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Clara's wedding

Penulis: Mel
last update Tanggal publikasi: 2026-05-16 06:47:57

Venom at the Altar

~Celine’s POV~

Clara Laurent’s wedding was a glittering spectacle designed to destroy what little dignity I had left.

The grand outdoor ceremony took place at the Laurent family estate. I stood among the guests in one of the exquisite emerald gowns Lucien had given me, my arm linked with his. Every step sent sharp pain through my still-tender ankle.

Clara glided down the aisle like a queen. But during the reception, she made sure to parade past us with Xavier on her arm.

“Oh, look at my poor sister,” Clara cooed loudly, voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Still playing the tragic victim even on my special day.”

Xavier smirked and added with cruel amusement, “You know, Celine, Clara and I have been together for months while I was still dating you. Everything was planned. The engagement, the public rejection… all of it. You were just the placeholder until she decided she wanted me.”

The confession hit like a slap. My stomach twisted violently.

Clara smiled triumphantly. “Exactly. I can get whatever I desire, Celine. The man, the attention, the life everything that should have been yours. And now you’re stuck playing nanny to a broken fool.”

Something inside me finally snapped.

The slap echoed sharply across the terrace.

My palm connected hard with Clara’s cheek. Her head jerked to the side, eyes wide with shock.

For a heartbeat, silence fell.

Then Clara’s face twisted with pure rage. “You bitch!”

She shoved me hard.

My injured ankle gave out. I tumbled backward down the short flight of marble steps. Pain exploded through my body as I hit the sharp edge. A deep gash tore open on my forearm, blood staining the emerald silk. I gasped, biting back a cry.

Clara dusted her hands and walked away with a satisfied smirk.

I sat there on the cold stone, breathing through the agony, when I felt eyes on me.

Lucien had been watching the entire time.

He stood a short distance away, half-hidden behind a large floral arrangement. His expression was cold and focused on childish acts, just raw intensity. His steel-gray eyes burned as they took in the blood on my arm.

He moved toward Clara first.

I watched as he pulled her into a shadowed corner behind a pillar away from all eyes. His hand clamped around her arm, twisting it painfully behind her back. Clara’s face went deathly pale.

Lucien’s voice was low, ice-cold, and filled with barely controlled fury. “Touch my wife again, and I will make the rest of your miserable life a living hell. I will destroy everything you love, slowly and completely. Try me.”

Clara whimpered in genuine terror. Lucien held her a moment longer before releasing her. She stumbled away, rubbing her wrist.

Minutes later, she ran crying to Father and Mother, claiming Lucien had attacked her. Father barely glanced in our direction before dismissing her. “Clara, it’s your wedding day. Stop causing scenes.”

They didn’t believe her.

Lucien returned to my side. His jaw was still tight with lingering anger. Without a word, he wrapped an arm around my waist and guided me inside to a quiet sitting room.

Once the door closed, he examined the deep cut on my arm with focused intensity, cleaning it carefully. His touch was steady. Competent. Dangerous.

I couldn’t stay at the reception any longer. This was my chance.

While everyone was distracted by dancing and fireworks, I slipped away and made my way to Father’s private study on the upper floor.

I searched quickly. Old contracts. Ledgers. Photo albums.

My hands froze.

Dozens of baby photos of Clara smiled back at me. But not a single one of me existed. No newborn pictures. No childhood memories. Nothing.

Only Clara.

A cold chill ran down my spine.

Why was there no evidence of me as a baby in this house?

The realization hit like a punch to the gut.

Something was very wrong.

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