Clara adjusted the heavy lace on her wedding dress inside the grand foyer.
The sunlight shone brightly through the tall glass doors of the mansion.
She felt a knot in her stomach that would not go away all morning.
Her stepmother Evelyn was arguing with the catering staff near the kitchen.
Evelyn wanted every detail of the expensive wedding to look absolutely perfect.
A young maid named Sarah carried a pitcher of ice water down the hall.
Sarah looked tired as her gray uniform showed faint spots of wear.
Clara turned around quickly without looking at the path right in front of her.
She accidentally bumped straight into Sarah near the center of the white floor.
The glass pitcher slipped right out of Sarah's hands and shattered loudly.
Cold water splashed all over Sarah's uniform and across Clara's white shoes.
Sarah fell down hard onto the cold white marble floor with a soft cry.
Water soaked into her gray apron as she tried to pull herself up quickly.
Maid: Watch where you are going!
Sarah yelled out the words while wiping cold water off her pale face.
Her voice shook with deep anger and sudden fear of losing her job.
Bride: I am sorry, I did not mean to!
Clara dropped down to her knees right away despite her delicate white lace.
She did not care about ruining her expensive gown on the wet floor.
She reached out to help Sarah gather the broken pieces of glass safely.
A thick piece of paper lay soaking in the puddle between them both.
It was a black and white photograph torn right down the middle edge.
Sarah gasped out loud and reached for the paper with trembling wet hands.
Clara saw the faces in the old photo before Sarah could hide it away.
Her breath caught instantly in her chest as her heart began to beat fast.
The photo showed two young girls wearing simple matching cotton dresses together.
One girl had dark hair and a small birthmark right on her left cheek.
The other girl was holding a small wooden toy horse in her tiny hands.
Clara stared down at the image with wide and completely terrified eyes.
Bride: Where did you get this picture?
Sarah pulled the wet photograph back against her chest with a tight grip.
Tears poured down her cheeks as she looked up at the wealthy bride.
Maid: Who is that? Who gave little sister before they took you?
Clara felt her whole body go cold in the bright midday heat.
The memory hit her like a sudden wave crashing against a shore.
She recognized the small wooden toy horse in the young girl's hands.
She had owned that exact same toy when she was a small child.
She reached out slowly and touched the edge of the torn photo again.
Bride: That is my sister!
Sarah stopped crying for a second and stared at Clara in complete shock.
Neither of them heard the loud footsteps approaching from across the foyer.