Chapter 4 - Blood on the Marble
Kalista didn't even look at Sterling. The moment his body hit the floor, her attention snapped entirely to the woman lying in a heap a few feet away.
Kalista dropped instantly to her knees, the silk of her wedding dress pooling around her on the cold, unforgiving marble. She reached out, her hands surprisingly gentle as she slid them under Lenora's trembling shoulders.
"Lenora? Lenora, look at me," Kalista commanded, her voice steady, anchoring the older woman to the present.
Lenora groaned, her eyes fluttering open. The older woman’s face was pale, drawn tight with pain. But it was what Kalista saw next that made her heart drop into her stomach. A slow, steady stream of dark crimson blood was pooling from Lenora’s temple, matting her perfectly styled hair and staining the collar of her expensive gown.
Kalista's head snapped up. She looked at the circle of relatives surrounding them. Aunt Coraline had her hands clamped over her mouth, her eyes wide with terror. Several other adult guests stood frozen like statues in a museum of cowardice, clutching their coats and refusing to make eye contact.
"What are you all staring at?" Kalista roared, her voice tearing through the paralysis of the room. "She's bleeding! Call an ambulance. Now!"
Nobody moved. Coraline just shook her head, terrified to pull out her phone while Sterling was still in the room.
"I said call a damn ambulance!" Kalista screamed again, pressing the delicate fabric of her own wedding dress against Lenora’s temple to staunch the bleeding. "Are you all completely useless?"
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"Kalista... please..." Lenora whispered, her voice weak, a trembling hand reaching up to touch Kalista's wrist. "Don't make him angrier... please..."
"He's not going to touch you ever again," Kalista promised softly, her eyes blazing with a dangerous fire.
