The instant Alessia felt her mother’s embrace, the strength holding her upright nearly disappeared.
She pressed her face against Miriam’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry.”
Miriam pulled back just enough to look at her.
“For what?”
“For him. For tonight. For letting it get this far.”
Miriam touched her cheek.
“You are not responsible for what he chose to do.”
Alessia’s eyes filled.
“I should have seen it.”
“You saw what you were ready to see.”
“I kept defending him.”
“So did I.”
Alessia shook her head. “You were trying to protect me.”
Miriam gave her a sad smile.
“And you were trying to save your marriage.”
Alessia looked toward the doors.
The night outside seemed impossibly quiet.
Behind them, the ballroom remained full of guests who suddenly did not know whether to leave, speak, or pretend they had not witnessed the collapse of a marriage in less than twenty minutes.
Alessia wiped her eyes.
Then someone began clapping.
Just once.
Alessia turned.
An older woman standing near one of the tables had brought her hands together, apparently without realizing how loud the sound would be in the silence.
She looked embarrassed.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That probably wasn’t appropriate.”
A few nervous laughs rippled through the room.
The tension broke slightly.
Alessia almost laughed too.
Then a younger woman approached Miriam.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Miriam nodded. “My pride hurts more than anything else.”
Several guests smiled.
Another person offered to call a doctor.
Someone else quietly asked whether Alessia wanted security to ensure Garrett did not return.
The room slowly came back to life, but it was different now.
The music did not restart.
No one returned to dancing.
Small groups formed around Miriam and Alessia, not with curiosity but with concern.
Alessia realized how many people had noticed things she believed she had hidden.
One of Garrett’s longtime friends approached her.
He looked uncomfortable.
“I should tell you something.”
Alessia’s stomach tightened.
“What?”
He glanced toward the doorway.
“Garrett has talked about your mother before.”
Miriam frowned.
Alessia felt cold.
“What did he say?”
The man rubbed the back of his neck.
“Things I should have challenged.”
Alessia waited.
“He complained that you were too attached to her. Said she didn’t fit the image he wanted for the family.”
Miriam went still.
Alessia closed her eyes briefly.
There was the second wound.
Tonight had not been a sudden outburst.
It had been an escalation of something Garrett already believed.
