Chapter 2 - Shadows in the Mirror
The silence in the bridal suite felt heavier than lead, pressing down on everyone present with suffocating force. Daniel stared at the glowing smartphone screen, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek. The blue light cast harsh shadows across his face, turning his usually warm features cold and distant.
Daniel looked up from the screen, his voice dangerously low.
“Whose number is this, Sarah?”
Sarah, the bridesmaid who had spoken first, exchanged a nervous glance with the woman standing beside her. She swallowed hard, gripping the fabric of her sage green dress as if anchoring herself against an oncoming storm. The rest of the room seemed to hold its collective breath, waiting for the fragile illusion of the wedding day to completely shatter.
Sarah took a slow step forward, her voice barely audible over the hum of the air conditioner.
“It belongs to Julian. Your best man.”
Clara let out a sharp, hysterical laugh that cut through the tension like a broken bottle. She crossed her arms over her corseted bodice, glaring daggers at the little girl still clinging to Daniel’s arm.
Clara sneered, her eyes flashing with malice.
“Oh, perfect! Now we're listening to the hallucinations of a jealous brat who wants her mommy back from the dead?”
Daniel didn't look at Clara. His eyes remained fixed on Sarah, demanding answers while his arm stayed securely wrapped around Lily. The little girl buried her face against his lap again, seeking safety from the venom in Clara's tone.
Daniel spoke through gritted teeth.
“Explain. Now.”
Sarah pulled out her own phone, her fingers trembling as she tapped rapidly across the screen.
“Julian left his phone on the cocktail table during the rehearsal dinner last night. I didn't mean to look, Daniel. But it lit up with a preview message that made my blood run cold. It wasn't just friendly chat. It was planning.”
Clara lunged forward, trying to snatch the phone from Daniel’s grip, but the groom intercepted her with a single, icy glare that stopped her dead in her tracks.
Daniel warned, his voice a lethal whisper.
“Don't touch it, Clara. Not another inch.”
Sarah continued, her voice shaking as she recounted what she had seen the night before.
“The texts weren't just about the wedding arrangements. They were plotting how to get full control of your company assets after the marriage certificate was signed. Julian and Clara have been working together for months.”
Daniel slowly turned his head to look at Clara, the color draining entirely from his face. The betrayal hit him not with a sudden explosion, but with a crushing, silent weight.
Clara’s expression flickered for a fraction of a second, panic breaking through her defensive armor before she hardened her features once more.
“They're lying, Daniel! It's a setup!”
Daniel stood up slowly, towering over the bride in her pristine white gown. He held up the smartphone, the screen still displaying the damning messages that Lily had courageously rescued from the trash bin in Clara's private dressing room.
May you like
Daniel asked coldly, “If it's a setup, why did Lily find this phone hidden inside your makeup case?”
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