Chapter 7 - The Anniversary Dinner
The Oakridge Country Club was draped in luxury. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, casting a warm, romantic glow over thirty extended family members sitting around a long, beautifully decorated banquet table.
Aunt Diane was there, laughing loudly with Uncle Bob. My cousins were sipping champagne near the bar. My father sat at the head of the table in a dark tuxedo, looking smug and triumphant beside my mother, who wore a shimmering gold dress.
And right in the center of the table sat Natalie, wearing an expensive white lace cocktail dress, sipping Pinot Grigio while Chloe sat quietly beside her playing on an iPad.
When I walked into the private dining room at 7:00 PM alone, the room briefly went quiet.
My mother immediately stood up, smiling nervously. "Claire! You made it! Come, sit down!"
I walked calmly toward the table, taking an empty chair near the end, directly across from Natalie.
Natalie looked up at me, offering a sickly sweet, condescending smile. "I'm so glad you decided to be sensible, Claire. How is little Lily doing? I hope she's feeling better today."
"She's in pain, Natalie," I said clearly, my voice carrying over the chatter of the room. "She has second and third-degree chemical burns across her chest. The doctors said she will have permanent scarring."
A quiet hush fell over the surrounding relatives. Aunt Diane frowned, putting her glass down.
My father cleared his throat loudly, glaring at me from the head of the table. "Claire, this is an anniversary celebration. We are here to enjoy ourselves, not dwell on tragic accidents."
"It wasn't an accident, Dad," I said calmly, resting my hands on the white tablecloth.
Natalie sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes for the entire table to see. "Here we go again. Aunt Diane, Uncle Bob, I am so sorry you have to listen to this. Claire has been accusing my poor Chloe of pushing Lily on purpose ever since yesterday. She's completely lost her mind from the stress."
"It's true," my mother chimed in quickly, waving her hand dismissively. "Claire is just... hyper-sensitive. She's always been this way, blaming Natalie for everything that goes wrong in her life."
Uncle Bob shook his head, looking at me with pity. "Claire, family is family. Accusing a little girl of something so horrible isn't right."
Natalie smirked across the table, leaning back in her chair, confident that her wall of family enablers had protected her once again.
"Natalie," I said, looking straight into her eyes. "I'm going to give you one chance—just one—to tell the truth right now in front of everyone. Did you tell Chloe to push Lily into those candles?"
Natalie gasped theatricality, placing her hand over her heart. "Of course not! How dare you ask me that in front of my daughter! I love Lily! I would never hurt a hair on her head!"
"Are you absolute sure that's your final answer?" I asked, my voice deadly soft.
"Yes! It was a tragic accident!" Natalie shouted, her voice rising in fake indignations. "You are a sick, jealous woman, Claire! You've always been jealous of me, and now you're using your own daughter's accident to try to ruin my life!"
I smiled. It was a cold, terrifying smile that made Natalie’s theatrical outrage instantly falter.
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I reached into my purse, pulled out a sleek black wireless presenter remote, and pointed it at the large projection screen mounted on the wall behind my father—the screen my parents had set up to show a slide show of their marriage.
"Then let's watch the video," I said.
