Chapter 4: The Woman Who Knew Everything
The woman standing at the entrance wore a simple gray coat.
No jewelry.
No makeup.
Nothing that matched the extravagant wedding surrounding her.
But the moment Eleanor saw her, she stopped breathing.
“Margaret?””
The woman looked directly at her.
“Yes.””
The guests whispered.
Daniel frowned.
“Who is she?””
My father looked at me.
“I think your family needs to hear this.””
Margaret walked into the room slowly.
“I worked for the Ashford family for eighteen years.””
Eleanor’s face turned pale.
“You left.””
“I was forced to leave.””
The room became silent.
Margaret held a small envelope.
“I kept these because I knew one day someone would need proof.””
She handed them to my father.
Inside were photographs.
Documents.
Messages.
Everything.
My father looked through them.
Then he handed one page to Daniel.
Daniel read it.
And this time, he didn’t defend anyone.
Because the truth was worse than he imagined.
Eleanor had known about Chloe’s plan.
She had encouraged it.
But there was something else.
She had also been trying to convince Daniel to divorce me after the baby was born.
Daniel whispered:
“She wanted me to leave her?””
Margaret nodded.
“She said once the child was born, you would have no reason to stay.””
I watched Daniel break.
Not because he finally understood my pain.
Because he finally understood theirs.
He had trusted the people who were destroying him too.
Chloe started crying.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.””
Nobody moved.
Nobody comforted her.
For the first time, she stood alone.
My father walked toward me.
“Are you ready to leave?””
I looked around the hall.
The flowers.
The decorations.
The people who had watched me suffer.
Then I looked at Daniel.
The man I once loved.
“I’m ready.””
We walked toward the doors.
Behind me, Daniel called my name.
I stopped.
But I didn’t turn around.
“Please.””
His voice cracked.
“I love you.””
I closed my eyes.
Because once, those words would have destroyed me.
Now they meant nothing.
“You loved me when it was easy.””
Silence.
“You loved me when your family approved.””
Another step.
“But when I needed you, you handed me to them.””
I walked away.
Outside, the night air touched my face.
My father opened the car door.
Before I got inside, my phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
My blood ran cold.
Because the message contained only one sentence.
“Ask your father why he never told you the truth about your first marriage.””
I stared at the screen.
First marriage?
I had never been married before.
May you like
Or at least…
I thought I hadn’t.