Chapter 4
Series 1 Chapter 4
The wedding welcome screen showed Miles with his arm around Daphne.
It was the photograph taken when I walked into Vivian’s dining room.
Beneath it were the words:
WELCOME TO THE WHITMORE FAMILY.
No one knew I was standing outside the ballroom.
I hadn’t attended the ceremony. At ten that morning, I met with my attorney. At 4:12 p.m., she confirmed that my divorce petition had been filed.
Then I put on my black-and-gold dress and went to the hotel alone.
A staff member scanned my contract-holder pass.
The light turned green.
Miles had failed to cancel it.
Dinner had already begun. Guests stood talking over champagne while servers carried the first course toward the head table.
Daphne was sitting beside Miles.
She wore a silver dress, and my hotel key card rested near her hand. Miles pulled out her chair with practiced ease. No one watching would have guessed the seat had belonged to another woman.
A guest who knew me spotted me first.
“Ava? I thought you were in Manhattan.”
Her voice drew several glances.
“Who told you that?”
“Vivian said you chose to stay home for work.”
More people turned toward us.
Then Miles saw me.
There was no surprise on his face. Only anger at being caught.
Vivian hurried across the room and grabbed my arm.
“Come with me.”
I pulled free. “I just arrived.”
“You shouldn’t be here. Don’t discuss private family matters in front of one hundred and eighty guests.”
“The wedding bills were sent to me. The lies about me were sent to one hundred and eighty guests.”
Her mouth tightened.
“Tonight belongs to Taryn.”
“That’s why I didn’t interrupt her ceremony.”
Miles reached us.
“Your access was supposed to be canceled.”
“I didn’t approve the request.”
He lowered his voice.
“Leave now. I’ll come back to the apartment tonight, and we can talk.”
“About what? My seat? My room? Or what you planned to tell me on Monday?”
His eyes went straight to Daphne.
That was answer enough.
At the head table, Taryn picked up the microphone. She was clearly trying to pull everyone’s attention back to the wedding.
“Before dinner begins, I want to thank someone very special.”
Daphne stood.
“For the past few months, she helped with my dress, contacted our guests, and reminded me during the worst moments that real family never walks away.”
The guests began to applaud.
Taryn smiled at Daphne.
“Thank you for saving my wedding and being the sister I needed.”
The applause drowned out Miles telling me to leave.
I walked down the center of the ballroom.
People stopped clapping as they noticed me. The photographer lowered his camera. Taryn remained at the head table, still holding the microphone.
Miles stepped into my path.
“Don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Use your money to humiliate my family.”
“Then tell them the truth.”
“This isn’t the place.”
“You already told them I chose work. Now tell them who removed my name eleven weeks ago.”
He said nothing.
“Tell them who gave my suite to Daphne.”
“Ava.”
“Tell them who waited until my final payment cleared before telling his wife she wasn’t invited.”
Miles reached for the microphone.
I took it first.
Daphne came toward us. Her face had gone pale, but her voice remained controlled.
“What exactly do you want?”
I looked at her, then at Miles.
“You promised Daphne that after the wedding, the two of you could stop pretending,” I said. “So I saved you the wait. I filed for divorce at four twelve this afternoon.”