They Framed Me, I Ruined Their Wedding

Chapter 3

One evening, when Owen wasn't busy, I knocked on his study door. Mia's wedding schedule lay on his desk. I put my case notes beside it.

"I've put everything in order. This won't take long."

He didn't even open them. He said we could talk after the wedding.

"You said the same thing 3 years ago. We'd talk when Mia felt better."

He rubbed his forehead. "She could barely sleep."

"Neither could I."

In the silence that followed, I tried to explain. After lights-out, I'd hear the boathouse lock clicking shut all over again. If someone called my name from behind, I'd drop whatever was in my hands.

Mia burst in, mascara streaking her face. A bridesmaid couldn't change her vacation dates.

Owen was up at once. Tissues, phone calls, and instructions to his assistant to book flights.

I hadn't even finished speaking.

I sat there until he finally turned back to me. "Was there something else?"

I pointed to the first page. "The marina owner might still have the footage. Did you ask?"

"The cameras were broken."

"I'd like to ask him myself."

"You don't trust me now? Your own brother?"

I'd trusted him so much that, for 3 years, I'd been afraid to push too hard.

He stepped away to take a call. As I closed my notes, I spotted an envelope with my name on it at the edge of his desk. A business card poked out: Margot, one of Mom's old friends.

A lawyer.

Along with her letter was a copy of Owen's reply. She'd offered to review my case 3 years ago. He'd told her the family had it handled. They didn't need her help.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He came back, saw what I was holding, and frowned. "You drag this up, they'll put Mia through all those questions again. Hasn't she been through enough?"

My fingers tightened around the letter. "Has anyone even been looking? All this time?"

He didn't answer.

Colin arrived with a ring box. I handed him the letter and asked him to talk to Owen. He used to say I relied too much on my brother, that I could come to him when I was hurting. Even now, I found myself edging closer to him.

"We've known each other all these years. Can't you help me prove I didn't start that fire? That I wasn't lying?"

He read the letter and set it back on the desk. "Prison's behind you, Sara. Mia only gets one wedding."

I looked at the ring box.

I'd only planned on one, too.

In prison, I didn't dare to be late for mail call in case Owen had news. Whenever anyone called my name, I was on my feet.

They were busy making sure my wrongful conviction wouldn't spoil her wedding.

I picked up Margot's card. Owen reached to stop me. "Call her now, and you're doing this to ruin the wedding."

"I'm doing this to find out the truth."

I dialed in front of them.

As soon as Margot heard my name, she asked how I was doing. I looked at my notes, still unopened on Owen's desk, and started to cry.

"Not well. Will you still hear me out?"

*****

At her office the next day, I told her everything from the beginning. She didn't ask why I couldn't be more understanding toward my sister. She asked who'd seen me that night, and what leads nobody had checked. I wrote down the marina owner's name.

Owen called three times as I was leaving, trying to get me to fire her as my lawyer.

I said no.

That night, I wrote Margot's number beside my calendar. I'd depended on Owen for everything. Now I finally understood that waiting for him wasn't going to get me anywhere.