Chapter 3: The Secret Behind the Wedding
“Get her away from me!””
Victoria's scream echoed across the rooftop.
Two security guards immediately stepped between her and Caroline.
The bridesmaid stumbled backward, nearly falling over a chair.
Nathan stood motionless.
“Victoria, what did you tell her to do?””
Victoria's breathing became uneven.
“Nothing! She's lying because she's terrified!””
Caroline shook her head.
“No. I can't do this anymore.””
Victoria's eyes narrowed.
“Caroline, think very carefully about what you're saying.””
The younger woman began crying.
“You told me you would protect me!””
Nathan looked from one woman to the other.
“Someone needs to start making sense.””
Caroline wiped her face.
“Victoria gave me her access card before the ceremony.””
Victoria snapped her head around.
“That's a lie!””
“You told me to take it to the security office.””
“Stop!””
Caroline's voice grew louder.
“You said the rooftop camera needed to be turned off because you didn't want Lily's tantrums recorded during the wedding.””
Nathan stared at her.
“Lily's tantrums?””
Caroline looked down.
“That's what she called them.””
Jada felt her stomach tighten.
Nathan turned toward Victoria.
“You used your card to disable the camera?””
Victoria shook her head.
“I gave Caroline my card to have the camera checked. That's all.””
Caroline nodded desperately.
“You told me to leave the card in the control room afterward.””
“And did you?””
“Yes!””
“Then how did it end up in Jada's bag?””
Caroline looked at Victoria.
“I don't know.””
Victoria stepped forward.
“Because you were careless!””
Caroline flinched.
Nathan raised his voice.
“Enough!””
Lily began crying again.
Nathan immediately lowered his voice and held her closer.
“It's okay, sweetheart. Daddy's here.””
Jada watched him.
A few minutes earlier, he had slapped her without asking a single question.
Now he was finally listening.
But the damage was already done.
Her cheek throbbed, her arm was bleeding, and the entire wedding party had watched him treat her like a criminal.
Nathan looked at the security guard.
“Take the access card. Preserve it as evidence.””
Then he turned toward the hotel manager, Marcus, who had just arrived.
“I want every recording from the service corridors and security offices. Now.””
Marcus nodded.
“Of course, sir.””
“And call the police.””
Victoria grabbed his arm.
“Nathan, don't do this.””
He looked down at her hand.
“Let go.””
Her fingers slowly slipped away.
“You're really going to destroy our wedding over this?””
Nathan looked at Lily.
“My daughter nearly died.””
Victoria's voice softened.
“I love her.””
Lily immediately pressed her face into Nathan's neck.
Nathan noticed.
He looked at Victoria again.
“Then why is she afraid of you?””
Victoria's expression hardened.
“Because someone has been filling her head with nonsense.””
Jada couldn't remain silent.
“She was afraid of you before anyone said a word.””
Victoria turned.
“You're still here?””
Jada glanced at her injured arm.
“I saved a little girl. I'm not leaving until someone makes sure she's safe.””
Nathan looked at her.
“Jada…”
She froze.
She hadn't told him her name.
Nathan glanced at her employee badge.
“Jada, I need you to tell me something.””
“What?””
“Why were you so certain Victoria pushed Lily?””
Jada stared at him.
“Because I saw her.””
“Could you have misunderstood what happened?””
“No.””
“Was anyone else standing close enough to see it?””
Jada looked toward the other side of the terrace.
A man in a dark suit stood near the bar, holding a phone.
He had been there when she ran toward the parapet.
She remembered him because he had been arguing with someone on the phone.
“There was a man near the bar,” she said.
“He was facing the terrace.””
Marcus immediately turned.
“Mr. Sterling, that may be one of the wedding videographers.””
Nathan frowned.
“Get him.””
A security guard approached the man.
“Sir, we need you to come over here.””
The videographer looked up.
“What for?””
“Mr. Sterling has a question.””
The man slowly lowered his phone.
His name was Daniel.
He had been hired to capture candid footage of the wedding guests.
Nathan stepped toward him.
“Were you filming when Lily fell?””
Daniel swallowed.
“I was recording the terrace, yes.””
“Did you see what happened?””
Daniel glanced at Victoria.
Then at Jada.
“I…”
Victoria stepped forward.
“Daniel, please. Don't turn this into something it isn't.””
Nathan looked sharply at her.
“Let him speak.””
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck.
“I didn't see the actual fall clearly.””
Jada's heart sank.
“But?””
Daniel looked down at his phone.
“I might have something.””
Nathan held out his hand.
“Show me.””
Daniel unlocked the device and opened a video.
The screen showed the rooftop terrace from a distance.
Guests were laughing. Champagne glasses sparkled beneath the lights. The musicians were playing a slow jazz arrangement.
Then Victoria entered the frame.
She approached Lily.
The little girl was standing beside a floral arrangement, holding a small white teddy bear.
Victoria bent down.
The video had no clear audio, but her expression was visible.
She was speaking angrily.
Lily shook her head.
Victoria grabbed the girl's arm.
Then she leaned close to her ear.
A few seconds later, she placed both hands against Lily's shoulders.
Nathan's fingers tightened around the phone.
“Keep playing.””
Daniel did.
Victoria looked around.
Then she shoved Lily backward.
The little girl stumbled.
Her feet slipped.
She disappeared over the parapet.
Nathan stopped breathing.
He watched the clip again.
Then again.
His daughter had been pushed.
