Chapter 5 - The Wedding Day
I stepped back.
A hand reached from behind the door.
“Mia.”
Adrian.
He pulled it open.
His tuxedo jacket was gone.
His white shirt sleeves were rolled up.
A bruise darkened his jaw.
“What happened to you?”
“Get inside.”
“No.”
“Mia.”
“I’m not entering a closed room with you.”
He looked past me.
“You didn’t come alone.”
“No.”
“Good.”
That surprised me.
Adrian opened the door wider.
The room was empty except for him.
Celeste’s dress hung from a wardrobe hook.
Her shoes sat near the sofa.
Her bouquet rested on a table.
But no Celeste.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“You said you were finding her.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“She came here this morning.”
“Then disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to your face?”
“Thomas Vale.”
I stared.
“Celeste’s other boyfriend.”
“He’s not her boyfriend.”
“Technicality.”
Adrian flinched.
Good.
It was petty.
I allowed myself one petty moment.
“He confronted me in the parking garage,” Adrian said. “Said Celeste stole something from his father.”
“The flash drive.”
“You know?”
“She sent a video.”
Adrian dragged a hand over his face.
“Of course she did.”
“What’s on it?”
“I haven’t seen it.”
“What do you know?”
“Not enough.”
“Then start.”
He looked toward the hallway.
“Not here.”
I laughed.
“You invited three hundred people here.”
“My mother invited most of them.”
“Your name is on the invitation.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“I think you’ve spent years letting your mother arrange consequences and acting surprised when they arrive.”
That landed.
Adrian looked away.
“Fair.”
I hadn’t expected that.
He sat.
For the first time since our divorce, he looked exhausted rather than polished.
“I did know money was moving through my company.”
“How much?”
“About four hundred thousand.”
“Denise said the same.”
“Denise?”
“She’s alive.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Celeste told me.”
“When?”
“Last night.”
My patience snapped.
“Then where is Celeste?”
Adrian looked at me.
“She found Marcus.”
My breath caught.
“Marcus is alive?”
“As of yesterday.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Adrian.”
“He contacted Celeste through an encrypted account. Told her to get the flash drive and leave Chicago.”
“Why?”
“Because Conrad knows he copied Bellweather’s records.”
“And your mother?”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“My mother knew too.”
“Of course.”
He stood.
“Mia, there’s something I need to say before any of this gets worse.”
“It is already quite bad.”
“I’m sorry.”
I stared.
Not because I wanted the apology.
Because I had imagined it too many times.
Now that it existed, it felt smaller than expected.
“For which part?”
“All of it.”
“That isn’t specific enough.”
He nodded.
“You’re right.”
He looked directly at me.
“I cheated on you.”
“Yes.”
“I lied about it.”
“Yes.”
“I let my mother convince me that our fertility problems were your fault.”
My throat tightened.
“They weren’t.”
“I know.”
“Now.”
“Yes.”
“You sat in a doctor’s office while I blamed myself.”
“I know.”
“You watched me apologize to you for miscarrying.”
His eyes closed.
“I know.”
“And you let me.”
“I did.”
The words hurt because he didn’t defend himself.
“I signed documents for Bellweather,” he continued. “My mother told me they were temporary financing arrangements.”
“You believed her?”
“At first.”
“And later?”
“I stopped asking because the money helped my business.”
There it was.
The truth.
Not innocence.
Cowardice.
Greed.
Convenience.
“I knew something was wrong,” he said. “I told myself I didn’t know enough to be responsible.”
“That’s convenient.”
“I know.”
“Stop saying that.”
He nodded.
“I deserve whatever happens next.”
“Probably.”
His eyes moved toward my purse.
“The DNA report?”
“Yes.”
“Mia…”
“No.”
“I just want to know.”
“You already know.”
“I want to see it.”
I took out a copy.
Not the original.
He read it.
His face changed slowly.
Probability of paternity: 99.99%.
His hand began shaking.
“What’s her name?”
“Lily.”
His eyes filled.
I hated that part of me responded.
Once, I had loved this man enough to build an entire future around him.
Now he stood three feet away learning that future had arrived without him.
“Can I see a picture?”
I hesitated.
Then I showed him one.
Lily asleep.
Pink cap.
Tiny fist.
Adrian touched the edge of my phone but not the screen.
“She has my dad’s chin.”
