Chapter 7
Mave had imagined Garrett angry.
She had prepared for disbelief.
For accusation.
For security dragging her away while Coraline’s guests whispered about desperation and scandal.
She had not prepared for him to stand between her and his bride.
She had not prepared for the way he looked at Posie.
Not like property.
Not like proof.
Like loss suddenly given a face.
That almost broke her.
But she could not break here.
Not with Posie in her arms.
Not with Garrett’s family approaching from the garden steps.
Not with the older man in black staring at her like someone who remembered signing something he should never have signed.
Garrett spoke without turning.
“Wesley, no one speaks to them unless I allow it.”
Wesley nodded.
Coraline laughed once, brittle and sharp.
“You’re humiliating me.”
Garrett’s voice stayed cold.
“You humiliated yourself when you told me to abandon a child.”
A murmur moved through the guests.
Coraline looked around and realized the crowd had shifted.
They were no longer watching Mave as an intruder.
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They were watching Coraline as someone who had miscalculated in front of everyone.
Read the full story 👉 Mave expected Garrett to reject her, but Coraline’s cruelty forced the guests to see the child first.
