I paused.
“All I did was let you make your own decision.”
Adrian released my hand.
“Mother… why?”
Victoria looked at him.
Something flickered across her face.
For one instant, I saw not arrogance but desperation.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it.”
“She is trying to destroy this family.”
The room erupted in whispers.
Adrian frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
Victoria pointed at me.
“Ask her about North Crescent.”
My stomach tightened.
So that was it.
Adrian looked at me.
“The building investigation?”
“You knew?” Victoria demanded.
“Emma told me.”
For the first time, Victoria looked surprised.
Adrian continued.
“She found evidence of deliberate structural sabotage. If someone at North Crescent is responsible, they should be prosecuted.”
Victoria laughed.
It sounded brittle.
“You foolish boy.”
“Excuse me?”
“You think this is about three decaying buildings?”
“Victoria,” I said, “stop.”
Her gaze snapped toward me.
And something in my tone made the room quiet again.
Because I knew.
I had realized it only twenty minutes earlier.
Claire had handed me something while fastening the damaged dress.
A copy of the internal security access log.
Victoria hadn’t entered my bridal suite alone.
Someone had unlocked the restricted elevator for her.
Someone whose credential code I recognized.
At first, I refused to believe it.
Then the truth arranged itself piece by piece.
The unexplained calls.
The missing documents.
Adrian insisting certain subjects could wait until after the wedding.
Adrian telling me his mother had “accepted” me immediately after I refused to withdraw from the investigation.
And worst of all—
the access code.
I turned toward him.
My heart began beating hard enough to hurt.
“Adrian.”
He looked at me.
I wanted him to deny it before I asked.
Wanted him to laugh.
Wanted him to tell me there had been a mistake.
Instead I said:
“Did you give your mother access to the bridal floor?”
His face changed.
That was my answer.
The ballroom disappeared around me.
“Adrian?”
He swallowed.
“Emma, I can explain.”
A sound escaped Claire from the first row.
Not surprise.
Disgust.
I stepped away from him.
“What did you do?”
“I didn’t know she was going to cut the dress.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
He lowered his voice.
“She wanted to speak with you privately.”
“Then why use your security credentials?”
“Because you’d told the staff she wasn’t allowed upstairs without Claire.”
My skin went cold.
“So you overrode me.”
“I thought if the two of you could just talk before the ceremony—”
“You secretly gave access to a woman who had threatened me over a criminal investigation?”
“I didn’t know she threatened you.”
“You knew she told me to withdraw.”
“Yes, but—”
“And you knew my office had been broken into.”
Silence.
That silence broke something inside me.
Adrian reached for me.
I stepped back.
“Don’t.”
“Emma, please.”
Victoria suddenly said, “Enough.”
Everyone looked at her.
She seemed almost relieved.
As though the collapse of our wedding had finally returned the world to the shape she preferred.
