Chapter 2: The Secret Behind the Gown
I always knew Vanessa was jealous.
I just never understood how far jealousy could go until it started costing people money.
While Lily helped me remove the damaged gown, I sat in the bridal suite wearing a robe, staring at the security footage on my phone.
There it was.
The truth.
No excuses.
No misunderstandings.
No “I didn’t mean to.””
Just Vanessa.
My lawyer, Jonathan Hale, arrived twenty minutes later.
He walked into the room carrying a leather folder and immediately looked at the ruined gown.
“I’m sorry, Claire.””
I shook my head.
“Don’t be. I’m not upset about the dress anymore.””
He raised an eyebrow.
“Then what are you upset about?””
I looked at the video.
“She thought she finally broke me.””
Jonathan sat beside me.
“Tell me everything.””
I took a deep breath.
For years, everyone believed Vanessa was the successful sister.
She was charming.
Beautiful.
Confident.
She knew exactly how to make strangers love her.
Meanwhile, I was the quiet one.
The responsible one.
The sister who remembered birthdays, paid bills on time, and cleaned up other people’s messes.
But behind closed doors, Vanessa had always taken from me.
The first major incident happened eight months ago.
I discovered unusual charges on my business account.
Small amounts at first.
Two hundred dollars.
Five hundred.
A thousand.
Nothing big enough to immediately trigger panic.
But they kept happening.
I hired an accountant to investigate.
That was when we discovered the pattern.
Fake vendor payments.
Altered invoices.
Transfers approved using my electronic signature.
Someone had been stealing from my company.
And the trail led to one person.
My sister.
Jonathan opened his folder.
“I reviewed the documents you sent.””
“And?””
“She’s not just taking money.””
My stomach tightened.
“What do you mean?””
“She’s creating a paper trail that makes it look like you approved everything.””
I stared at him.
“She was framing me?””
Jonathan nodded.
“She was preparing a defense before anyone even accused her.””
I remembered the conversations.
The little comments.
The questions disguised as jokes.
“You must make so much money now.””
“You probably don’t even notice a few thousand missing.””
“You’re lucky everything comes so easily for you.””
I had ignored them.
I thought she was bitter.
I didn’t realize she was planning.
The door opened.
My mother stepped inside.
Her face was pale.
“Claire…”
I looked up.
“What?””
She hesitated.
“Vanessa says you’re ruining her life.””
I almost laughed.
“Her life?””
My mother lowered her voice.
“She says you’re overreacting.””
Jonathan stood.
“Mrs. Parker, your daughter intentionally damaged property worth sixty thousand dollars.””
My mother looked uncomfortable.
“She didn’t know.””
“That doesn’t erase what she did,” Jonathan replied.
My mother looked at me.
“I just don’t want this family destroyed.””
That sentence hurt more than Vanessa’s attack.
Because I had spent my entire life hearing it.
Keep the peace.
Forgive her.
She’s your sister.
I swallowed.
“Mom, Vanessa destroyed things because she knew everyone would protect her.””
My mother looked away.
For once, she had no answer.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from Daniel.
My fiancé.
I opened it.
*I heard what happened. I’m coming upstairs.*
A smile finally appeared on my face.
Daniel had always been different.
He never asked me to pretend everything was okay.
He walked into the room five minutes later.
The moment he saw me, his expression changed.
Not because of the dress.
Because he saw me.
“Claire.””
I stood.
“I’m sorry.””
He shook his head.
“Why are you apologizing?””
“Because our wedding…”
He stepped closer.
“Our wedding is not a dress.””
I looked down.
“I know.””
“No,” he said gently.
“You know that logically. But I need you to believe it.””
For the first time all morning, I felt like I could breathe.
Then Jonathan cleared his throat.
“There’s something else you both need to know.””
Daniel looked at him.
“What?””
Jonathan placed another document on the table.
“This wasn’t the first thing Vanessa damaged.””
I picked up the paper.
It was an insurance report.
My face went cold.
“What is this?””
Jonathan looked at me.
“The missing engagement ring claim.””
I stared at the date.
Eight months earlier.
The same week Vanessa started stealing money.
My fingers tightened around the document.
“Wait…”
Jonathan nodded.
“We believe your sister didn’t just ruin your dress today.””
He pointed at the report.
“She may have been setting you up for months.””
Before I could respond, my phone rang.
The number was unknown.
I answered.
A woman’s voice whispered.
“Claire?””
“Yes?””
“I know what your sister did.””
I stood completely still.
“Who is this?””
The woman paused.
May you like
Then she said five words.
“I worked for Vanessa.””
