For months, Clara had been living in silent horror inside the family estate. After Arthur had announced that Clara would receive a full share of the family trust fund, envy had poisoned the hearts of Brandon and his fiancee Chloe. They viewed Clara as an intruder who was stealing what belonged to them. They could not openly defy Arthur, so they waited until he went on business trips to show their true colors.
It started with harsh words and endless insults, but soon escalated into physical violence. Chloe would shove Clara into wooden furniture, drag her by her hair, and strike her whenever no servants were nearby. Brandon did nothing to stop his bride; instead, he helped cover up the evidence, warning Clara that if she spoke a single word to Arthur, they would destroy her reputation and make sure she ended up homeless on the streets of Dallas.
Clara had no money of her own yet, and she was terrified of breaking Arthur's heart. Arthur was an elderly man with a weak heart condition, and Clara loved him too much to bring heavy drama into his life. So she endured the blows, wearing long sleeves and high-collared dresses even in the Texas heat. She spent her nights weeping softly into her pillow, praying for the wedding day to come and go so that Chloe and Brandon would finally move out into their own penthouse downtown.
On the morning of the wedding, however, Chloe had taken things too far. Finding Clara in the dressing room, Chloe threw a heavy metal hairbrush directly at Clara's back and struck her repeatedly with a leather strap because Clara had accidentally spilled a drop of water on the bridal veil. Clara fell to her knees, crying on the floor, while Chloe laughed and told her to get up and put on her dress for the ceremony.
Now, standing in the middle of the crowded ballroom, Clara could barely stand straight. The silk fabric of her dress was sticking to her raw wounds. She looked at the giant framed American flag hanging on the wood-paneled wall, wishing she had the strength to run far away from this fake paradise. But Arthur was not a man who could be easily fooled, especially when the person he cherished most was trembling in front of him.