“She’s a cow, Mom. A rich, stupid cow.”
At the altar, Ethan was shaking his head, mouthing “No, no, no.” He looked like a trapped animal. He looked small.
“We just have to keep her emotional, keep her stupid.”
The recording ended with the sound of their shared, conspiratorial laughter.
The silence that followed was heavier than the noise. It was a suffocating, judgmental silence. Every eye in the room was fixed on the Miller family.
I looked at the front row.
Linda wasn’t smiling anymore. She was clutching her chest. Her left hand was gripping the fabric of her silver gown so tightly her knuckles were white. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish on dry land.
She wasn’t acting. The realization that her social standing, her reputation, and her future were being incinerated in real-time hit her physically. Her eyes rolled back. Her face flushed a deep, alarming red.
With a soft moan, she collapsed sideways onto the pew, sliding down to the floor in a heap of expensive silk.
“Mom!” Ethan screamed, his voice cracking.
I didn’t move to help her. I stood at the altar, looking down at them like a goddess of vengeance.
I brought the bouquet to my lips one last time.
“That,” I said, my voice ice-cold amidst the chaos, “is my answer. I don’t marry a leech. I exterminate it.”
Chapter 5: Taking Out the Trash
Pandemonium erupted.
“Get the paramedics!” someone shouted.
“You scumbag!” my uncle yelled, rushing toward the aisle.
