Chapter9—The First Lie
1318 Words
The room fell silent.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Selena stared at the security monitor as if the image might change if she looked long enough.
But it didn't.
The woman remained the same.
Cassandra.
Five years later, and somehow she was still haunting Selena's life.
Beside her, Adrian looked like he'd been punched in the stomach.
His face had gone completely white.
"That's impossible."
The words came out hoarse.
The school principal looked between them.
"You know her?"
Neither answered immediately.
Because how could they?
How could they explain that the woman on the screen was the same woman who had destroyed a wedding five years ago?
The same woman who had vanished from the country days earlier.
The same woman Adrian had supposedly chosen over Selena.
"Mr. Vale?" the principal pressed.
Adrian finally looked away from the monitor.
"Yes."
His voice was ice.
"I know her."
Selena folded her arms.
"Apparently not well enough."
His jaw tightened.
Normally, the comment would have sparked another argument.
Today it didn't.
Because they were both thinking the same thing.
Why was Cassandra interested in Aria?
The question sat between them like a loaded weapon.
The principal cleared her throat.
"Should we contact the police?"
"Not yet."
The answer came from both Selena and Adrian simultaneously.
They exchanged a brief look.
Then quickly looked away.
The principal frowned but nodded.
"Very well."
Selena's eyes never left the screen.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
If Cassandra wanted to see Aria, she could have approached her openly.
She didn't need fake authorization forms.
She didn't need lies.
Unless...
She didn't want anyone knowing she was here.
A chill ran down Selena's spine.
An hour later, Adrian sat inside his car outside the school.
His hands gripped the steering wheel.
His mind replayed the footage over and over.
Cassandra.
The airport.
The wedding.
The anonymous threats.
Aria.
For five years he'd believed one thing.
That Cassandra had needed help.
That she'd been in danger.
That whatever happened that day had been tragic.
Now he wasn't so sure.
His phone rang.
Marcus.
"Tell me you found something."
The line was silent for a moment.
Then
"I found the guard."
Adrian straightened.
"What?"
"The security guard from the airport footage."
Adrian's pulse quickened.
The guard who had escorted him onto the private jet.
The guard who disappeared immediately afterward.
"What did he say?"
Marcus sighed.
"Nothing."
Adrian's stomach dropped.
"Why?"
"Because he's dead."
Silence.
Cold silence.
The words settled like stones.
Dead.
The only witness.
Dead.
"How?"
"Officially? Car accident."
Marcus sounded unconvinced.
"Unofficially?"
Adrian already knew the answer.
"It looks staged."
Rage burned through him.
For five years pieces had been missing.
Now every answer seemed to lead to another question.
"Keep digging."
"I already am."
The call ended.
Adrian leaned back against his seat.
Someone was hiding something.
Someone powerful.
Someone desperate.
And for the first time in years, he began wondering if he'd spent five years blaming the wrong person.
Across the city, Selena couldn't focus.
Her laptop sat open.
Unread emails filled the screen.
Yet her attention remained elsewhere.
The photograph of Cassandra at Aria's school kept replaying in her head.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
Dominic entered.
Immediately, he noticed her expression.
"Tough day?"
She laughed bitterly.
"You have no idea."
Dominic sat opposite her.
"What happened?"
Selena hesitated.
Part of her wanted to keep everything private.
The other part was exhausted.
So she told him.
Not everything.
Just enough.
The school.
The fake authorization.
The security footage.
Dominic's face darkened.
"You're increasing security."
It wasn't a question.
"I already have."
"Good."
His expression remained serious.
"Because whoever this is, they aren't playing games."
Selena nodded.
She knew that.
The anonymous texts had made that clear.
The school incident confirmed it.
For the first time since returning, fear outweighed revenge.
Not fear for herself.
Fear for Aria.
Dominic leaned forward.
"Have you considered that this might be connected to what happened five years ago?"
Selena froze.
The same thought had crossed her mind.