“Yes.”
He laughed once through tears.
Then covered his mouth.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Finally he whispered, “I missed everything.”
“Yes.”
I did not soften it.
He deserved the weight.
A knock sounded.
Three quick taps.
Two slow.
Adrian froze.
“What?”
“Celeste.”
He opened the door.
She slipped inside wearing a silk robe beneath a long coat.
No bridal gown.
No makeup except what remained from earlier.
She looked at me.
“You came.”
“You told me to.”
Then she looked at Adrian.
“He knows?”
“About Lily?”
“Yes.”
“Now.”
Celeste flinched.
“I’m sorry.”
“Save it.”
“I deserve that.”
“Yes.”
She took a flash drive from her coat.
“This is Marcus’s.”
“Where is he?”
“Safe for now.”
“Where?”
“I can’t say.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“Celeste, Thomas—”
“I know.”
She touched a bruise on his jaw.
“Did he do that?”
“Yes.”
She looked genuinely guilty.
“I’m sorry.”
Adrian almost laughed.
“Complicated day for apologies.”
Celeste turned to me.
“My baby.”
She placed one hand over her stomach.
“Thomas had a private DNA test arranged from prenatal blood work.”
My eyes narrowed.
“You agreed?”
“I thought it was standard genetic screening.”
“And?”
“He claims he’s the father.”
Adrian went motionless.
Celeste looked at him.
“I’m sorry.”
He stared at her stomach.
Then away.
I understood the irony.
Eight months earlier, Adrian had discarded me because he believed I could not give him a child.
Now he had a daughter he hadn’t known existed, while the unborn baby he paraded as proof of his masculinity might belong to someone else.
But revenge felt less satisfying in person.
Everyone looked damaged.
Nobody looked victorious.
“What’s on the drive?” I asked.
Celeste set it on the table.
“Enough to shut Bellweather down.”
“Then give it to police.”
“I’m going to.”
“Why bring it here?”
“Because Conrad is downstairs.”
“So is Detective Alvarez.”
Her eyes widened.
“You told police?”
“Yes.”
Celeste exhaled.
“Good.”
Then the bridal room door opened.
Evelyn Mercer entered.
No knock.
Silver hair immaculate.
Emerald dress.
Diamonds.
She looked at the three of us and smiled.
“Well.”
Her eyes settled on me.
“Mia.”
“Evelyn.”
“I was told you might come.”
“You invited me indirectly.”
Her smile thinned.
Then she saw the DNA report in Adrian’s hand.
Something changed.
Only for a second.
“You told him.”
“I didn’t need your permission.”
“You never did understand timing.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“Mom.”
She ignored him.
Her gaze remained on me.
“Where is the child?”
My entire body went cold.
“None of your concern.”
“She is my granddaughter.”
“You forfeited the right to use that word before you ever learned she existed.”
Evelyn’s expression hardened.
“Mia, whatever story Denise told you—”
“I heard Grandma’s recordings.”
That stopped her.
“You used my marriage to access my money.”
“Nonsense.”
“You planned the divorce.”
“Nonsense.”
“You knew I might be pregnant.”
Silence.
Adrian turned slowly.
“What?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“You were unhappy.”
“You knew?”
“I suspected.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“You were finally leaving.”
Adrian stared at his mother as if seeing her for the first time.
“You knew Mia might be carrying my child.”
“I knew nothing certain.”
“You had Conrad prepare something to convince me it wasn’t mine.”
Evelyn’s eyes flicked toward Celeste.
Wrong move.
Celeste noticed.
“What did Conrad prepare?”
Nobody answered.
Celeste stepped closer.
“What did he prepare, Evelyn?”
Before Evelyn could respond, applause erupted from the ceremony hall.
Guests were being seated.
The wedding was supposed to begin.
Evelyn straightened.
“This conversation is over.”
“No,” I said.
She looked at me.
“For once, it’s starting where everyone can hear it.”
I picked up the flash drive.
Then the ballroom speakers crackled.
A man’s voice came through.
Conrad Vale.
“Ladies and gentlemen, before the ceremony begins, we have a small change in program.”
Celeste went white.
Adrian ran for the door.
We followed.
When we entered the ballroom, every guest was staring at the stage.
May you like
Conrad stood beside the microphone.
And on the giant screen behind him was a photograph of me holding newborn Lily.
