Chapter 7 - Shadows at the Grand Estate
The coastal estate where Lucas’s wedding was being held was a breathtaking display of manicured lawns, white stone arches, and panoramic views of the crashing ocean waves. Luxury cars lined the cobblestone driveway, and elegantly dressed guests mingled on the terrace, sipping champagne and laughing beneath strings of twinkling fairy lights.
As my private car pulled up to the grand entrance, my stomach performed a sickening acrobatic flip. I checked my reflection in the vanity mirror, smoothing down my emerald-green silk dress, ensuring my composure was as sharp as steel. I was no longer a terrified thirteen-year-old girl standing beside a suitcase. I was a successful, self-assured woman of thirty-three. Yet, as I stepped out onto the gravel drive, I felt remarkably fragile.
The wedding coordinator checked my name off the guest list with a warm smile, guiding me toward the private garden courtyard where the reception prelude was taking place.
The atmosphere was festive, buoyant with the sound of string quartet music and polite conversation. I kept to the periphery, my eyes scanning the crowd.
And then, I saw him.
Lucas stood near the stone fountain, speaking with a group of groomsmen. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with the same sharp jawline and warm brown eyes our father had possessed, though softened by a gentle, easy smile. He wore a tailored navy tuxedo, looking every bit the happy groom.
As if sensing my gaze, Lucas turned his head. His eyes swept across the courtyard and locked onto mine.
The conversation he was having instantly died on his lips. The glass of champagne in his hand trembled slightly. Across the twenty feet of manicured lawn, our eyes met, and the twenty-year chasm between us collapsed in a single heartbeat.
Before I could take a step forward, a soft, trembling voice broke the silence beside me.
May you like
“You came.”
I turned my head slowly. Standing near the entrance of the colonnade was an elderly woman with silver-streaked hair and eyes swimming in a sea of unshed tears. It was my mother. Beside her stood my father, his hair stark white, his shoulders bowed with the heavy weight of decades of sorrow.
