Chapter 1
As I walked down to the landing with the wedding ring box in hand, I saw Charles Ford's first love collapsed at the foot of the stairs.
Nina Hayes wore a white dress, her eyes rimmed with red as she looked up at me.
"Miss Shaw, I know you hate me," she said, her voice shaking. "But why did you push me?"
Charles came rushing out of the side door of the party hall at almost the same time.
He was followed by the groomsmen, his assistant, and a few guests who had heard the commotion and come out to see what was happening.
He first saw Nina lying at the foot of the stairs on the first floor, then looked up the stairs to see me standing on the landing.
In an instant, his face darkened.
"Tara," he called out.
He strode up the steps and grabbed my wrist. "Apologize."
I glanced down at his hand.
Then I looked up at him.
"Apologize for what?" I asked.
Charles's gaze grew even colder.
"You pushed her down the stairs, and you seriously don't know what you should be sorry for?" he said.
Whispers started to spread around us.
"Did the bride really push her?"
"Seriously? On their wedding day?"
"That's cold. She can't even stand the ex showing up to wish them well?"
"No wonder the Ford family was never happy with her..."
Nina's tears streamed down even harder.
She pressed herself against the wall, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, like she was scared to bother anyone. "Charles, please don't blame Miss Shaw. I never should've come back."
Charles's mother, Lexie, came out of the party hall.
Several business partners followed behind her, and all their eyes landed on the foot of the stairs.
Her expression darkened on the spot.
"Tara," she said. "Do you have any idea what today is supposed to be?"
I stared at her.
"So you believe I pushed her, too?" I asked.
Lexie frowned.
"After Nina took such a fall, the least you can do right now is apologize," she said.
The emcee stood nearby, microphone still on, so the drama at the stairs kept echoing into the party hall.
Guests kept gathering, forming a crowd around us.
Charles had a tight hold on my wrist, and I was left standing in the spotlight, every eye fixed on me.
Five minutes ago, Ethan Reed, one of the groomsmen, came running over and told me the ring box had been left in the lounge on the second floor.
With the wedding about to start, I didn't think twice. I just gathered up my dress and hurried upstairs.
Charles's grip on my wrist tightened even more.
"Tara, Nina only came to give us her blessing," he said. "Can't you even stand her just for one day?"
Nina looked up, tears still clinging to her lashes.
My eyes met theirs.
"Fine, I'll apologize," I said.
"But first, let her tell everyone exactly how I supposedly pushed her."
Nina's fingers, resting on the floor, curled slightly.
Charles frowned. "Tara, what are you trying to pull now?"
"I'm not trying to pull anything." I shook my wrist, but Charles's grip was still tight.
"Let go," I said.
He didn't move.
I looked him straight in the eye, making sure he caught every word.
"Right now, you're grabbing the person everyone thinks pushed someone down the stairs.
"Aren't you worried I might send you tumbling next?" I warned.
Someone nearby sucked in a breath.
Charles stared at me, forcing his anger down.
But he still let go of my wrist.
I rubbed my aching wrist and turned to Nina.
"Ms. Hayes," I said.
"You said I pushed you, right?
"So why don't you show everyone exactly how I did it? Go ahead, take another tumble."
Nina kept her chin up, tears trembling on her lashes but refusing to fall.
Lexie frowned. "Tara, what are you trying to say?"
I pointed at the stairs.
"You don't actually have to throw yourself down the stairs," I said.
"Just point out which step you were on, and where I was standing.
"How did I touch you, and how did you manage to fall all the way down?
"If you can't even reenact it, then maybe you should stop demanding an apology."
The stairwell was so quiet that the only sound was the distant music from the party hall.
Nina didn't move.
I waited for two seconds.
"Can't say it?" I asked.
Charles stepped in front of her.
"She just fell, and she's still in shock. Why are you forcing her to go through all this?" he snapped.
I looked at him.
"She just fell, and she's supposedly in shock.
"Yet the first thing out of her mouth is that I pushed her—funny how she can't even explain how it happened," I retorted.
Charles's gaze hardened, his eyes darkening with anger.
"Charles, she's not saying I yelled at her or shot her a dirty look," I pressed on.
"She's claiming I pushed her down the stairs.
"If you want to play it down, she's accusing me of hurting her on purpose.
"If you want to make it serious, she's basically saying I tried to kill her.
"With a charge this big, shouldn't she at least explain how it happened?"
The stairwell went quiet again.
Nina's fingers clenched the fabric of her dress.
She lowered her head, her voice trembling as she spoke. "I was so scared. I can't remember."
I nodded. "So you can't remember how I supposedly pushed you.
"But you're sure it was me who did it.
"Selective memory, huh? You only remember what suits you."
Someone let out a quiet laugh, then quickly stifled it.
Charles whipped around to glare at the crowd.
The laughter died instantly.
When he turned back to me, his eyes were blazing with barely contained rage.