Chapter 4: The Bride's Departure
Chapter 4: The Bride's Departure
Three days after the wedding that never finished, my doorbell rang.
I looked through the peephole.
It was Chloe. The bride.
I hesitated, then unlocked the door. She stood on my porch, dressed in a simple sweater and jeans, looking exhausted. Her eyes were red and swollen. She looked nothing like the glowing princess Sophie had admired.
“Can I come in?” she asked softly.
I stepped aside.
She walked into my living room, her eyes scanning the quiet space. Sophie was asleep upstairs, exhausted by the painkillers and the lingering concussion symptoms.
“I saw the video,” Chloe said. Her voice broke.
I didn't say anything. I just waited.
“Preston swore to me it was an accident,” she continued, wrapping her arms around herself. “He cried. He said he was just waving the board, trying to get everyone’s attention, and it slipped. Your parents backed him up. They told me you were vindictive.”
“And then you saw the tape.”
She nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. “The police had to show it to my lawyer. Evelyn… he looked at her. He looked right at Sophie, and he swung it like a baseball bat. He framed her.”
“He did.”
Chloe took a deep breath. She reached into her purse and pulled out a large, heavy diamond ring. She set it on my coffee table.
“I filed for an annulment this morning,” she said. “I packed my things. I moved back in with my sister. I’m done.”
A tiny wave of relief washed over me. At least someone else in this nightmare had a conscience.
“Thank you for believing us,” I said.
May you like
“Tell Sophie I’m sorry,” Chloe whispered. “I'm so sorry I didn't do anything that night.”
Then she walked out the door, leaving Preston’s multi-thousand-dollar ring sitting on cheap wood, utterly worthless.
