Chapter 6 - The Empty Altar
Within fifteen minutes, the ballroom had transformed from a scene of high-society pageantry into a quiet, echoing cavern.
The guests had evacuated the premises in a hurried stampede of scandal-hungry whispers, eager to distance themselves from the Miller family wreckage. Vanessa had been escorted out through the service freight elevator in handcuffs, while Adrian had gathered his coat and fled through the side exit without a single word to anyone.
Lily and I stood alone on the grand stage, the massive digital projection screen now dark and blank behind us.
Lily unpinned her delicate pearl veil, letting her dark hair tumble in soft waves across her shoulders. She looked down at the ivory silk wedding dress—a dress meant for a joyful beginning that had instead become the armor of her independence.
"Are you okay, sweet bird?" I asked softly, reaching out to adjust a stray lock of hair.
Lily looked up at me, a small, genuine smile touching the corners of her lips. She didn't look broken. She looked lighter—as if a massive, suffocating weight had been lifted permanently from her chest.
"I'm more than okay, Mom," Lily said, her voice steady and clear. "I dodged a bullet. A very expensive, three-piece-suit-wearing bullet."
I laughed, pulling her into a tight, fierce embrace. "That you did, my love. That you did."
"So," Lily pulled back, her eyes twinkling with a sudden spark of humor. "What happens to the reception hall, the string quartet, and three hundred portions of sea bass?"
I smiled, looking out over the empty banquet tables adorned with white roses and crystal candelabras.
"Well," I said, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "The chef prepared enough food for five hundred people. And I happen to know that the local women's shelter downtown is hosting a charity gala tonight, but they had to cut their catering budget."
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Lily’s face lit up with radiant delight. "Mom... are you serious?"
"Dead serious," I replied, pulling the master titanium keycard from my pocket. "Let's call the director, tell her to bus her residents over, and let's throw a real celebration—one filled with people who know the true value of love, loyalty, and a good plate of sea bass."
