Evelyn marched across the polished marble floor with a severe scowl on her face.
Her shimmering gold sequin dress caught the bright morning light with every step.
She looked down at the maid kneeling on the wet floor with deep disgust.
Stepmother: Get away from her right now!
Evelyn raised her voice loud enough to echo off the high plaster ceiling.
She reached out to pull Clara back by her delicate lace wedding dress.
Clara stood up quickly and pulled herself out of Evelyn's harsh grasp.
She stood firmly right between her stepmother and the shaking young maid.
Sarah stayed on her knees while clutching the precious black and white photo.
Her hands were trembling so hard that the paper rattled softly in the air.
Bride: Do not lay a single hand on her!
Clara pointed a trembling finger directly at a fresh mark on her own face.
A faint red bruise sat visible near her cheek beneath her wedding makeup.
Evelyn had slapped her earlier that morning during a heated private argument.
They had fought over the legal papers regarding Clara's late father's large estate.
Bride: Touch her, and this wedding becomes your trial!
Evelyn froze in her tracks as her dark eyes narrowed into thin slits.
She looked at the torn picture sitting in Sarah's wet right hand.
A quick flash of panic passed over Evelyn's face before she masked it.
Stepmother: She is just a clumsy maid who ruined your expensive dress.
Stepmother: Security will throw her out onto the street where she belongs.
Bride: She is holding the photo of my biological sister, Evelyn.
Clara's voice was surprisingly calm and cut straight through the tense air.
Sarah looked up from the floor with wide eyes full of hope and fear.
Maid: You have that same birthmark on your left cheek, lady.
Sarah pointed toward Clara's face with a wet and shaking finger.
Clara knelt back down right beside Sarah and wrapped her arms around her.
The delicate lace gown absorbed the cold puddle water from the marble floor.
Neither of the two young women cared about the expensive wedding dress anymore.
They held each other tightly as years of silent pain melted away quickly.
Evelyn stepped back toward the main entrance with a growing nervous look.
She reached into her golden designer handbag to pull out her cell phone.
Bride: Put the phone away right now, Evelyn.
Clara stood up tall and locked her cold gaze onto her stepmother.
Bride: You told me twenty years ago that my sister passed away.
Bride: You told the court you were taking in an orphan out of pity.
Evelyn gripped her purse tightly as her knuckles turned completely white.
Stepmother: You do not know what you are talking about, Clara.
Stepmother: You are letting stress ruin the best day of your life.
Clara looked over at the grand staircase where wedding guests began arriving.
The truth was finally coming out after decades of quiet coverups and lies.