CHAPTER 19

ARIA’S POV

As the wine soaks into my dress, a surge of shock and disbelief course through me. How could they stoop so low? But as I glance at their faces, twisted in a mix of horror and surprise, a smirk tug at the corners of my lips.

They had expected anger, outrage, perhaps even tears, but instead, they found me revelling in the chaos they had wrought.

I refuse the offered tissues from the other ladies nearby, my resolve steeling as I meet Eva and Sophia’s gazes with defiance. I am not going to let them see me falter, not now, not ever. This is my moment, my special day, and nothing—not even a splash of wine—is going to ruin it.

But beneath the surface, a simmering anger bubbles, not at their attempt to sabotage me, but at the audacity of their actions. How dare they try to tarnish this day, this moment that I have worked so hard for?

In that instant, the laughter and applause of the crowd fade into the background, replaced by the pounding of my heart and the rush of adrenaline