Margaret's hand trembled against the doorframe as she peered through the narrow gap, her breath catching sharply in her throat. "Oh my God," she whispered, the words barely audible even to herself, horror spreading through her chest as she absorbed the full weight of what she was witnessing.
She stumbled back from the door, her mind racing through the implications, through what this meant for the ceremony scheduled to begin in less than twenty minutes, through the devastating conversation she now needed to have with her son before it was too late to stop what was about to unfold.
She turned and ran, her white hat nearly slipping loose, her teal gown gathered in one trembling fist as she sprinted down the grand hallway, ignoring the startled glances of caterers and coordinators she passed along the way.