Chapter 9: The Witness Who Knew Too Much
I drove to the boutique without telling anyone.
Not Ethan.
Not my mother.
Not Chloe.
I needed one place where I could think without someone else’s emotions filling the room.
The boutique was quiet.
The same place where I had first tried on my wedding gown.
Back then, I had stood in front of the mirror and imagined my future.
Now I stood there wondering how many people had been hiding things from me.
Olivia was waiting.
She looked nervous.
That made me nervous.
“What did you find?””
She invited me into her office.
“I need you to understand something first.””
I nodded.
“We don’t accuse people without evidence.””
“Okay.””
She opened a folder.
Inside were printed emails.
“After the incident, the insurance company reviewed all communication related to the gown.””
She placed one page in front of me.
“This email was sent three days before your wedding.””
I read it.
My face went cold.
The sender wasn’t Chloe.
It wasn’t Jenna.
It was my aunt, Rebecca.
My mother’s older sister.
The woman who had hugged me and said:
“You look exactly like your grandmother did on her wedding day.””
I looked up.
“My aunt?””
Olivia nodded.
“She asked about the replacement value.””
“Why?””
“That’s what we’re trying to understand.””
I kept reading.
The email was strange.
It wasn’t directly asking how to damage the gown.
It asked about responsibility.
*If a guest accidentally ruins a rented gown, who is responsible for payment?*
I frowned.
“She asked the same question Chloe asked.””
“Yes.””
“But why?””
Olivia leaned forward.
“Because she already knew the answer.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What does that mean?””
Olivia opened another file.
“This was found after the insurance review.””
She showed me a screenshot.
It was a message between Rebecca and Chloe.
My hands started shaking.
*Rebecca: If something happens to the dress, make sure nobody knows beforehand.*
*Chloe: I don’t want to hurt her.*
*Rebecca: You’re not hurting her. You’re teaching her a lesson.*
I stopped reading.
My chest felt heavy.
My aunt.
The person who had helped plan my bridal shower.
The person who gave me advice about marriage.
She had been behind this?
I looked at Olivia.
“How long have you known?””
“We found the messages this morning.””
“Why tell me first?””
“Because your sister may have been manipulated.””
I thought about Chloe.
The anger.
The jealousy.
The desperation.
And suddenly, another possibility appeared.
“What lesson?””
Olivia looked at me.
“That’s what we don’t know.””
I left the boutique with the folder in my hands.
My mind was racing.
When I arrived at my parents’ house, Chloe was there.
She looked surprised.
“What are you doing here?””
I placed the folder on the table.
Her face changed.
“What is that?””
“Something you should have told me.””
She opened it.
The moment she saw Rebecca’s name, she froze.
“You knew?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“What?””
“You knew she was involved.””
Chloe looked away.
“I…”
I felt my anger return.
“You knew.””
She whispered:
“She said she was helping me.””
“Helping you?””
“She said you needed to learn something.””
My voice became sharper.
“What?””
Chloe shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
“Stop lying.””
“I’m not!””
She started crying.
“She said Ethan wasn’t who I thought he was.””
The room went silent.
Again.
Ethan.
Everyone kept using his name.
Everyone had secrets.
Everyone claimed they were protecting me.
“What did she say about him?””
Chloe looked terrified.
“She said if I found proof, you would finally see the truth.””
“What truth?””
Chloe grabbed the folder.
“There was one more message.””
She opened her phone.
Her fingers trembled as she searched.
Then she showed me.
A message from Rebecca.
Sent the night before my wedding.
*Tomorrow, everything changes. She will finally know who Ethan really is.*
I stared at the screen.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from Ethan.
I opened it.
My blood went cold.
It was a photo.
A photo of my aunt Rebecca standing outside a hotel.
With Ethan’s father.
May you like
And the caption underneath said:
*“I think you need to see this before you trust anyone.””*
