CHAPTER 4: REWIND
CHAPTER 4: REWIND
We didn’t leave Sophie.
Two paramedics had arrived by the time the footage was pulled.
One of them carefully stabilized her head while I sat beside her, refusing to let go of her hand.
On a monitor in the security room, the video played.
High angle.
Crystal clear.
Every table visible.
Every movement recorded.
Preston stood behind me now, arms crossed, still performing confidence.
“Watch carefully,” he muttered. “This is going to be quick.”
The footage began.
Sophie sitting beside me.
Kicking her small feet under the chair.
Eating cake.
Smiling at the bride.
No movement toward the head table.
No wandering.
No hesitation.
My mother shifted uncomfortably.
“That doesn’t prove—” she started.
Then the timestamp advanced.
Preston entered frame.
Walking.
Calm.
Direct.
Not searching guests.
Not asking questions.
Going straight to our table.
The room in the video seemed to tighten.
Even through a screen, people could feel intent when it was real.
Preston leaned forward slightly in real life.
“Okay,” he said, quieter now. “Let’s just—let’s just see—”
Then it happened.
On screen, he reached into Sophie’s jacket.
Pulled out his phone.
Too smooth.
Too precise.
No surprise.
No confusion.
Just execution.
A few guests in the security room audibly inhaled.
My mother’s hand slowly lowered from her chest.
My father didn’t speak at all.
Preston stared at the screen like it had betrayed him personally.
“…That’s not—” he began.
But the footage didn’t stop.
It rewound slightly—automated, enhanced, zooming.
And there it was.
A second earlier frame.
Preston placing the phone into the jacket pocket himself when he passed behind the table.
Careful.
Intentional.
Deliberate.
May you like
The room went completely silent.
Even the security officer stopped breathing.
