Chapter 5: The Second Bride
Patricia sat down slowly.
"Three weeks ago, Vanessa asked me to arrange an additional bridal suite.""
I stared at her.
"An additional bridal suite?""
"Yes.""
"Why?""
"She said it was for an emergency backup. She told me you were worried about the dress and wanted somewhere quiet to get ready if the hotel became too crowded.""
I looked at Daniel.
He shook his head.
"I've never heard about this.""
"Neither have I," I said.
Patricia opened her tablet.
"She paid the deposit herself. She said she'd settle the remaining balance.""
"Which room?""
"Suite 1206.""
The number sounded familiar.
It was on the opposite side of the hotel.
The room I'd booked at 2:20 a.m. through my cousin.
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Who is staying there?""
Patricia checked.
"Nobody. It's reserved under Vanessa Reed.""
I stood.
"Take me there.""
Daniel immediately reached for his jacket.
"I'm coming.""
Michael stood too.
"So am I.""
Patricia looked uncomfortable.
"Shouldn't we involve security first?""
"Yes," Daniel said.
"But we're not waiting.""
At 4:38 a.m., two hotel security officers escorted us to Suite 1206.
The corridor was quiet.
A small decorative arrangement of white roses stood beside the door.
A silver ribbon had been tied around the handle.
I stopped.
"Those are my wedding flowers.""
Patricia looked closer.
"They are.""
"Why are they here?""
She had no answer.
George, the security supervisor, approached with a master key.
"Ms. Collins, do you want us to open the room?""
"Yes.""
He unlocked the door.
The suite was brightly lit.
And for a moment, I couldn't understand what I was seeing.
A white dress hung from the wardrobe.
Not my wedding dress.
Another wedding dress.
It was almost identical to mine.
The same fitted waist.
The same lace sleeves.
The same long train.
But the neckline was slightly different.
A pair of white heels stood beneath it.
On the bed lay a bouquet of white roses.
Beside the bouquet was a silver hairpiece.
I walked closer.
My grandmother's pearl earrings sat on the nightstand.
The missing earrings.
I stopped breathing.
"Those are mine.""
George stepped forward.
"Please don't touch anything.""
I pointed at the nightstand.
"She stole them.""
Daniel moved beside me.
"Emma, stay behind me.""
But I couldn't look away from the dress.
There was a small white card resting on the pillow.
My name was written across the front.
I opened it.
Inside were six words.
*Some women don't get the happy ending.*
I stared at the handwriting.
Vanessa.
Michael walked toward the wardrobe.
"There's more.""
He pulled open a drawer.
Inside were printed photographs.
Dozens of them.
Photographs of Daniel and me.
At restaurants.
Outside our apartment.
At family gatherings.
Some were from our engagement party.
Others appeared to have been taken without our knowledge.
I picked one up.
It showed Daniel standing outside his office.
Vanessa was beside him.
She was holding a coffee cup.
The date printed on the back was six weeks earlier.
I remembered that day.
I'd called Daniel during lunch, and he'd said he was busy.
He'd never mentioned seeing her.
"Why does she have these?"" I whispered.
Daniel examined the photograph.
"She took these herself.""
"How do you know?""
"Look at the reflection.""
He pointed to a glass window behind them.
The photographer's silhouette was visible.
A woman holding a phone.
Vanessa.
Michael opened another drawer.
Inside were printed messages.
Some were between Vanessa and Daniel.
Others were conversations with unknown numbers.
I picked up one sheet.
It showed a message allegedly sent by Daniel.
*I wish things had been different.*
Another read:
*I can't keep pretending I don't feel anything for you.*
My stomach turned.
"These are the screenshots she showed Olivia.""
Daniel took the pages.
"They're fabricated.""
At the bottom of the stack was a photograph of the two of them standing together outside his office.
Someone had cropped the image so they appeared to be holding hands.
But I could see the original photograph in the drawer.
