Chapter 5: The Day Everyone Stopped Believing Her

Owen stared at the envelopes.

“Those are from Hannah’s wedding.”

Grace grabbed the bag.

“Naomi planted them.”

Naomi let out a stunned laugh.

“I was standing beside you all morning.”

“You’ve always preferred Hannah.”

“And you’ve always mistaken loyalty for something you could use.”

Grace turned to Mother.

“Tell them.

Tell them Hannah said I could have the brooch.”

Mother pressed both hands together.

“I never heard her say that.”

“You knew I had it.”

“I knew after Hannah’s wedding.

You told me she had given it to you.”

I looked at Mother.

“And you never asked me?”

“I didn’t want another argument.”

“You didn’t avoid an argument.

You left me alone inside one.”

Mother’s eyes filled, but Grace shoved the envelopes toward me.

“Take them.

Take everything.

Is that what you wanted?”

“I wanted a sister who didn’t have to take from me to feel important.”

“You always got there first,” Grace snapped.

“The praise, the good grades, Daniel, the wedding everyone called tasteful.

For once, I wanted people looking at me.”

“So you wore the dress I loved?”

“It looked better on me.”

Owen pulled off his wedding ring.

The small movement silenced everyone.

Grace stared at his hand.

“Put that back on.”

“No.”

“We just said our vows.”

“And twenty minutes later, I discovered you lied about the dress, used Hannah’s name, took her wedding gifts, and hid her grandmother’s brooch.”

“You promised to stand beside me.”

“I made that promise to the woman I thought you were.”

Grace seized his wrist.

“If you walk away now, I will make sure everyone knows your family refused to pay their share of this wedding.”

Evelyn stepped forward.

“My family paid the venue deposit.

Your mother paid the flowers.

Hannah appears to have paid for your dress.”

“Stay out of this!”

“No.

The officiant has not filed the license yet.

Owen will speak with him before anyone does.”

Grace’s face drained of color.

“You can’t cancel my marriage over a few envelopes.”

Owen removed her hand from his wrist.

“Watch me.”

She spun toward me.

“I’ll repay you.

Double.

Just tell him this was a misunderstanding.”

“You called me jealous in front of everyone.”

“I was upset.”

“You forged my name.”

“You can’t prove who wrote it.”

Naomi lifted her phone.

“The video is backed up.”

Grace snatched the phone and threw it into the champagne bucket.

Water splashed across the table.

“There,” she said.

“Now prove it.”

Naomi calmly reached into her dress pocket and removed a second phone.

“The original uploaded to the cloud ten minutes ago.”

Grace’s shoulders dropped, but only for a second.

A call appeared on Naomi’s screen.

The name read CELESTE BRIDAL.

“That’s the boutique,” I said.

Naomi answered and put the call on speaker.

A woman’s voice filled the silence.

“Hannah?

This is Celeste, the owner.

Naomi sent me a photograph of the receipt.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“I pulled the transaction record.

The deposit wasn’t simply listed under your name.

Someone opened a financing account using your customer profile.”

I looked at Grace.

“How much?”

Celeste hesitated.

“The dress was only the first purchase,” she said.

“There are three more charges, and the balance is nearly ten thousand dollars.”

Grace stopped backing away.