Elodie POV:
Security guards, looking baffled by the sudden chaos, finally arrived, pushing through the remaining crowd. "What happened here?" one asked, his eyes sweeping over the shattered porcelain and the discarded wedding veil.
"Elodie!" Ava' s voice, sharp with concern, cut through the buzzing in my ears. She pushed past the security guards, her eyes immediately finding me. "Are you hurt? What the hell happened?!" She dropped to her knees beside me, her hands gently touching my arm. "You're bleeding!"
"Bronson," she snarled, her eyes blazing as she looked at the retreating figures of Bronson and Bridgett. "He just left you here? Just walked away while you were bleeding?!" Her voice was laced with disbelief and fury. "That bastard! Her little scratch compared to your bleeding arm?!"
Other familiar faces from my university days, colleagues from some of Bronson's charity galas, started to gather around, their expressions morphing from shock to disgust as they pieced together the scene.
"We saw the screen, Elodie," one of them murmured, her voice filled with sympathy. "Everything, about Bridgett. We didn't know."
Ava carefully took my arm, her touch gentle as she dabbed at the blood with a clean handkerchief. "This isn't right. We need to do something. We can expose him, expose them both, for what they did to you!" Her voice was fierce, protective.
A fragile warmth spread through my chest. For so long, I had felt utterly alone, isolated by Bronson' s subtle manipulations and my own shame. Now, these faces, these outstretched hands, were a balm to my wounded spirit.
I bit back the sudden sting in my eyes. Not here. Not now. I needed to be strong.
"No," I said, my voice quiet, firm. "No more public spectacles. No more public outrage." I looked at Ava, my gaze steady. "I'm done. I'm leaving. And I want no one to interfere."
Ava' s eyes widened. "Leaving? Elodie, what are you saying? After all these years? After everything you've put up with?" Her voice was laced with bewildered concern. "You loved him, Elodie. We all saw it. You worshipped the ground he walked on."
"What happened?" another friend asked, stepping closer. "What changed your mind so suddenly?"
Just then, Bronson returned, Bridgett limping beside him, leaning heavily on him. He looked furious, his eyes scanning the crowd, then landing on us.
"What is this, Elodie?" he demanded, his voice tight. "Are you inciting a riot now? Are you turning my friends against me?"
"Your friends are my friends, Bronson," Ava shot back, stepping in front of me protectively. "And they're just seeing the truth for once."
"There's no truth here but a hysterical woman seeking attention," Bronson said, his voice cold. He looked at me. "Elodie, tell them. Tell them this is a misunderstanding."
I met his gaze, my eyes devoid of emotion. "It's not a misunderstanding, Bronson." I looked at Ava. "My friends are simply concerned for my well-being, as any good friend would be. Unlike others."
Bridgett, leaning against Bronson, lifted her head. "Oh, is that so, Elodie? You want to play the victim? You want an apology for your little fall? Fine. Apologize, Ava. Apologize to me for your baseless accusations."
I stepped forward. "There will be no apologies, Bridgett. Not for truth." I looked at Bronson, then at the lingering crowd. "Perhaps we should review the evidence again? The text messages? The bank transfers?"
Bridgett' s face, already pale, turned ashen. Her lips trembled, and she instinctively recoiled, hiding behind Bronson.
Bronson, seeing her reaction, quickly tried to defuse the situation. "Enough of this! This is not the place for such discussions. Elodie, I expect you to be more rational than this." He looked at Bridgett, then back at me, his eyes hardening. "I don't know what games you're playing, but this has gone far enough."
"I'm not playing games, Bronson," I said, my voice steady. "But I'm also not going to stand here and be falsely accused." I turned to Ava. "Let's go."
As I walked away, Bronson reached out, his hand instinctively gripping my injured arm. "Elodie, wait!"
A sharp gasp escaped my lips, a jolt of pain shooting through me.
He flinched, his eyes widening as he finally saw the bloodstain blooming on my sleeve. "Your arm! You're hurt! What happened?!" His voice was filled with genuine horror.
"What happened?" Ava cried, stepping in front of me, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What happened is your precious Bridgett shoved her into a porcelain display, and you, Bronson, carried your 'fragile' friend away while Elodie bled on the ground!"
Bronson' s face twisted with shame and regret. He looked at my arm, then back at Ava, speechless. "I... I didn't see... I was concerned for Bridgett..."
"Concerned?" Ava scoffed. "You were blind, Bronson. Willfully blind."
He turned to me, his eyes pleading. "Elodie, I'm so sorry. I truly didn't see it. I was so caught up with Bridgett's distress, I wasn't thinking." His hand reached for my uninjured one. "Please, let me get you to a doctor. Let me make this right."
"It's just a scratch," I said, pulling my sleeve down to cover the wound. My voice was cold, dismissive.
He flinched, his gaze lingering on my covered arm. He squeezed my hand, his grip tight, almost desperate. "Elodie, please. You're upset, I understand. But you know Bridgett. She's delicate. She doesn't mean to cause harm. She just... gets overwhelmed." His voice was low, soothing, trying to rationalize everything away. "She needs my protection. It's a promise I made, a debt I have to pay."
He looked at me, his eyes pleading. "Please, Elodie. Try to understand. Forgive me. Forgive her."
I watched him, my face a carefully constructed mask. He truly believed he was doing the right thing, fulfilling some noble obligation. He still didn' t see me. He only saw his own guilt, his own burden.
"Fine," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "I understand. I'll stay."
