Chapter 1: The Little Girl Who Stopped the Wedding
“DON’T MARRY HER!””
The scream came from the back of the ballroom just as I was about to say, “I do.””
Two hundred guests turned toward the entrance. My bride, Vanessa, squeezed my hand so tightly that her fingernails dug into my skin.
Then I saw who was screaming.
Lily. An eight-year-old girl in a red dress, running down the aisle with tears streaming down her cheeks.
And in her tiny hand was a black USB drive that would destroy everything I thought I knew about the woman standing beside me.
“Lily!”” her grandmother Evelyn shouted, hurrying after her.
“Stop, sweetheart!””
But Lily didn't stop.
She reached the microphone, grabbed it with both hands, and looked directly at me.
“Uncle Marcus, please! Don't marry her!””
The ballroom fell silent.
I stared at the little girl. Lily had been part of my life since she was born. I had taught her to ride a bicycle, helped her build snowmen, and attended her school performances.
She was painfully shy.
Last Christmas, she had hidden behind the curtains because she was too embarrassed to sing in front of twelve relatives.
Yet now she was standing before two hundred strangers, shaking like a leaf.
“What happened, sweetheart?”” I asked.
Lily held up the USB.
“I have proof.””
Vanessa let go of my hand.
“What is wrong with this child?”” she snapped.
Her voice was sharp enough to make several guests exchange uncomfortable glances.
Evelyn finally reached the altar.
“Marcus, I'm sorry,” she whispered.
“She shouldn't be doing this.””
“Then tell me why she's doing it.””
Evelyn looked at Vanessa.
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
That was when I noticed something strange.
Vanessa wasn't looking at Lily.
She was staring at the USB.
Her face had gone pale beneath her carefully applied makeup.
“Give me that,” Vanessa said.
Lily stepped backward.
“No.””
“Lily, don't be ridiculous. Give it to me.””
“No!””
Vanessa walked toward her, lifting the front of her wedding gown.
“Marcus, stop this nonsense. She's confused.””
I moved between them.
“Vanessa, stay where you are.””
She stopped.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Are you seriously taking her side?””
“I'm asking a question. Why are you so desperate to get that USB?””
“Because she's ruining our wedding!””
Lily began crying harder.
“She told me nobody would believe me.””
I crouched in front of her.
“Who told you that?””
Lily looked over my shoulder.
At Vanessa.
“She did.””
The words seemed to drain the warmth from the ballroom.
Vanessa gave a nervous laugh.
“Oh, for heaven's sake. She's eight years old. Children invent stories.””
Lily shook her head.
“I didn't invent it.””
“What didn't you invent?”” I asked.
She swallowed.
“The things she did when you were away.””
I felt something cold settle in my stomach.
For three years, Vanessa had been the center of my world.
She was beautiful, ambitious, charming, and seemingly devoted to me. She had stood beside me through my father's funeral and helped me rebuild my life after losing my first business.
I had trusted her with my home, my money, and my future.
Now an eight-year-old was telling me she had been hiding something.
“Lily,” I said gently, “what's on that USB?””
“A video.””
“What video?””
“The one I found on her computer.””
Vanessa suddenly stepped forward.
“That's enough!””
My best man, Daniel, caught her arm.
“Vanessa, let the girl speak.””
She jerked away.
“Don't touch me!””
The DJ stood beside his laptop, visibly uncomfortable.
Lily turned toward him.
“Can you play it, please?””
The DJ looked at me.
I nodded.
Vanessa grabbed my sleeve.
“Marcus, listen to me. You don't want to do this.””
I looked at her hand.
Then at her face.
“Why?””
“Because some things are private.””
“Then there shouldn't be anything to worry about.””
She leaned closer.
“I'm begging you.””
I had never heard Vanessa beg.
Not once in three years.
“Play it,” I told the DJ.
He inserted the USB.
A loading symbol appeared on the enormous screen behind the altar.
The ballroom lights dimmed.
Vanessa's champagne glass slipped from her fingers and shattered against the marble floor.
Nobody moved to clean it up.
The screen flickered.
A video appeared.
It showed what looked like a living room. The date in the bottom corner was six weeks earlier.
Then a woman entered the frame.
Vanessa.
She was wearing a gray sweater and carrying a glass of wine.
But she wasn't alone.
A man followed her.
He was tall, dark-haired, and wearing a navy suit.
I recognized him immediately.
Richard Cole.
My business partner.
The man who had stood beside me at my father's funeral.
The man who had helped me negotiate the purchase of our new hotel.
And the man who had been sitting at table seven during my wedding.
A few guests turned toward him.
Richard slowly stood.
On the screen, Vanessa placed her wine on the table and kissed him.
Not a friendly kiss.
Not a drunken mistake.
It was the kind of kiss shared by two people who had done it many times before.
My mouth went dry.
Then Vanessa's voice came through the speakers.
“Once Marcus signs the final documents, everything will be ours.””
Richard laughed.
“And what about the wedding?””
She smiled.
“After tomorrow, he'll be too embarrassed to fight me.””
The ballroom erupted in whispers.
I couldn't breathe.
On the screen, Richard reached for her hand.
“And the little girl?””
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
“Lily?””
“Yes. She's seen too much.””
Vanessa took another sip of wine.
“Don't worry. I'll handle her.””
The video ended.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then I heard a chair scrape against the floor.
Richard was heading toward the exit.
“Richard!”” I shouted.
He stopped.
Every eye turned toward him.
I stepped away from the altar.
“What the hell was that?””
He looked at me, then at Vanessa.
“Marcus, this isn't what you think.””
I almost laughed.
“You kissed my bride and discussed stealing my company. What exactly should I think?””
Vanessa began crying.
“Marcus, I can explain.””
I turned toward her.
“Don't.””
She reached for my hand.
“Baby, please.””
I pulled away.
The word baby suddenly sounded disgusting.
Then Lily tugged gently at my jacket.
“Uncle Marcus?””
I looked down.
She was still trembling.
“There's another video,” she whispered.
I stared at her.
“What?””
She nodded toward the laptop.
“That's not the worst one.””
Behind us, Vanessa stopped crying.
And for the first time, I saw something much uglier than fear on her face.
Hatred.
“Turn that computer off,” she whispered.
Nobody moved.
Then she screamed.
“TURN IT OFF!””
Daniel stepped between her and the DJ.
But Lily was already reaching into her little purse.
She pulled out another USB drive.
And this one had a small white label.
May you like
Written across it were four words.
*WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FATHER.*
