Silence. Then, Trisha laughed. The sound was sharp, cutting, filled with cruel amusement.
"You?" she sneered. "You’re saying you’re Ethan’s wife?"
I nodded quickly. "Yes! We got married four years ago. He—he wanted to keep it private, but I—"
A crack echoed through the air before I even processed what had happened. My head snapped to the side, my cheek burning. She had slapped me.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. I staggered back, my hand flying to my stinging cheek.
Trisha's eyes gleamed with pure malice. "You disgust me," she spat.
I barely had time to recover before a hand yanked my hair back, forcing my head up. Victoria Caldwell. Ethan’s mother.
Her nails dug into my scalp as she sneered down at me. "You lying whore," she hissed, her expensive perfume suffocating me. "How dare you come here and spew such nonsense?"
I gasped, struggling to free myself. "I’m not lying! Please, call Ethan! He’ll tell you—"
Smack! Victoria’s palm struck my other cheek, sending me reeling. My vision blurred from the impact.
Laughter erupted around me.