Chapter 3
The conversation between Andrew and Emily in the video was crystal-clear.
"And I'm not marrying her for love. It's all about the money from the Grant family. Once I'm solidly in the Grant family, I'll figure out a way to stage an accident for her..."
The whole place went dead silent—so quiet it was almost suffocating.
"W-What...what's happening?" the emcee blurted out, stunned.
I glanced at Andrew. His face had turned as white as a sheet.
"Andrew, is that really you in the video?" My voice was soft, but it rang out clear as day in the dead silence of the hall.
"Charlotte, I swear, you gotta believe me—this is all fake! Someone's out to frame me..." Andrew blurted out, panic written all over his face.
"Frame you?" I scoffed, voice icy. "Then care to explain who that woman with you is?"
I pointed straight at the video where Emily's face was on full display, leaving no room for doubt.
The entire crowd whipped around to stare at the bridesmaids' section, and Emily went so pale she looked ready to faint on the spot.
"Charlotte, I... I..." Emily stammered, her face drained of color as she stood there, trapped by all those staring eyes.
"Holy crap, it's Emily! Her cousin! This drama's insane—didn't expect a plot twist like this!" someone gasped from the crowd, whispering spreading like wildfire.
"Enough!" Andrew finally lost it, his voice cracking with anger and desperation. "Charlotte, have you totally lost it? You seriously picked today to pull this crazy stunt at our wedding?!"
"A stunt? You call this a stunt?" I tore off my ring and slammed it to the ground so hard the whole hall could hear it. "Three years of lies, Andrew! Did you really think I'd let you keep fooling me forever?"
I threw the ring down, shattering it—just like everything between us.
"Charlotte!" Miranda jumped up from her seat and hurried to the front.
"Mom, I'm sorry... I made you lose face," I said, my voice shaking.
"You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. I'm just glad you figured out who he really was before it went any further," Miranda said, pulling me into a tight hug.
The crowd was buzzing, everyone whispering and gossiping like they'd just watched a wild reality show blow up on live TV.
"Andrew's messed up big time—not only did he scam her into marrying him, the dude was literally plotting to get Charlotte killed!"
"Wait, isn't Emily her actual cousin? Talk about backstabbing—this is next-level betrayal."
"Thank god Ms. Grant busted them before it was too late, or this could've ended way worse."
As the tide of public opinion turned against him, Andrew got desperate.
"Charlotte, please, I'm begging you—forgive me! I messed up, okay? But you have to believe me—I really love you!" Andrew choked out, his voice raw and desperate.
"Love me?" I stared down at him, my voice cold and scornful. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have had Emily spike my milk with sleeping pills so you could hook up with her."
As soon as I said that, the whole place erupted in gasps and whispers.
After all, drug-spiking was way beyond just an affair.
"Charlotte, I swear, I didn't put anything in your milk! I mean it!" Andrew stammered, desperation etched all over his face as he tried to defend himself.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a small bottle—the same sleeping pills I'd found in Emily's purse last night.
"Then what's this supposed to be?" I said, holding the bottle up for everyone to see.
Andrew's face went completely ashen the second he saw the pill bottle.
I continued, holding up a bank transfer slip, "And this. Here's the 30 thousand dollars you sent Emily yesterday. The memo? 'Service fee.'"
Okay, so I'd faked the transfer record, but in the heat of the moment, no one was going to question it.
"Thirty thousand dollars in service fee? Emily, what did you do to earn that kind of cash? You were with me last night, weren't you?" I glared, my voice icy, letting everyone catch the accusation.
Emily looked utterly defeated, speechless—just shaking her head, too shocked and ashamed to string together a single word.
"Don't act innocent—I know exactly what you've done. You stabbed me in the back, wrecked everything we had as family, and shattered the trust I gave you," I shot back, my voice ice-cold.
The crowd was buzzing even louder now, scandal rippling through the room—and more guests started sneaking out, the whole scene falling to pieces.
This wedding was officially wrecked, nothing but a mess.
And honestly? That was the ending I'd been dreaming of.
I said into the mic, steady and clear, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry you had to see this ugly truth today. But honestly, I'm grateful—because right here, surrounded by friends and family, I finally saw the real face hiding behind the mask.
"So, this wedding is officially over. Thank you all for showing up."
With those words, I set down the microphone and turned to leave.
"Charlotte!" Andrew staggered to his feet and grabbed my wrist, his face twisted in desperation. He almost shouted, voice cracking with anger. "You ruined me! You destroyed everything I worked for!"
"Me? I ruined you?" I yanked my hand free, my voice cold as steel. "Andrew, you're the one who brought this on yourself."
Andrew glared at me, his eyes wild. "You really think you've won? Without me, you'd be nothing! No one will ever want a woman who's been cast aside like trash!"
His outburst sent the whole room into an uproar—guests were raging, ready to mob him right there.
"What a jerk! How can he say that to her?" somebody blurted out, loud and indignant.
"Unbelievable! Charlotte's literally the nicest girl alive, and he pulls this crap?" another guest gasped, shaking their head and glaring at Andrew.
"Call the police! Spiking her drink is straight up illegal!" someone shouted.
As soon as someone mentioned calling the cops, Andrew and Emily looked like they'd just seen a ghost—their faces went even paler, panic written all over them.
"Mom, let's go," I said, gently taking Miranda's arm.
"Charlotte, you..." Miranda choked up, her voice trembling as she tried to say something but couldn't get the words out.
"I'm fine, Mom. Honestly, I'm lucky I found out the truth today," I said, my voice steady.
As I stepped out of the venue, a wave of relief washed over me.
In my past life, I was a pitiful soul, completely in the dark about the truth. I was like a puppet, dancing to the strings pulled by others.
But this time around, I wasn't going to let anyone manipulate me anymore. This was my life, and I was taking the reins.
However, this was merely the prologue of this drama.