Chapter 2: The Secret in Her Handbag
I opened the photograph with trembling fingers.
Inside Chloe's handbag were three things.
A copy of my marriage license.
A printed photograph of Nathan and me standing outside our engagement party.
And a handwritten letter addressed to my fiancé.
I read the first line twice.
Dear Nathan, if Emily doesn't show up today, you deserve to know the truth about the woman you're marrying.
My throat tightened.
“What is this?””
Chloe lunged toward my phone.
“Give that to me!””
I pulled it against my chest.
“Why do you have my marriage license?””
“It's none of your business!””
“It's MY marriage license!””
Sarah stepped between us.
“Chloe, I think you should stay where you are.””
My sister glared at her.
“Who do you think you are? You're a wedding coordinator, not a police officer.””
“I'm also responsible for protecting the property entrusted to this venue.””
Chloe grabbed her handbag.
“I'm leaving.””
Mom caught her arm.
“Not until you explain yourself.””
“Get off me!””
“Chloe, look at your sister!””
My mother sounded close to tears.
But Chloe didn't look at me.
She looked at the hallway.
Then Nathan appeared in the doorway.
He was still wearing his black tuxedo. His white shirt was perfectly pressed, and his wedding ring sat inside a small velvet box in his hand.
But his face was pale.
“Emily.””
I ran toward him.
“Nathan, what's happening? Why is Chloe carrying our marriage license?””
He glanced at the destroyed gown.
His jaw tightened.
“I'm sorry. I should have come sooner.””
“What do you mean?””
Nathan raised his phone.
“Chloe sent me a video last night.””
My sister immediately interrupted.
“Don't you dare!””
He turned toward her.
“You should have thought about that before sending it.””
“What video?”” I asked.
Nathan pressed play.
Chloe appeared on the screen, sitting on a sofa beside a man I'd never seen before.
She wore a red dress and held a glass of champagne.
The man beside her was in his late thirties, with dark hair and a silver watch.
Chloe smiled directly at the camera.
“Once Emily's wedding is canceled, Nathan will finally understand who he should have chosen.””
The man laughed.
“And what about the money?””
Chloe leaned toward him.
“Don't worry. Mom already promised me half of Emily's inheritance.””
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
I slowly lowered my phone.
Then I turned toward my mother.
“Mom?””
She stared at the floor.
“What inheritance?””
Her fingers twisted around the handkerchief she'd been holding.
“Emily, this isn't the right time.””
“Then when is the right time? After my sister destroys my wedding? After she tries to steal my fiancé?””
“Please lower your voice.””
I laughed, but there was no humor in it.
“You're worried about my voice?””
Chloe suddenly stepped forward.
“Mom, tell her! Tell her what Grandma promised!””
Mom's head snapped up.
“Chloe, be quiet.””
My stomach dropped.
“Grandma?””
My grandmother, Eleanor Bennett, had died eight months earlier. She'd been the one person in our family who never treated Chloe and me as competitors.
She used to say that love wasn't a pie that became smaller when someone else received a slice.
She'd also owned a beautiful estate outside Nashville.
The same estate where Nathan and I were getting married.
I had always believed she'd left it to a charitable foundation.
“Mom,” I whispered, “what did Grandma leave me?””
Mom finally looked at me.
“Your grandmother made complicated arrangements.””
“What arrangements?””
Chloe laughed bitterly.
“She left Emily the house. The land. Everything.””
My knees weakened.
“What?””
Nathan looked at me.
“Emily, I didn't know either.””
Mom wiped her eyes.
“Your grandmother changed her will shortly before she died.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because you were grieving. I didn't want to burden you.””
Chloe let out a sharp laugh.
“That's a beautiful way to describe stealing from your own daughter.””
Mom slapped her.
The sound echoed through the room.
“Enough!””
Chloe touched her cheek.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then she pointed at Mom.
“You promised me half!””
Mom's face drained of color.
Nathan stepped closer to me.
“Emily, there's another reason I came here.””
He showed me a second recording.
It was a video from the previous evening, filmed inside a restaurant.
Chloe was sitting across from the same mysterious man.
This time, I could hear their conversation clearly.
“Once the wedding is stopped,” Chloe said, “Nathan will be free to reconsider everything.””
The man leaned forward.
“And if he doesn't?””
Chloe smiled.
“He will. He just needs to see the documents.””
“What documents?””
“My sister's medical records, the inheritance papers, and the letter.””
I looked at Nathan.
“What letter?””
He swallowed.
“She claimed you were hiding something from me.””
“She's lying.””
“I know.””
His answer came without hesitation.
I reached for his hand.
But before he could say anything else, Olivia cleared her throat.
“Emily, I think it's time you read what your grandmother left with me.””
She placed the leather folder on the vanity.
Inside was a sealed envelope with my name written in my grandmother's familiar handwriting.
My eyes filled immediately.
“Why do you have this?””
“Your grandmother entrusted it to me six months before she passed away.””
Olivia glanced toward my mother.
“She gave me very specific instructions.””
Mom stepped forward.
“Olivia, please. Not here.””
Olivia didn't move.
“She said I was to deliver it on Emily's wedding day if anyone attempted to interfere with the ceremony or make her doubt her future husband.””
I stared at the envelope.
“Why would Grandma anticipate something like this?””
Olivia's expression softened.
“Because she knew your family better than you thought.””
I opened the envelope.
The first sentence made my hands go numb.
My dearest Emily, if you're reading this, your mother has probably told you that the house belongs to the family.
I looked up.
Mom was crying now.
Grandmother's letter continued.
But the house was never meant to belong to your mother. And the truth about your father's final days is something you deserve to know before you sign your marriage certificate.
I stopped breathing.
My father had died when I was twelve.
I'd been told he'd suffered a sudden heart attack while traveling for work.
There had never been anything suspicious about his death.
At least, that's what Mom had always said.
I turned the page.
And then I saw a name written at the bottom.
A name I recognized from the photograph Nathan had just shown me.
The mysterious man sitting beside Chloe.
His name was Daniel Mercer.
May you like
And beneath his name, my grandmother had written six words:
He knows what happened to your father.
