Maybe they didn't hear that last part. Or maybe everyone had watched me love Phil for so long that anything else was simply unthinkable.
Neither Claire nor Phil reacted to it.
Seeing me hit Phil, Claire hurried forward to play peacemaker.
"Now, now, sister-in-law, the ceremony's about to start! What's all this?"
She reached for my hand as she spoke. I pulled away before she could touch me.
But the next second, Claire went down—right as I raised my hand, crumpling to the floor with both hands clutching her lower back and a shriek ripping out of her.
"My back! Oh God, my back hurts so bad. What if it's broken?"
"Phil, Phil, come look, please, I'm dying over here!"
I laughed coldly to myself. My hand hadn't even touched her.
Phil's face was all panic. He dropped to a crouch beside Claire, checked her over, then lifted his head and shouted at me.
"Irene! That's way too far! What, you figure since we're getting married today, you can finally drop the act?"
"So all those years of sweetness and kindness—that was fake the whole time!"
"They were right about you. Spoiled little rich girl through and through. It's disgusting!"