Not accidentally.
Not because she had slipped.
Victoria had deliberately put her hands on the child.
Nathan slowly lowered the phone.
“Victoria…”
The bride stared at the screen.
Her mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Nathan's voice was almost a whisper.
“You pushed her.””
Victoria's eyes filled with tears.
“I didn't mean for her to fall!””
The words struck the terrace like a gunshot.
Nobody moved.
Jada closed her eyes briefly.
There it was.
The truth.
Nathan looked at Victoria.
“What did you just say?””
Victoria shook her head frantically.
“I mean, I was trying to move her away from the edge!””
Daniel spoke quietly.
“The video shows you pushing her.””
Victoria turned on him.
“You were supposed to be filming the guests!””
“I was.””
“You were supposed to delete everything that wasn't part of the wedding!””
Daniel went pale.
Jada looked at him.
“What?””
Daniel lowered his phone.
“I received a message from someone asking me to delete the footage.””
Nathan's expression changed.
“Who?””
Daniel hesitated.
Victoria's eyes widened.
“Daniel, don't.””
He looked at Nathan.
“Someone sent me a message from an unknown number. They offered me five thousand dollars to erase the rooftop footage.””
Nathan held out his hand.
“Show me.””
Daniel passed him the phone.
Nathan read the message.
Then he looked at the sender's name.
It was an unfamiliar number.
But the final line contained something that made his expression turn cold.
Make sure Jada takes the blame. Nobody will believe a server over the bride.
Nathan slowly raised his eyes.
“Who knows Jada's name?””
Nobody answered.
He looked at Marcus.
“Find out who sent this message.””
Marcus took the phone and began examining the details.
Meanwhile, Lily had started crying again.
Nathan crouched in front of her.
“Sweetheart, I need to ask you something.””
Lily nodded.
“Did Victoria say anything to you before she pushed you?””
The little girl looked toward the bride.
Victoria shook her head slightly.
Jada saw it.
So did Lily.
The child immediately clutched Nathan's jacket.
“She said you wouldn't love me anymore.””
Nathan's face crumpled.
“What?””
“She said when she became my mommy, I would have to go away.””
Nathan closed his eyes.
“Lily…”
“She said you wanted a new family. She said I was bad.””
Victoria began crying.
“That isn't what I said!””
Lily shook her head.
“You said I was in the way.””
Nathan pulled his daughter into his arms.
“No, baby. No. You are not in the way.””
Lily sobbed against him.
“Are you still my daddy?””
Nathan pressed his cheek against her hair.
“Forever.””
Jada turned away.
The scene was too painful to watch.
She had seen children cry before. She had seen parents argue, families fall apart, and people pretend everything was perfect while standing in expensive clothes.
But Lily was only six.
She shouldn't have had to beg her father to love her.
Nathan looked up at Jada.
His eyes were wet.
“Thank you.””
Jada didn't respond.
He stood.
“Jada, I owe you an apology.””
She looked at him.
“You do.””
“I shouldn't have hit you.””
“No, you shouldn't have.””
Nathan lowered his head.
“I was terrified.””
“So was she.””
He looked at Lily.
Jada continued.
“But you didn't hit the woman who nearly killed your daughter. You hit the woman who pulled her back.””
Nathan absorbed the words.
“I know.””
“Do you?””
He had no answer.
A police siren sounded faintly from the street below.
Marcus approached with a tablet.
“Mr. Sterling, there's something else.””
Nathan turned.
“What now?””
Marcus looked uncomfortable.
“The access logs show that Victoria's card was used to disable the camera at 7:42 p.m. But there's another entry.””
“What entry?””
“The same card was used to enter the east service corridor approximately twenty minutes earlier.””
Victoria stiffened.
Nathan stared at Marcus.
“Why?””
Marcus hesitated.
“The corridor leads to the maintenance staircase behind the rooftop terrace.””
Nathan looked toward Victoria.
“Were you there?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
Marcus tapped the screen.
“There's a second recording from the corridor camera. It shows someone entering the maintenance staircase with a small black case.””
Jada frowned.
“What was inside?””
Marcus enlarged the image.
A woman in a long white dress was visible.
The face wasn't clear.
But the wedding gown was unmistakable.
Nathan slowly turned toward Victoria.
“What were you carrying?””
Victoria's lips trembled.
“Nothing.””
Marcus zoomed in further.
The image became clearer.
The black case had a small silver label attached to it.
Jada leaned closer.
Her blood ran cold.
She recognized the label.
It belonged to the hotel's emergency medical equipment.
But the case wasn't the most disturbing part.
The recording showed Victoria leaving the maintenance staircase without it.
Marcus looked at Nathan.
“We checked the storage area.””
“And?””
“The emergency oxygen cylinder assigned to the rooftop first-aid station is missing.””
Nathan stared at him.
“Why would Victoria take an oxygen cylinder?””
Nobody answered.
Then Lily slowly lifted her head from Nathan's shoulder.
Her eyes moved toward Victoria.
And in a voice barely louder than a whisper, she said:
“Daddy…”
Nathan bent down.
“What is it, sweetheart?””
Lily swallowed.
“Before she pushed me…”
She looked at the bride.
“Victoria told me that if I fell, nobody would be able to save me.””
Jada felt the blood drain from her face.
Nathan went completely still.
Then Lily whispered the final piece.
“She said she had already made sure of it.””
May you like
Victoria turned toward the staircase.
And started running.
