Police Officer: Step away from the stage! Who called dispatch?
Father-in-Law: I did, Officer. My son was just targeted in an attempted poisoning.
Four police officers entered the ballroom, their boots clicking loudly against the polished floor. The lead officer looked at the shattered glass and the dark liquid running across the marble tiles.
Police Officer: Is everyone unharmed?
Brandon: I'm fine, Officer. My bridesmaid stopped me before I drank it.
Police Officer: Where is the suspect?
Brandon: Sitting right there on the stage in the white gown.
The female officer walked up the carpeted steps, pulling steel handcuffs from her belt. I tried to pull my hands away, but she grabbed my wrists firmly, snapping the cuffs closed with two harsh clicks.
Bride: Let go of me! This is an outrage!
Female Officer: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
Bridesmaid: Officer, I have the original video recording right here on my phone. I also saved the pill bottle she threw in the trash bag on table five.
Police Officer: Keep that phone safe, ma'am. Our crime scene unit will need to take a digital copy immediately.
Bride's Mother: Officer, please! She's young, she was just under so much stress for the wedding!
Police Officer: Planning a murder is not wedding stress, ma'am. Step back.
They dragged me off the stage and down the long central aisle. Hundreds of guests held up their camera phones, recording my face as tears ruined my makeup. The flashes blinded me as I was pushed toward the glass front doors of the hotel.
Guest 1: Look at her! She's completely insane!
Guest 2: Her family business is going under! She tried to murder him for the insurance payout!
Bride: Stop filming me! Turn those cameras off!
Police Officer: Keep walking, ma'am. The cruiser is right outside.
They shoved me into the back seat of the patrol car. The heavy door slammed shut, cutting off the noise of the crowd. I looked through the tinted window and saw Brandon standing on the hotel balcony, surrounded by his family, watching me drive away into the bright afternoon sun.