Chapter 5: The Video Nobody Was Supposed to See
I opened the email with shaking hands.
For a moment, I didn’t want to read it.
I already knew the truth was ugly.
But I also knew something else.
Every time I protected Chloe from consequences, she learned she could hurt me and survive.
The email was from Olivia.
*We recovered additional footage from the bridal suite hallway. Please review before making any decisions.*
Attached was a video file.
I pressed play.
The screen showed the hallway outside the bridal room.
The timestamp was the morning of my wedding.
Chloe appeared.
She wasn’t alone.
A woman stood beside her.
I leaned closer.
My breath caught.
It was my cousin, Jenna.
The same cousin who had hugged me at the rehearsal dinner and told me how beautiful my dress was going to be.
“What is this?”” Mom whispered.
Nobody answered.
The video continued.
Chloe and Jenna stood outside the door.
The audio was faint, but clear enough.
Jenna looked nervous.
“Are you sure about this?””
Chloe crossed her arms.
“She needs to be brought down.””
My chest tightened.
Jenna lowered her voice.
“What if someone finds out?””
“They won’t.””
“You checked the price?””
“Yes.””
“And?””
Chloe smiled.
“She’ll panic when she realizes she can’t fix it.””
I paused the video.
Nobody spoke.
The room felt smaller.
I looked at Chloe.
“You planned this with her?””
She wiped her tears.
“She just helped.””
“Helped?””
My voice rose.
“She stood outside while you destroyed my dress.””
“I didn’t ask her to pour the ink.””
“No. You asked her to help you hurt me.””
Chloe looked away.
Marcus looked disgusted.
“I didn’t know Jenna was involved.””
I looked back at the screen.
There was more.
I pressed play.
Jenna reached into her bag and handed Chloe something.
A small bottle.
The same bottle.
My mother covered her mouth.
“Oh my God.””
I felt something inside me break.
Not anger.
Something worse.
Disappointment.
Because Chloe wasn’t just jealous.
She had recruited someone else to become part of it.
“She gave you the ink?”” I asked.
Chloe stayed silent.
That silence answered everything.
My phone rang.
Ethan.
I stepped outside before answering.
“Hey.””
There was a pause.
“You sound upset.””
I closed my eyes.
“I found out more.””
“About Chloe?””
“Yes.””
I heard him take a breath.
“Do you want me to come over?””
“No.””
The answer surprised even me.
“I need to handle this.””
“Are you sure?””
I looked through the window.
My family was sitting in silence.
My sister looked broken.
But I couldn’t forget the black ink spreading across my dress.
“I have spent my whole life fixing things for everyone else,” I said quietly.
“I can’t do that anymore.””
Ethan’s voice softened.
“Okay.””
After we hung up, I returned inside.
Chloe looked up.
“I’m sorry.””
I stared at her.
“I believe you’re sorry now.””
Her eyes filled.
“But I don’t know if you were sorry when you did it.””
She looked down.
That hurt more than an argument.
Because she knew.
Marcus stood.
“I need to tell you something else.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He hesitated.
“Chloe didn’t just take your money.””
My stomach tightened.
“What else?””
He pulled out his phone.
“There was another account.””
Chloe immediately stood.
“Marcus, don’t.””
“Someone needs to know.””
He showed me a screenshot.
It was a conversation between Chloe and someone saved as “Wedding Vendor.””
I read the messages.
My face went numb.
She had contacted one of my vendors.
A week before my wedding.
She had tried to cancel something.
Not the dress.
Not the flowers.
Something else.
Something that would have destroyed the entire ceremony.
I looked at Chloe.
“What were you trying to cancel?””
She started crying.
“I didn’t know they would actually do it.””
“What?””
She covered her face.
“I told the venue your wedding was postponed.””
The room went silent.
My heart dropped.
“You what?””
She whispered:
“I thought if everything fell apart, you would finally understand how I felt.””
And then my mother’s phone rang.
She answered.
Her face changed instantly.
“Hello?””
A pause.
Then:
“No, that’s impossible.””
May you like
She looked at me.
“They’re saying the venue received a cancellation request from you.””
