Chapter 14: The Marriage Before Mine
I stared at the photograph.
Stephanie stood beside Alexander in a white dress, holding a bouquet of roses. He wore a dark suit, his expression solemn, his hand resting against her back.
On the reverse, someone had written:
June 14. The beginning of the arrangement.
I looked at my father.
"Tell me this is fake.""
Richard shook his head.
"It's real.""
"Alexander married Stephanie?""
"Briefly. The marriage was annulled.""
I couldn't breathe.
Alexander had told me he barely knew my family when we met in Chicago. He had admitted that he'd encountered me professionally years earlier, but he had never mentioned marrying my sister.
"When?"" I asked.
"After Nathan left you. Before you moved permanently to Chicago.""
I stared at the date.
I remembered those weeks. I had spent them packing my apartment, ignoring calls from relatives, and trying to survive the humiliation of having my wedding canceled.
While I was falling apart, Alexander and Stephanie had been standing at a courthouse.
"Why?""
"To gain access to the trust.""
Richard leaned forward.
"Stephanie had recovered the original agreement. She needed someone with financial authority to transfer the controlling shares. Alexander's company had the infrastructure to manage the assets, and Stephanie believed marrying him would secure her position.""
I felt sick.
"Did Alexander know about the arrangement?""
"Yes.""
"Did he know she was my sister?""
"Yes.""
"Did he know what she had done to me?""
Richard nodded.
I pushed the photograph away.
"Then why did he marry me?""
"Because he fell in love with you.""
I laughed bitterly.
"That's supposed to make this better?""
"No. But it's the truth.""
I stood.
"How long were they married?""
"Eleven days.""
"Eleven days?""
"The marriage was annulled after Alexander discovered that Stephanie had concealed the terms of the trust agreement. She had promised him a controlling interest in the company, but the original document named you as the beneficiary.""
I remembered Alexander's face when the recording had cut off. His insistence that he had no knowledge of the arrangement. His refusal to explain the full extent of his connection to my family.
He hadn't been lying about everything.
But he had lied about the most important thing.
I left the courthouse without saying goodbye to my father.
By the time I reached Alexander's attorney's office, my hands were shaking so badly that I had to ask the receptionist to open the door for me.
Alexander was waiting in a conference room.
When he saw the photograph in my hand, he closed his eyes.
"You found out.""
"Eleven days.""
He nodded.
"Yes.""
"You married my sister eleven days after my wedding was canceled.""
"Yes.""
"And then you married me.""
He stood.
"Claire, I can explain.""
"You had better.""
He didn't approach me.
"Stephanie came to me with the original trust agreement. She said she was the rightful beneficiary and that you had been involved in an attempt to divert the assets. She wanted my company to manage the transfer.""
"And you believed her?""
"No. I investigated. That's when I discovered that the agreement named you.""
"Then why marry her?""
"Because she refused to cooperate without a personal guarantee. She wanted a legal connection to my company. I agreed to a civil marriage under the condition that it would be annulled if the documents proved fraudulent.""
I stared at him.
"You married my sister as a business arrangement?""
"Yes.""
"Do you hear how that sounds?""
"I do.""
He looked devastated, but I was no longer willing to mistake his pain for innocence.
"Did you know she was having an affair with Nathan?""
"Yes.""
"Did you know Nathan was my fiancé?""
"Yes.""
"Did you know I was in Chicago trying to rebuild my life?""
"Not at first. When I learned who you were, I ended the arrangement with Stephanie.""
"Then you found me.""
"Yes.""
"And you never told me.""
Alexander lowered his head.
"I was ashamed. I knew how it would sound. I was afraid that if I told you, you'd believe I had pursued you for the inheritance.""
"Instead, you let me marry a man who had hidden an entire marriage from me.""
"I know.""
I placed the photograph on the table.
"Did you ever love Stephanie?""
"No.""
"Did you ever intend to give her the company?""
"Never. Once I understood the arrangement, I began working with Eleanor to recover the original documents and establish your legal claim.""
"Why didn't Mom tell me?""
"Because she was afraid Stephanie would retaliate. Your sister had already threatened to expose the family's secrets if Eleanor interfered.""
I shook my head.
"Everyone was afraid of Stephanie. Everyone was afraid of my father. Everyone was afraid of Daniel. And somehow, I was the only person expected to live without the truth.""
Alexander's eyes filled with tears.
"I can't change what I did. But I can give you every document my company holds.""
"That doesn't undo the marriage.""
"No.""
"Or the lies.""
"No.""
I looked at him for a long moment.
Then I asked the question I had been afraid to ask.
"Did you know who killed Daniel?""
Alexander went completely still.
For the first time, I saw genuine fear in his eyes.
"Claire," he whispered, "I didn't kill him.""
"I didn't ask whether you killed him. I asked whether you knew who did.""
He reached into a drawer and removed a sealed envelope.
"I received this three days ago. It contains the missing portion of the hotel recording.""
"Why didn't you give it to the police?""
"Because the recording implicates someone who was supposed to be dead.""
He placed the envelope in front of me.
Inside was a small drive and a handwritten note.
The note contained only one sentence.
The person who entered Daniel's room after Eleanor left was not Richard Wilson.
I looked at Alexander.
"Who was it?""
He took a breath.
"Stephanie.""
I closed my eyes.
Then he continued.
"But there's something worse. The recording shows that Daniel was alive when she entered. He was unconscious, but he was breathing.""
My stomach twisted.
"What happened next?""
Alexander looked at the drive.
"Stephanie left the room twenty minutes later. Daniel was dead when the hotel staff found him.""
I stared at him.
"Did she kill him?""
"I don't know. But she removed something from the room before she left.""
"What?""
"The original trust agreement.""
I picked up the drive.
"Then we take this to the police.""
Alexander nodded.
"There's one more thing.""
I stopped.
"The recording also captures a phone call Stephanie made immediately after leaving the hotel.""
"To whom?""
Alexander looked at me with an expression I had never seen before.
"Your mother.""
May you like
He paused.
"And Eleanor's response suggests she knew exactly what Stephanie had done.""
