CHAPTER 3 - The Guest Who Was Never Invited
For a moment, I couldn't move.
The church bells were still ringing.
The music was still playing.
Our guests were still waiting inside, believing this was just a delayed wedding ceremony.
But standing beneath that tree...
I finally understood.
The wedding wasn't the beginning of my marriage.
It was the place where someone wanted me trapped.
I looked at Ethan.
"Who?"
His jaw tightened.
"We don't know."
My mother's eyes filled with fear.
"Yes, we do."
She looked toward the church.
"The person who sent that message has been watching us for years."
I felt a chill run through me.
"Mom..."
"Tell me everything."
She took a deep breath.
"Your father didn't die because of an accident."
The world went silent.
"What?"
My mother looked away.
"Your father discovered that someone inside the Whitmore family was moving money through fake companies."
"He was going to expose them."
"But two days before he could go to the authorities..."
"He died."
I shook my head.
"No."
I didn't want to hear it.
"No, my father had a heart condition."
My mother reached for my hand.
"That was the story they wanted everyone to believe."
Ethan stepped closer.
"Sarah, your father knew someone was following him."
"He prepared evidence."
"And before anything happened to him..."
"He gave part of it to your mother."
I looked at my mother.
"You had evidence all this time?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Not all of it."
"Only enough to know we were in danger."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I wanted you to have a normal life."
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"A normal life?"
"I almost married someone without knowing any of this."
Ethan looked hurt.
"I was trying to protect you."
I turned toward him.
"And you thought lying was protection?"
He had no answer.
Because he knew I was right.
Suddenly...
A loud sound came from inside the church.
A microphone falling.
Then applause.
Confused laughter.
Someone calling my name.
"They're looking for us," I whispered.
Ethan immediately grabbed my hand.
"We need to go."
But before we could move...
A voice came from behind us.
"Leaving already?"
We froze.
Slowly...
We turned.
Standing near the garden entrance was a man wearing a perfectly tailored suit.
He was smiling.
Like he had been waiting.
I recognized him.
Everyone did.
Alexander Whitmore.
Ethan's uncle.
The man who owned half the companies in the city.
The man everyone called a genius.
The man my father had spent years investigating.
My blood ran cold.
"Uncle Alexander..."
Ethan's voice was filled with disbelief.
Alexander smiled.
"Daniel."
He looked at Ethan.
"Still protecting his daughter, I see."
Then his eyes moved to me.
"Sarah."
He nodded politely.
"You look exactly like your father."
I stepped backward.
"You knew him."
"Of course."
His smile remained.
"He was a very interesting man."
My mother's face turned pale.
"Stay away from her."
Alexander laughed softly.
"Elena, after all these years, you're still pretending you have power."
My mother stepped in front of me.
"You won't touch my daughter."
Alexander tilted his head.
"Touch her?"
"No."
"I don't need to."
He looked toward the church.
"Because in ten minutes, every guest inside that building will receive a video."
My stomach dropped.
"What video?"
Alexander smiled.
"The video proving Ethan abandoned his bride on their wedding day."
Silence.
He continued.
"The video proving your mother has been hiding secrets from you."
"And the video showing the world that the Parker family has been lying for years."
Ethan's expression changed.
"You recorded us?"
"Of course."
Alexander adjusted his cufflinks.
"You see, Sarah..."
"The easiest way to destroy someone isn't by attacking them."
"It's by making everyone believe they are the villain."
My hands curled into fists.
"You planned this wedding?"
Alexander smiled.
"Not exactly."
"I simply waited for the perfect moment."
"The moment when you would be surrounded by everyone you love."
"The moment when losing your reputation would hurt the most."
My mother's voice trembled.
"You don't know what you're doing."
Alexander looked at her.
"No."
"I know exactly what I'm doing."
Then his phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen.
And smiled.
"It's done."
Ethan immediately looked at his own phone.
His face changed.
"What happened?"
He turned the screen toward us.
A message from the church's event coordinator.
URGENT: A video has been sent to all guests.
Below it was a preview image.
A screenshot.
A picture of Ethan and my mother beneath the tree.
The exact moment I saw them together.
My heart sank.
Alexander stepped closer.
"By now..."
"...everyone inside believes your fiancé betrayed you."
He looked at me.
"And when they see the rest..."
"They'll believe you were part of it."
I stared at him.
"You don't know me."
His smile faded slightly.
"No."
"But I knew your father."
"And that's why I know exactly what you'll do next."
The church doors opened behind him.
Guests began walking outside.
Confused.
Whispering.
Holding their phones.
Everyone was looking at us.
At Ethan.
At my mother.
At me.
And then I heard someone say:
"Sarah..."
"Is it true?"
The crowd grew louder.
May you like
The wedding I dreamed about...
Was becoming the weapon they planned to destroy me with.
