Chapter 4: The Email I Was Never Supposed to Read
I stared at the email notification until the words stopped looking like words.
*“The truth about your sister and your fiancé.””*
My thumb hovered over the screen.
One part of me wanted to open it immediately.
Another part—the part that was still standing in a wedding dress covered in black ink—wanted to throw the phone across the room and pretend none of this existed.
Because if I opened it, I couldn’t go back.
The version of my life from ten minutes ago was already gone.
The woman who walked into that bridal suite believing she had a loving fiancé and a loyal sister no longer existed.
“Emma?”” Rachel’s voice was gentle.
“Are you going to open it?””
I looked at her.
“I don’t know.””
Chloe stepped closer.
“Don’t.””
Everyone turned toward her.
She looked frightened.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Actually frightened.
“Why?”” I asked.
Her lips parted.
“Because you don’t know who sent it.””
I laughed quietly.
“Interesting.””
“What?””
“You’re suddenly worried about me getting hurt?””
The words made her flinch.
“I know what you think of me right now.””
“Do you?””
“Yes.””
She lowered her eyes.
“You think I’m the villain.””
I looked at the ruined gown hanging beside me.
“I think you poured ink on my wedding dress five minutes before I was supposed to walk down the aisle.””
She nodded slowly.
“I deserve that.””
The honesty caught me off guard.
For years, Chloe never admitted when she was wrong.
Never apologized.
Never backed down.
But today, everything was different.
Because today, everything was broken.
The assistant at the door cleared her throat.
“Emma, Daniel is getting worried.””
I looked toward the hallway.
The wedding music was probably already being prepared.
Guests were sitting in their seats.
My parents were probably smiling and telling everyone how beautiful the bride looked.
They had no idea their daughter was standing backstage with a destroyed dress and a phone full of betrayal.
“Tell him I need ten minutes,” I said.
The assistant nodded and left.
Rachel locked the door behind her.
“Whatever you decide,” she said, “you don’t have to face this alone.””
I looked down at the email.
Then I opened it.
The first line appeared.
*Emma,*
*If you are reading this, it means Chloe finally showed you enough of the truth to make you question everything.*
My heart tightened.
I kept reading.
*But Chloe did not tell you the whole story. She never does.*
I looked at Chloe.
She stared at the floor.
The email continued.
*Your sister and Daniel have been lying to you. But the affair is not the beginning. It started long before that.*
My hands became cold.
Long before?
I scrolled.
There were attached files.
Photos.
Screenshots.
Messages.
My stomach twisted.
The first screenshot was a conversation between Daniel and Chloe.
Six months earlier.
Before the engagement.
Before the wedding planning.
Before I ever suspected anything.
Daniel: *“I shouldn’t be talking to you like this.””*
Chloe: *“But you are.””*
Daniel: *“Emma trusts both of us.””*
Chloe: *“That’s what makes it easier.””*
I stopped.
The room went silent.
Even Chloe looked shocked.
“That’s not…”
She stepped forward.
“Emma, wait.””
I looked at her.
“Wait for what?””
“That message isn’t what it looks like.””
I turned the phone toward her.
“What does it look like, Chloe?””
She had no answer.
The second screenshot appeared.
Daniel: *“I can’t leave Emma. She’s everything everyone expects me to want.””*
Chloe: *“And what am I?””*
Daniel: *“You’re the person I can’t stop thinking about.””*
My chest tightened.
I sat down.
The chair beneath me felt like the only thing holding me up.
Rachel quietly moved closer.
“Emma…”
I shook my head.
“No.””
I stared at the screen.
“No, because I need to understand.””
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears.
“I never wanted this.””
I looked up.
“You never wanted what?””
She swallowed.
“To hurt you.””
I almost smiled.
“But you did.””
She closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
That answer hurt more than another lie would have.
Because I knew she was finally telling the truth.
“I hated how perfect you seemed,” Chloe whispered.
“Perfect?””
“Yes.””
She wiped her cheek.
“You always walked into a room and people noticed you.””
I shook my head.
“You’re my sister. You were supposed to be happy for me.””
“I was.””
“No.””
I looked at her.
“You were competing with me.””
Her silence confirmed it.
The door suddenly opened.
Rachel turned.
“Who is it?””
A man stepped inside.
My father.
His face changed the second he saw me.
The ruined dress.
The tears.
The tension.
“What happened?””
Nobody answered.
He looked at Chloe.
Then at me.
“Emma?””
I wanted to tell him everything.
I wanted someone else to carry the weight for a moment.
But I couldn’t.
Not yet.
Because there was still one question burning inside me.
Who sent the email?
I looked back at the screen.
The sender was hidden.
No name.
No address.
Just one line at the bottom.
*I have proof that Chloe was not the only person planning to destroy your wedding.*
My heartbeat stopped.
I looked at Chloe.
“Did you send this?””
She shook her head immediately.
“No.””
“Then who did?””
Nobody answered.
Then my phone buzzed again.
A new message.
Same unknown sender.
*Look behind the flowers near the ceremony entrance.*
I frowned.
“What?””
Rachel looked at me.
“What is it?””
I stood.
The room watched me.
I didn’t know what I was about to find.
But something inside me already knew.
The ink on my dress wasn’t the biggest disaster waiting for me today.
I walked toward the door.
And behind me, Chloe whispered:
“Emma… don’t go.””
I stopped.
“Why?””
Her voice trembled.
“Because if that person knows what I know…”
She looked terrified.
“They’re not trying to save your wedding.””
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A pause.
“They’re trying to destroy it.””