Welcome To Hell, Dear Wife-Chapter 53: A Trial

Chapter 53: A Trial
The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, and then Mira felt like she was in a scene straight out of a movie.
The penthouse was packed wall to wall with the kind of people who got photographed simply for existing.
Celebrities, producers, music executives, and many more were all dressed like they were competing for who could look the most expensive yet clubby.
Crystal chandeliers cast everything in golden light while champagne flowed like water.
Then Mira and Callis took their first steps inside, and the entire room went quiet immediately.
Conversations literally stuttered to a stop as heads started to turn while phones got lifted subtly, angling for the perfect shot of scandal walking through the door.
Her heart hammered even though she forced herself to smile.
This isn’t a party but a trial.
The silence only lasted for a second because whispers started almost immediately, all fast, soft, and venomous.
"Lorena? Here? She never even came to parties when she was loved."
"Well, now that she’s fallen, maybe she wants to really support."
"It’s called desperation. Never thought I’d see that on the Lorena Sanders. Served her right."
"Wasn’t she blacklisted?"
"Isn’t she banned from all the studios here even?"
"She has a lot of guts showing up so suddenly like this."
"Guess the husband’s money gave her courage."
Every word kept hitting her left and right, and they came very clearly. Her hands wanted to shake, but she quickly locked them around her clutch so tight she heard the leather creak.
Callis looped her arm through Mira’s like they were best of friends walking into brunch and not a den of wolves.
"Relax, Lorena," she murmured in a perfectly calm tone. "You’re the most exciting thing that’s happened to them in, like, years."
Yeah, like a car crash is exciting.
Callis guided her deeper into the party while greeting a few producers and people with cool professionalism. They smiled back, but their eyes were calculating and judging.
Mira, on the other hand, clenched her jaw while trying so hard to keep her face neutral even though her nails were digging into her palm hard enough to leave marks.
Callis leaned closer with a small smirk. "See why I told you to wear this red dress?"
Mira’s head snapped to her. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"It makes blood look like an accessory," Callis said as she took a sip of her champagne, perfectly composed.
Before Mira could respond, a high laugh sliced through the music like a knife as Susanne glided toward them in a white dress.
She looked like an angel with all-blonde hair and that perfect smile while photographers pivoted to capture her movement.
But Mira could see the pure malice that gleamed in her eyes.
"Well, if it isn’t my darling sister," she said sweetly and loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Great! Just great! I can just tell that she’s about to humiliate me.
But she maintained her composure, saying, "Susanne," instead.
"You look..." Susanne’s gaze traveled from Mira’s hair down to her heels with obvious judgment. "Recycled."
The nearby people laughed under their breath.
"I thought you were hiding or something," Susanne added as she tilted her head with fake concern.
Mira felt her soft and floral perfume hitting her before she spoke.
"Didn’t expect to see you here," Mira said, trying to just ignore all her antics.
Susanne laughed. "Oh, you know me. I go wherever the cameras are. I am so shocked to see you here... after everything. You’re brave."
She paused, then continued, "But then I suppose it takes bravery to be here after all that you did to that poor girl."
She then raised her voice a little louder. "It just doesn’t make sense when people never learn when to stay gone."
Mira felt her face go hot as her hands curled into fists, but Callis stepped forward before she could say something stupid.
"Hello, Susanne Johnson. I didn’t know that jealousy was part of tonight’s dress code, especially of your own sister?" Callis threw.
Susanne’s smile twitched but didn’t break. "Oh, hello, Callis Grace. Still playing the watchdog? Isn’t it exhausting having to clean up after people who ruin everything they touch?"
Callis’ hand found Mira’s to give it a warning squeeze. "Don’t," she whispered. "Don’t fall for it. That’s what she wants. There are so many eyes here."
Mira heeded and followed Callis to move away from Susanne, who was immediately surrounded by her admirers.
But everywhere Mira turned, eyes still followed.
Old producers nodded with fake smiles that didn’t reach their eyes, while younger celebrities pretended to be polite while clearly wishing she’d disappear. Most didn’t even bother hiding their disgust.
The murmurs just followed her like annoying mosquitoes.
"She caused that suicide."
"They say she bribed the jury."
"She must be out of her mind to be out and about like this with her case still in court."
Mira made sure to keep her face calm even when her mind was screaming at her to run.
Callis tilted her champagne glass while studying the crowd like a chess player planning her next move. "It’s good that all their attention is on you. They need to remember your face."
"They hate my face," Mira muttered.
Callis shrugged. "The hate still keeps your name alive, and it might even keep it longer than love would."
Mira scoffed and was about to retort when she heard a voice that interrupted them.
"Lorena?"
Mira turned instantly, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop.
Because standing a few feet away from her was Alex Vance.
Tall, golden-haired Alex Vance with the lazy charm that made him one of the biggest stars in the industry and the face that launched a thousand magazine covers.
Oh my God!
Alex Vance! My bias! My celebrity crush!
Her brain had short-circuited completely.
He walked toward her slowly, with his eyes locked on her face like he was trying to read a ghost.
"I didn’t think I’d see you again," he said softly. "Not after how we ended."
We ended?
WE ENDED??
Mira’s thoughts were jumbled up while Callis raised an eyebrow, clearly amused but remaining silent.
But Mira knew she had to say something at this point before she ended up looking weird.
"Uh... uhm... A-Alex..." Her voice came out weird. Too high, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "It’s been a while."
He laughed. "A while? That’s one way to put it. You block my number and my accounts everywhere after breaking up with me out of nowhere, then show up now married to a guy I hate and at a party you hate coming to."
Mira’s mouth went dry while her brain was doing calculations at the speed of light.
Wait.
Pause.
Rewind.
Lorena dated him and broke up with him?
HIM?
The Alex Vance is technically my ex?!