In that one, Daniel was clearly holding the office door open while Vanessa stood beside him.
The cropped version had removed the door handle.
It was deliberate.
"She wanted everyone to believe you were having an affair," I said.
Daniel nodded.
"She wanted to create a story before she told it.""
I looked around the room.
The dress.
The flowers.
The photographs.
The earrings.
Everything had been arranged like a second wedding.
Except there was no second bride.
Only a woman who had convinced herself that if she could destroy mine, Daniel would somehow belong to her.
"Why the dress?"" I asked.
Nobody answered.
Then George called from the bathroom.
"Mr. Hayes? Ms.
Collins? You need to see this.""
We followed him.
On the bathroom counter sat a small bottle of red wine.
Beside it was a pair of scissors.
And a folded piece of paper.
I opened it.
There was a handwritten instruction.
*Make the stain impossible to remove. Do it before 6:00 a.m.*
I looked at the clock.
4:51.
Vanessa had intended to destroy my dress within the next hour.
Daniel looked at the bottle.
"She planned this.""
I nodded.
Then something occurred to me.
"Where did she get a second dress?""
Patricia examined the garment tag.
"There's a boutique in the city that supplied the bridesmaids' dresses.""
"Can you identify the order?""
Patricia took a photograph of the label.
"I can call them.""
George approached with another clear evidence sleeve.
"We found this in the wardrobe.""
Inside was a printed reservation confirmation.
Suite 1206.
But the booking wasn't for Friday night.
It was for Saturday night too.
I frowned.
"Why would she need the room after the wedding?""
Daniel picked up the paper.
"Look at the guest name.""
I did.
The room had been booked for two occupants.
Daniel Hayes.
Vanessa Reed.
I stared at the names.
"No.""
Daniel looked as though someone had struck him.
"I never booked this.""
The confirmation included a special request.
*Please arrange champagne, flowers, and late checkout. Guest would like privacy after the ceremony.*
Michael let out a quiet curse.
"She's planning to tell people you two are spending the night together.""
I looked at Daniel.
"Is that what she told herself would happen?""
He shook his head.
"Emma, I would never—"
"I know.""
But my voice sounded distant.
I was beginning to understand the scale of the deception.
Vanessa hadn't merely wanted to interrupt the wedding.
She had created an entire alternative reality.
In her version, Daniel would discover some terrible secret about me, abandon me at the altar, and turn to her for comfort.
She had arranged a room.
A dress.
Flowers.
Champagne.
She had prepared for a celebration that existed only in her imagination.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
"Hello?""
A man's voice spoke.
"Ms. Collins? This is Detective Harris with the hotel district police liaison.""
I looked at George.
"Yes?""
"We've received a report concerning suspected theft and unauthorized access to private hotel rooms. The hotel has provided us with preliminary information.""
"Okay.""
"There's something else. A woman has contacted our office claiming that you may be involved in an attempt to defraud your fiancé.""
I went completely still.
"What?""
"She says she has evidence that you've been concealing financial information from Mr. Hayes.""
I looked at Daniel.
He stepped closer.
"Who made the report?""
The detective paused.
"Vanessa Reed.""
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
She wasn't waiting for the ceremony anymore.
She was moving ahead of it.
"Detective, she's lying.""
"That may be the case. We'd like to hear your account and review the evidence.""
"I can show you everything.""
"Good. But I should warn you that Ms. Reed has already submitted several documents.""
"What documents?""
There was a brief silence.
Then he said:
"An alleged financial agreement between you and your late father, and a statement claiming you used your father's estate to conceal money from Mr. Hayes.""
I gripped the phone.
"That's impossible.""
"Do you recognize the name of the account involved?""
He read out the last four digits.
The same account number from my father's old savings account.
I looked at the documents on the bed.
Then I understood.
Vanessa hadn't just stolen my grandmother's earrings.
May you like
She had obtained enough information about my family to construct a financial fraud accusation.
And she'd reported me before I could report her.
