Chapter 3: The Woman Who Had Everything to Gain
I didn't remember sitting down.
One moment, I was standing beside the wardrobe. The next, I was on the edge of the bed, staring at Olivia as if she had just spoken another language.
"Say that again," I whispered.
Olivia stepped inside.
"Vanessa told me Daniel had paid her.""
"How much?""
"She didn't say.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
Olivia's eyes filled.
"Because I didn't know what to believe.""
I stood up.
"Olivia, this is my wedding. Your brother is supposed to marry me in less than twelve hours. If you know something, I need you to tell me everything.""
She nodded.
Then she looked at Martin and the security officer.
"Can we speak privately?""
Martin shook his head gently.
"I'm afraid we need to remain present while we're investigating the missing property.""
Olivia looked uncomfortable.
I took her hand.
"It's okay. You can say whatever you need to say.""
She sat down beside me.
"Vanessa contacted me three weeks ago.""
"Three weeks?""
"She said she was worried about Daniel. She told me he was acting strangely and that he might be hiding something from you.""
I swallowed.
"What exactly?""
"She said he'd been involved with another woman shortly before your engagement.""
I stared at her.
"That's ridiculous.""
"I thought so too. But she had screenshots.""
"Of what?""
"Messages.""
My stomach tightened.
"From Daniel?""
"Apparently.""
"Did you see his number?""
Olivia nodded.
"She showed me a conversation. It looked real.""
I reached for my phone.
"Send me the screenshots.""
Olivia hesitated.
"Emma, there's something else.""
"What?""
"She said if I didn't help her, she'd send the screenshots to you herself.""
I felt my jaw tighten.
"Help her do what?""
Olivia looked down at her hands.
"She wanted me to tell Daniel that I didn't approve of the wedding.""
I blinked.
"Why?""
"She said if he thought his family had doubts, he'd postpone it. She said postponing the wedding would give him time to reconsider.""
I stared at her.
"She wanted you to break us up?""
Olivia nodded.
"She said she was trying to save him.""
I laughed bitterly.
"Save him from marrying me.""
"Emma, I know how it sounds.""
"No. I don't think you do.""
My voice rose.
"She has been stealing things from my room, lying about a pregnancy, interfering with my family, and planning to ruin my wedding. What exactly am I supposed to think?""
Olivia started crying.
"I'm sorry.""
I looked at her.
She was Daniel's younger sister. I'd known her for four years. She had been the first person to welcome me into the family.
At my engagement party, she'd given a speech about how happy she was that her brother had finally found someone who made him smile.
I didn't want to blame her for being manipulated.
But I couldn't pretend her silence hadn't hurt.
"Did you believe her?"" I asked.
Olivia wiped her cheek.
"Not completely.""
"Then why didn't you tell me?""
"Because I thought I could handle it without hurting anyone.""
I looked away.
That was exactly what I had told myself when I first heard Vanessa through the connecting wall.
The difference was that Olivia had waited three weeks.
I wasn't sure I could forgive that immediately.
"Show me the screenshots," I said.
She opened her phone.
The first image showed a conversation between Daniel and a contact saved as Vanessa.
*Vanessa:* We need to talk about what happened.
*Daniel:* There's nothing to discuss.
*Vanessa:* You can't pretend it didn't happen.
*Daniel:* I told you to stop contacting me.
*Vanessa:* You promised you'd take responsibility.
I read the exchange twice.
Something felt wrong.
"Olivia, when did Vanessa send you this?""
"Three weeks ago.""
"Did she show you the entire conversation?""
"No. Just the screenshots.""
"Can you scroll?""
Olivia shook her head.
"She sent them as pictures. I don't have the original messages.""
I enlarged the first screenshot.
The timestamp was visible.
It showed a date in March.
But Daniel's phone number wasn't displayed.
Only his first name.
I looked closer.
"Did you ever ask Daniel about this?""
"No.""
"Why?""
Olivia gave a small, helpless shrug.
"Because I didn't want to start a fight.""
I handed her phone back.
"That's exactly what Vanessa wanted.""
A knock interrupted us.
This time, Daniel entered with his brother, Michael, beside him.
He crossed the room in three strides.
"Emma.""
I went straight into his arms.
He held me tightly, one hand against the back of my head.
For a moment, I forgot about the missing earrings, the fake pregnancy, and the woman who had spent months trying to destroy our relationship.
Then he pulled back.
"Are you okay?""
"No.""
He nodded.
"Me neither.""
His eyes moved to Olivia.
"What happened?""
She looked down.
"Daniel, I'm sorry.""
He frowned.
"For what?""
"Vanessa showed me the screenshots.""
His face changed.
"What screenshots?""
"The messages. The ones where you supposedly promised to pay her.""
Daniel stared at her.
Then he looked at me.
"Emma, I have never paid Vanessa anything.""
"I know.""
"She told you that?""
"She told Olivia.""
He turned toward his sister.
"Olivia, did you believe her?""
Olivia started crying again.
"I didn't know.""
