Chapter 8: The Person Who Turned Against Us
The police officer arrived that afternoon.
His name was Detective Harris.
He wasn’t intimidating.
That almost made it worse.
He had a calm voice and a notebook in his hand.
The kind of person who didn’t need to raise his voice because he already knew people would tell him the truth.
“I understand this is a difficult situation,” he said.
I sat across from him in my parents’ living room.
“It is.””
He looked at Chloe.
“And you are the person responsible for the damaged gown?””
Chloe nodded.
“Yes.””
I looked at her.
For once, she didn’t try to defend herself.
“I poured the ink.””
Detective Harris wrote something down.
“Why?””
Chloe looked at me.
Then away.
“I was angry.””
“That doesn’t explain why you contacted the boutique beforehand.””
Her face changed.
He knew.
Of course he knew.
“I was trying to understand the consequences.””
“Before committing the act?””
She swallowed.
“Yes.””
The detective continued writing.
“What about the cancellation request sent to the venue?””
Chloe closed her eyes.
“I did that too.””
My mother covered her mouth.
Even after everything, hearing her admit it still hurt.
Detective Harris looked at me.
“Miss, I need to ask you something.””
I nodded.
“Did you give your sister permission to access your financial accounts?””
“No.””
“Did you authorize any transfers?””
“No.””
He glanced at the papers.
“Then we may need to discuss that separately.””
My stomach tightened.
The money.
I had almost forgotten.
Eight thousand dollars.
A part of me wanted to scream.
Another part of me wanted to understand why.
But understanding didn’t erase damage.
After Detective Harris left, Chloe sat quietly.
She looked exhausted.
Not like someone caught.
Like someone who finally ran out of excuses.
“I’m sorry.””
I didn’t answer.
She looked at me.
“I know saying it doesn’t fix anything.””
“No.””
“I know.””
I looked toward the window.
“Do you know what hurts the most?””
She waited.
“I spent my entire life defending you.””
Her eyes filled.
“And you spent months planning how to destroy me.””
She started crying.
“I never hated you.””
“Maybe not.””
I turned back.
“But you hated that I was happy.””
She looked down.
That was the first honest reaction I had seen from her.
Later that evening, Ethan came over.
I watched him walk through the front door.
He looked tired.
But the moment he saw me, his expression softened.
“Are you okay?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
He nodded.
“Fair.””
I almost smiled.
Almost.
We sat outside.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then I asked:
“Did you know about the investigation?””
“No.””
“Did you know Jenna was talking to your father?””
“No.””
“Did you know Chloe had money problems?””
“No.””
I looked at him.
“You really knew nothing?””
He gave a small, sad smile.
“I promise you, I’m not secretly connected to every disaster happening around you.””
That made me laugh.
A tiny laugh.
But it was real.
Then Ethan became serious.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my father.””
I looked down.
“I understand why you didn’t.””
“But you deserved the truth.””
“Yes.””
He nodded.
“I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
“That you would see my family problems and think I wasn’t worth choosing.””
My heart softened.
Because I understood that fear.
Maybe that was why Chloe’s actions hurt so much.
She didn’t just damage my wedding.
She damaged the trust between people.
The next morning, I received a message from Olivia.
*We need to meet. There is another issue with the gown.*
I called her immediately.
“What happened?””
Her voice was quiet.
“There is something I didn’t tell you before.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“The dress wasn’t only valuable because it was a runway sample.””
I waited.
“It was insured.””
“Okay.””
“And the insurance company reviewed the footage.””
“Why?””
A pause.
“Because they believe someone else may have encouraged your sister.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“What do you mean?””
Olivia lowered her voice.
“The person who contacted the boutique asking about the replacement cost…”
I held my breath.
“Wasn’t Chloe.””
I froze.
“Then who was it?””
Olivia answered.
May you like
And the name she said made me forget how to breathe.
“It was someone who attended your wedding.””
