Chapter 4
"Who wrote that letter?" Elena hissed, her voice trembling as she scanned the faces of the congregation. "Who has been digging into things that don’t exist?"
"It doesn’t matter who wrote it," Julian said, stepping closer to her. "What matters is that every single detail in this paper checks out. The police report number, the hospital records, the missing witness statement. I called the precinct before I came out of the vestry. They’ve reopened the case, Elena. They are looking for the driver who left a seven-year-old child motherless on a rainy Tuesday night five years ago."
Little Lily, still holding onto the hem of Julian’s trousers, peeked out from behind him. Her big blue eyes fixed on Elena with an intensity that made the bride shudder. It was Lily’s mother who had been killed in that Savannah crosswalk. Lily had been sitting in the backseat of the sedan, watching through the rain-streaked window as a white luxury coupe struck her mother and sped away into the night.
Elena’s knees buckled slightly, but she caught herself, her jaw tightening as desperation took hold. "You’re throwing away our entire life over a piece of anonymous trash?" she shouted, her voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings. "You don’t even know if it’s true! Someone is trying to sabotage us, Julian! Can’t you see that? Right before our wedding?"
"I verified the registration number of the car mentioned in the report," Julian said quietly, breaking her heart with every word. "It was registered to an Elena Vance living on Peachtree Lane in Savannah. Your maiden name, Elena. The exact car you traded in right before you moved to Chicago."
The congregation erupted into a cacophony of gasps and overlapping conversations. Family members began whispering furiously, pulling out their phones, completely forgetting the sacred solemnity of the cathedral. Elena stood isolated in the center aisle, her white lace wedding gown suddenly looking less like a symbol of joy and more like a shroud.
May you like
"It was an accident," Elena whispered, her voice dropping so low that only Julian could hear it. The defiant mask had completely shattered, leaving behind a terrified, cornered woman. "I panicked, Julian. It was dark, it was raining, and I was so young. If I stopped, my life would have been over."
"And her life was actually ended," Julian replied, his voice breaking as he looked down at little Lily. "You took everything from her, Elena. And then you built a new life on top of her tragedy, smiling every day like nothing ever happened."