Daniel rubbed his face.
"Jesus Christ.""
Michael stepped forward.
"Let's slow down. What exactly do we have?""
I explained everything.
The recording.
The missing rings.
The stolen earrings.
The master-key entry.
The note.
And Vanessa's latest accusation.
Michael listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he looked at Daniel.
"Did you ever have a relationship with Vanessa?""
"No.""
"Did you ever sleep with her?""
"No.""
"Did you ever give her money?""
"No.""
Michael nodded.
"Then we need to find out where those screenshots came from.""
Daniel turned toward Olivia.
"Can you send me the images?""
She forwarded them.
His phone buzzed.
He opened the first screenshot and stared at it.
Then he zoomed in.
His expression became unreadable.
"What?"" I asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
He enlarged the top corner.
Then he turned the phone toward me.
"Look at the time.""
I leaned closer.
The message was supposedly sent on March 18.
But the time displayed was 8:47 p.m.
I frowned.
"What's wrong?""
Daniel opened his calendar.
"On March 18, I was in Chicago.""
I looked at him.
"So?""
"I was on a flight that evening. I didn't land until after ten.""
"Could the message have been sent earlier?""
"No.""
He opened another app and showed me a hotel receipt.
"Look.""
The receipt showed his check-in time at 11:32 p.m.
Then he opened his airline confirmation.
The flight had departed at 6:15 p.m.
He looked at Olivia.
"Did Vanessa tell you where she got these?""
"No.""
"Did she show you the original conversation?""
"No.""
Daniel handed the phone back.
"These are fake.""
Olivia covered her mouth.
Michael took a screenshot of the images.
"Send everything to me. Don't delete anything.""
Daniel turned toward me.
"Emma, there's something else.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Another secret?""
He shook his head.
"Not mine.""
He opened his email.
"I received this last night.""
He showed me a message from the wedding venue.
The subject line read:
*URGENT: Change to Wedding Ceremony Authorization.*
I frowned.
"What's that?""
"Someone requested a change to the ceremony arrangements.""
"Who?""
"Your maid of honour.""
I looked at the email.
It contained a request to change the person responsible for handing over the wedding rings.
The original instruction listed Daniel's best man, Michael.
The revised instruction listed Vanessa.
I stared at the screen.
"Why would she need to hand over the rings?""
Daniel scrolled down.
"Because she requested that the ceremony coordinator give her access to the ring table before the procession.""
Michael swore under his breath.
"That's not normal.""
"No," Daniel said.
"It's not.""
I read the email again.
Then I noticed the time it had been sent.
11:48 p.m.
Less than three hours before I'd heard Vanessa talking through the connecting wall.
She hadn't merely planned to steal the rings.
She had been arranging official access to them.
"Did the venue approve it?"" I asked.
Daniel shook his head.
"They sent it to me because the authorization required my signature.""
"Did you sign it?""
"Of course not.""
I looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"I only saw it twenty minutes ago.""
I nodded slowly.
The pieces were beginning to form a picture.
Vanessa had wanted control of the rings.
She had entered my room.
She had stolen my grandmother's earrings.
She had tried to convince Daniel's sister that he was hiding an affair.
And she had fabricated messages to make her story believable.
But there was still one question I couldn't answer.
Why was she so determined to stop the wedding?
She couldn't possibly believe Daniel would suddenly abandon me and choose her after all this.
Unless she wasn't simply trying to make him choose her.
Unless she wanted something else.
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
*Emma, you need to see what Vanessa has been telling people about you.*
A second message arrived.
It contained a photograph.
I opened it.
The image showed a printed document on a desk.
At the top was my full name.
Below it was a series of handwritten notes.
My previous relationship.
My father's estate.
My salary.
My savings.
My apartment.
And a final sentence written in bold black ink:
*DANIEL MUST BELIEVE EMMA IS HIDING SOMETHING BEFORE THE CEREMONY.*
I stopped breathing.
Daniel read it over my shoulder.
"Who sent that?""
"I don't know.""
Another message appeared.
*She has a second plan. It has nothing to do with the dress or the rings.*
Then the sender attached a voice message.
I pressed play.
A woman's voice filled the room.
It was Vanessa.
And she was laughing.
"Once Daniel sees what I've prepared, he won't care what Emma says. He'll walk away from that altar himself.""
The recording ended.
I looked at Daniel.
He looked at me.
Neither of us spoke.
Then Michael's phone rang.
He answered, listened for a few seconds, and slowly turned toward us.
"That was the wedding venue.""
His expression had gone pale.
"They've received another request.""
"What request?"" I asked.
Michael swallowed.
"Someone has instructed the ceremony coordinator to announce a family emergency during the wedding.""
Daniel stepped forward.
"Whose emergency?""
Michael looked directly at me.
"Yours, Emma.""
He paused.
"They've been told your father left behind a criminal investigation, and that Daniel's family has been hiding it from him.""
I felt the room spin.
May you like
My father had been dead for seven years.
And Vanessa had just found a way to drag his name into my wedding.
