Chapter 2 - The Downward Spiral
Sarah threw her entire weight against the heavy wooden door.
The brass handle refused to turn no matter how hard she pulled.
She was trapped inside her own bridal suite.
Panic clawed at her throat as she realized Mark had locked her in.
She spun around and scanned the room for any other way out.
The stained glass window was beautiful but completely sealed shut.
She knelt on the floor and sifted through the ashes of the burned note.
There was nothing left to read, but the truth was already burned into her mind.
Her mother was alive.
Her mother was somewhere inside this very building.
Sarah rushed to her vanity table and grabbed the heavy metal base of a table lamp.
She swung it wildly at the decorative glass panel of the adjoining bathroom door.
The glass shattered into a million sparkling pieces.
She carefully climbed through the jagged frame, tearing the hem of her expensive wedding dress.
This bathroom had a small ventilation window that opened into the back alley of the church.
Sarah squeezed her shoulders through the narrow opening and dropped into the cold dirt outside.
The crisp autumn air hit her face, but she had no time to catch her breath.
She ran around the perimeter of the ancient stone building toward the basement storm doors.
The heavy iron handles were cold, but they yielded when she pulled.
She crept down the concrete stairs into the pitch-black cellar.
The air smelled like damp earth and old copper.
Suddenly, she heard muffled voices echoing from the end of the dark hallway.
She pressed her back against the damp stone wall and inched closer.
It was Mark’s best man, David, pacing nervously with a phone pressed to his ear.
"The bride found out the truth," David hissed into the receiver.
"Tell the old man we are initiating the backup protocol right now."
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Sarah gasped quietly and covered her mouth with her hands.
David suddenly stopped pacing and turned his flashlight directly toward her hiding spot in the shadows.
