Sarah gripped her lace dress as she looked closely at Clara kneeling on the floor.
Clara was Alex’s stepmother, a quiet woman who usually stayed far away from family drama.
Three days ago, Alex had called Sarah crying to say his father had passed away.
He claimed Mark had suffered a sudden heart failure late at night in his home.
Alex had quickly arranged all the legal documents and controlled the funeral service details.
He insisted that his father wanted to be buried immediately after a fast memorial.
Sarah had felt it was all happening too fast, but Alex was the primary heir.
Now, seeing Clara risking arrest to smash the casket made Sarah doubt everything completely.
The security guards finally grabbed Clara by both arms and pulled her backward roughly.
Clara: Sarah, please do not marry him! He is trying to take the inheritance!
Alex: She is lying, Sarah! She lost her mind when my dad passed!
Sarah felt her heart beating wildly against her ribs as she looked at Alex.
Sarah: Alex, why would she do something this extreme if it was a lie?
Alex: She wants the trust fund money for herself, can’t you see that?
Clara struggled against the heavy grip of the guards, her eyes wild with terror.
Clara: Look at the lock on the casket, Sarah! It locks from the outside!
Sarah stepped closer to the white casket despite Alex trying to block her path.
She saw a heavy metal brass latch that had been screwed into the lid.
It was a custom heavy lock that prevented the casket from being opened inside.
Why would a standard burial casket ever need a heavy lock on the outside?
Sarah: Alex, where did you buy this casket? Why is it locked shut?
Alex: It is just a special seal to protect the body during transit!
Suddenly, a faint tapping sound came from deep inside the cracked wooden surface.
The entire ballroom held its breath as a light thumping noise echoed softly again.
Sarah dropped her white floral bouquet right onto the polished marble floor tiles.
Her hands began to shake uncontrollably as she looked down at the cracked wood.
Sarah: Oh my God, there is someone moving inside that box!
Alex reached into his coat pocket and quickly pulled out a small set of keys.
His hands were trembling so badly that he dropped the keys onto the floor.
Alex: It is just trapped air expanding from the temperature change, trust me!
Clara: He gave his father a sleeping drug to make him look lifeless!
Sarah scrambled down onto the floor before Alex could grab the key ring.
She scooped up the keys and looked at the heavy brass lock on top.
Sarah: If you have nothing to hide, Alex, unlock this casket right now!