Chapter 4: The Message She Never Wanted Me to Read
The phone screen glowed in my hand.
Five words.
That was all.
*You don’t know the whole truth.*
For several seconds, I forgot there were hundreds of people watching me.
I forgot the flowers.
The chandelier.
The wedding dress.
The music that had stopped halfway through a song.
All I could see was Simone.
Standing ten feet away from me.
Crying.
And somehow still holding something back.
“Darius,” she whispered.
I looked at the screen again.
“Did you send this?””
Her face changed.
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
“Yes.””
The answer was quiet.
But everyone heard it.
A wave of whispers moved through the ballroom.
My mother stepped closer.
“Why would you send him that after everything?””
Simone looked at Loretta.
“Because he deserves to know.””
I stared at her.
“Then tell me.””
She swallowed.
“I can’t.””
The words landed like a slap.
I almost laughed.
“You can’t?””
Her eyes filled.
“Not here.””
I looked around.
The entire ballroom was here because of us.
Because of the future we were supposed to begin.
“Simone, my wedding is already not happening the way we planned.””
My voice shook.
“So stop protecting whatever this is.””
Marcus stood quietly near the entrance.
Watching.
Waiting.
I hated that he seemed to know more about my life than I did.
I turned toward him.
“What exactly is your connection to her?””
Simone immediately looked at him.
“Don’t.””
Marcus ignored her.
“I knew Simone before she met you.””
The room went silent.
My stomach dropped.
“How?””
Simone closed her eyes.
“Darius…”
“No.””
I looked at her.
“No more half answers.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“We were business partners.””
Simone looked relieved for half a second.
Then Marcus continued.
“And we were engaged.””
The ballroom erupted.
A chair scraped against the floor.
Someone gasped.
My mother grabbed my arm.
I didn’t move.
I couldn’t.
Engaged.
The word repeated in my head.
Simone and Marcus.
Engaged.
Before me.
I looked at Simone.
“Is that true?””
She nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
My chest tightened.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
She opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Again.
That silence.
That awful silence.
“I was going to,” she said.
“When?””
“After the wedding.””
I stared at her.
“After the wedding?””
Her tears fell.
“I was afraid.””
“Afraid of what?””
“That you would leave.””
The honesty should have made me feel better.
It didn’t.
Because there was another question.
A bigger one.
“What else didn’t you tell me?””
Simone looked away.
Marcus answered.
“Enough.””
I turned sharply.
“Stop speaking for her.””
Marcus nodded.
“You’re right.””
He looked down.
“But she’s not going to tell you everything.””
Simone wiped her face.
“You don’t understand.””
“No,” I said.
“I don’t.””
My voice became quieter.
“And that’s because you made sure I didn’t.””
The words hurt her.
I saw it.
But they were true.
For two years, I had built a life around someone who had carefully chosen what parts of herself I was allowed to see.
My mother looked at me.
“Darius, there’s something else.””
I turned.
“What?””
She hesitated.
That scared me more.
“What else?””
Loretta looked at Simone.
Then at the phone.
“The recording wasn’t sent by accident.””
Simone’s face tightened.
“Mom…”
“No.””
Loretta shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but he needs to hear this.””
She looked at me.
“Last night, I received the message at midnight.””
Marcus frowned.
“That’s not what happened.””
Everyone turned toward him.
“What do you mean?”” I asked.
Marcus walked closer.
“The message was scheduled.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What?””
He nodded.
“Simone didn’t send it last night.””
Simone looked at him.
“Marcus, stop.””
“No.””
His voice hardened.
“You wanted him to know, but you were too afraid to say it yourself.””
I looked at Simone.
“Is that true?””
She didn’t answer.
Marcus continued.
“She created the recording three days ago.””
My hands went numb.
Three days.
Before the wedding.
Before she walked down the aisle.
Before she smiled at me and promised forever.
I looked at the phone.
The recording.
The warning.
The missing truth.
“Why?””
Simone whispered, “Because I found something.””
“What?””
She looked at me.
Something in her eyes changed.
The panic disappeared.
For the first time all day, I saw something else.
Pain.
“I found out someone was lying to us.””
I frowned.
“Who?””
She looked toward Marcus.
Then toward my mother.
My heart sank.
“Simone.””
She stepped closer.
“Darius, I know how this looks.””
“It looks like you were hiding your past.””
“I was.””
“It looks like you planned to marry me without telling me about him.””
“I know.””
“It looks like there’s something on that recording that could ruin everything.””
Her voice broke.
“I know.””
I stared at her.
“Then tell me why I should believe you.””
She reached into her bouquet.
Slowly.
Carefully.
And pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
She held it toward me.
“This is why.””
I didn’t take it.
“What is it?””
Her eyes locked onto mine.
“The reason I almost called off this wedding.””
Before I could answer, the ballroom lights flickered.
Everyone looked upward.
The chandelier dimmed.
Then returned.
And when the lights came back…
May you like
Marcus was gone.
And so was the envelope.
