Chapter 3

The moment the restroom door clicked shut, my knees buckled. I almost collapsed onto the tiled floor.

I whipped out my phone and dialed my father's number.

No answer.

I tried again. Still, it went straight to voicemail.

The text appeared again.

[Don't bother. Your dad is at the bar. He’s drunk, and his phone is on silent.]

[Your 'best friend' Chloe Davis is with him. She’s Cody's accomplice. She’s the one who put your dad's phone on silent.]

Chloe?

My best friend of ten years, since college.

She was my maid of honor today.

[She owes five million to underground casinos, and Cody paid off her debts. In exchange, she had to play her part in this show.]

[Right now, she’s pretending to drink on your behalf while making sure your dad chugs down more alcohol. She’s making it easy for them to make their move tonight.]

I felt completely numb.

Chloe had been enthusiastically taking drinks for me all night. I had been so touched by her "loyalty."

I took a deep breath and opened the restroom door.

In the hallway, William’s "mother" was chatting with several high-society women, smiling with maternal grace.

[She’s an actress Cody hired for $300 a day. She’s done background work in over thirty TV shows.]

[She can barely remember her 'son's' fake name. Yesterday, she almost called him Leo.]

I stared at the woman. Feeling my gaze, she turned around, her smile growing even warmer. "Oh, Seraphina! Why are you out here? Did William do something to upset you?"

"No, Mrs. Harrington," I said calmly. "I was just wondering, where did William go to elementary school again?"

She blinked, momentarily caught off guard, but quickly recovered with a laugh. "In New York, dear! My memory is getting so bad, I can't recall the exact school right now."

[New York? She couldn't even name three neighborhoods in Manhattan.]

[William’s fake resume says he grew up in Boston.]

I smiled faintly. "Really? William told me he grew up in Boston."

The woman's smile stiffened for a fraction of a second. She tapped her forehead. "Oh, look at my silly brain! Yes, of course, Boston! I'm getting so old, I keep mixing William up with his cousin."

[The lies are full of holes, but they’re betting you won't dare expose them at your own wedding.]

[After all, if you make a scene, you’re the one who gets embarrassed.]

I nodded and turned back toward the grand ballroom.

William was walking toward me, his face filled with worry. "What took you so long, honey?"

"Just chatting with your mother," I said. "William, did you really go to school in Boston?"

His eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly smiled. "Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

He wrapped his arm around my waist, guiding me back into the ballroom. "Today is our big day. Don't worry about those little things. Come, let me introduce you to some partners."

[He’s panicking. He’s afraid you’ll keep digging.]

[Those 'partners' are his partners in crime. Their job is to keep you distracted so you don't have time to think.]