Chapter 3: The Name On The Screen
The phone kept ringing.
Nobody moved.
The bright dressing room suddenly felt colder.
Evelyn stared at the screen in her hand like it had betrayed her.
Darius noticed.
“You’re not answering.””
Evelyn quickly turned the phone away.
“It’s not important.””
Maya looked at her.
“Then why do you look scared?””
Evelyn’s face hardened.
“I don’t.””
“You do,” Maya said.
The words surprised even Maya.
For the first time, she wasn’t speaking like someone trying to earn approval.
She was speaking like someone who had finally seen behind the curtain.
Darius released Evelyn’s wrist.
“Who is calling you?””
“No one you need to worry about.””
“That’s not your decision anymore.””
Evelyn looked at him sharply.
“You have no idea what you’re stepping into.””
Darius didn’t flinch.
“Then tell me.””
Silence.
The phone stopped ringing.
But the tension remained.
Maya looked down at her torn dress.
The coral fabric hung unevenly where the scissors had cut through it.
Hours earlier, she had imagined walking down the staircase in that gown.
She imagined Evelyn smiling.
She imagined everyone seeing her as part of the family.
Now she stood in the same room wondering if the entire moment had been a performance.
“I trusted you,” Maya said.
Evelyn looked at her.
Something changed.
A tiny crack in the cold expression.
“You shouldn’t have.””
The words were quiet.
But they hurt more than shouting.
Maya froze.
Darius looked at Evelyn.
“What did you say?””
Evelyn immediately looked away.
“I said you shouldn’t make assumptions.””
“No.””
Darius stepped closer.
“You said she shouldn’t have trusted you.””
Evelyn said nothing.
The silence confirmed it.
Maya wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Why?””
Evelyn looked at her.
For a second, she seemed like she wanted to answer.
Like she wanted to explain everything.
Then the walls came back up.
“Because some things are bigger than your feelings.””
Maya shook her head.
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
“No,” Maya said.
“You keep saying that because it lets you hurt people and pretend you’re helping them.””
Evelyn’s expression changed.
Anger.
Real anger.
“You think you know me?””
Maya stepped forward.
“No. I think I’m finally seeing you.””
Darius watched both women carefully.
The relationship between them was more complicated than he realized.
This wasn’t just about a dress.
It had never been about a dress.
He picked up the receipt again.
The words stared back at him.
CUSTOM DRESS — CORAL GOWN.
PURCHASED BY: EVELYN CARTER.
DATE: THREE MONTHS AGO.
Three months.
That detail wouldn’t leave his mind.
Darius turned to Evelyn.
“What were you planning?””
She didn’t answer.
“Maya’s wedding was supposed to be tonight. Everyone downstairs thinks everything is perfect.””
He held up the receipt.
“But you bought this dress before Maya even chose it.””
Evelyn looked at the torn gown.
Her eyes became unreadable.
“Darius…”
“No.””
His voice was firm.
“I want the truth.””
Maya stood beside him.
“I do too.””
Evelyn slowly walked toward the glass table.
She placed her hand near the scissors.
Not touching them.
Just near them.
Like she was remembering the moment she cut the fabric.
“You both think this night is about a wedding.””
Darius frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Evelyn looked toward the gold-trimmed doors.
The sounds of the celebration continued outside.
Music.
Voices.
Laughter.
A perfect night.
A perfect lie.
Then she looked back at them.
“You have no idea what was about to happen.””
Maya’s face went pale.
“What does that mean?””
Evelyn didn’t answer.
The phone rang again.
This time, Darius reached for it before she could.
The screen lit up.
The caller’s name appeared.
Darius read it.
And his expression changed.
Maya leaned closer.
“Who is it?””
Darius didn’t respond immediately.
Because the name on the screen connected to something he had buried years ago.
Something he thought was impossible.
He slowly looked at Evelyn.
“Why is this person calling you?””
Evelyn’s face lost all color.
And before she could speak, Darius looked down at the receipt one more time.
The date.
The dress.
The hidden phone call.
All of it pointed to one terrifying possibility.
Darius tightened his grip on the paper.
“Maya…”
She looked at him.
“What?””
He stared at Evelyn.
Then whispered:
“I think this dress was never meant to be worn the way we thought.””
May you like
Evelyn opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, the dressing room door handle suddenly began to turn.
