Chapter 1: The First Drop
The air at the Sterling estate was thick with the scent of jasmine and impending disaster. Elena, the bride, stood at the edge of the infinity pool, her lace gown shimmering under the moonlight. Across from her knelt her mother-in-law, Clara, whose designer dress was already ruined. The garden hose in Elena’s hand hissed, a serpentine tongue of water drenching the older woman. The wedding guests stood frozen, their phones raised, capturing the humiliation in high definition. Elena wasn’t smiling—she was executing a plan she had been perfecting for twenty years.