Repeatedly.
Because too many things were beginning to overlap.
The wedding.
Cassandra.
The threats.
The footage.
Nothing felt random anymore.
That evening, Selena received an unexpected phone call.
The number wasn't familiar.
She almost ignored it.
Almost.
Something made her answer.
"Hello?"
A nervous female voice responded.
"Ms. Hart?"
Selena stiffened.
Almost nobody used that surname anymore.
"Who's this?"
A pause.
Then
"My name is Patricia Greene."
The name meant nothing.
Until the woman spoke again.
"I was your wedding planner."
Everything stopped.
Selena slowly sat down.
Five years vanished instantly.
She could almost smell the flowers again.
See the empty altar.
Feel the humiliation.
"What do you want?"
Patricia sounded terrified.
"I need to talk to you."
Selena's heart began pounding.
"Why now?"
Another pause.
Long.
Uncomfortable.
Then
"Because someone tried to kill me last week."
Ice flooded her veins.
"What?"
"They failed."
Patricia's voice shook.
"But I think they'll try again."
Selena rose from her chair.
Every instinct screamed that this was important.
"Where are you?"
An hour later, Selena arrived at a small café on the edge of the city.
Patricia was already waiting.
She looked nothing like Selena remembered.
Older.
Nervous.
Constantly glancing over her shoulder.
Like someone expecting danger.
The moment Selena sat down, Patricia pushed a cup of coffee toward her.
Neither touched it.
"You said someone tried to kill you."
Patricia nodded.
"Two brake lines."
Selena's stomach tightened.
"And that has something to do with my wedding?"
The woman looked away.
Guilt flashed across her face.
Instantly.
Selena noticed.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Patricia swallowed.
Hard.
Then finally met her eyes.
"The wedding wasn't canceled naturally."
The words hit like a bomb.
Selena froze.
Her pulse thundered.
"What does that mean?"
Patricia's hands trembled.
"It means your fiancé didn't simply decide not to show up."
The café suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
Too hot.
Selena's heart slammed against her ribs.
"Explain."
The woman took a shaky breath.
"For years I told myself it wasn't my business."
Another breath.
"I convinced myself I was protecting my family."
Selena leaned forward.
"Protecting them from who?"
Patricia looked terrified.
Absolutely terrified.
Then she whispered
"The person who paid me."
The world seemed to stop.
"What?"
Tears filled Patricia's eyes.
"I was paid to stay quiet."
Selena stared.
Unable to process the words.
Paid.
Someone had paid her.
Five years ago.
To hide something.
"How much?"
Patricia laughed bitterly.
"Enough to change my life."
The answer made Selena sick.
Because nobody paid that kind of money unless they were hiding something enormous.
"What exactly were you hiding?"
Patricia hesitated.
Then reached into her purse.
Slowly.
Carefully.
She pulled out an old envelope.
Yellowed with age.
Worn at the edges.
She placed it on the table.
"I kept this."
Selena looked down.
Confused.
"What is it?"
Patricia's eyes filled with regret.
"The reason I haven't slept properly in five years."
A chill ran through Selena.
Slowly, she opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
Just one.
Nothing more.
Her fingers trembled as she pulled it out.
At first, she didn't understand what she was seeing.
Then realization hit.
Hard.
Violently.
The blood drained from her face.
"No..."
Across from her, Patricia started crying.
"I'm sorry."
Selena could barely hear her.
Because her entire world had just shifted.
The photograph showed a private airport hangar.
The date stamp matched her wedding day.
And standing beside the jet...
Was Adrian's mother.
Victoria Vale.
Not arriving.
Not leaving.
Waiting.
Watching.
Like she had known exactly what was going to happen.
Selena stared at the image.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to think.
Unable to move.
Because if Adrian's mother had been there that day...
Then the first lie had never come from Cassandra.
It had come from inside the Vale family.
And suddenly, everything Selena thought she knew about the wedding began to unravel.
- Writer
