"You! You shameless little tramp! You're the one who ruined my daughter! Go to hell, you filthy whore!"
She and a handful of equally aggressive older women grabbed at my clothes, tearing at the fabric, the word whore flying from their mouths like a refrain until security finally pulled them off me.
I ignored every word. I smoothed my clothes, lifted my chin, and walked inside.
The ceremony was about to begin. The venue was packed with guests, and I could see media crews set up along the sides. Of course. Benjamin wanted to use this occasion to cement the story he'd been spinning online, to prove his and Elise's innocence in front of as many witnesses as possible.
The moment Benjamin saw me, relief washed over his face. He smiled the easy, knowing smile of a man who believed he'd already won.
He walked up and reached for my hand with practiced familiarity.
"See? Would it have killed you to cooperate from the start? Why'd you have to push things to where they went last night?"
"I already sent the bracelet out for restoration. I promise it'll come back looking exactly the way it was."
He pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and held it out to me.