CHAPTER 2: THE RED LIGHT ABOVE THE DOOR
CHAPTER 2: THE RED LIGHT ABOVE THE DOOR
For a fraction of a second, no one understood what I meant.
Preston’s expression stayed frozen—half rage, half disbelief—as if my words were just noise trying to interrupt his certainty.
Then he noticed it.
The camera.
The tiny red recording light blinking above the ballroom entrance like a heartbeat that refused to stop.
His jaw tightened.
“…So what?” he said finally, forcing a laugh that didn’t land. “It’s a wedding camera. You think a hotel CCTV is going to save you from what I just saw?”
My mother stepped forward immediately, eager to regain control of the room.
“Evelyn,” she said sharply, “stop this. You are embarrassing yourself further. Your daughter was caught stealing—”
“She wasn’t,” I said.
My voice didn’t rise.
It didn’t shake.
And that silence made people start paying attention in a different way.
Sophie whimpered softly in my arms. I pressed my hand against the side of her head, feeling warm blood on my fingers. The sirens outside were closer now—no longer distant.
Preston glanced toward the doors.
Just for a second.
Calculating.
Then he turned back to me.
“You’re really going to do this?” he asked. “In front of everyone?”
I looked at him.
“You already did it in front of everyone.”
That hit something.
Not guilt.
May you like
Not regret.
Control slipping.
