Second in Silence Chapter 04

Second in Silence Chapter 04

“There’s nothing,” he replied.

“Alicia, has someone been talking to you? Did they lead you to a misunderstanding?”

Charles kept his cool, but his right hand drifted to his leg, a dead giveaway that he was fibbing. He probably did not even notice he did it every time he lied.

The weight that had been crushing my heart finally hit the ground with a thud.

“What’s going on here?”

Emily appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes darting between Charles and me, full of suspicion. The sight of the perfume in Charles’s grip made her face go pale.

Charles stepped closer and murmured an explanation.

Realization dawned on Emily, and she sheepishly grabbed my hand, her voice tinged with guilt as she said, “Alicia, I’m so sorry, okay? When Jeff and I got engaged, if Mom had known it was because of me, she’d never have let us get married!

“I’d rather die than not marry Jeff!”

Charles clamped a hand over Emily’s mouth, hissing, “Don’t even joke about that!”

I watched them, biting back a question.

So, I was just supposed to be the scapegoat?

Emily’s eyes were pleading, her face flushed with desperation.

Charles could not stand to see her upset and pulled her into a hug.

“Don’t worry, Alicia will come around.

“And even if Mom does find out, you won’t be alone. I’ll be with you.”

They were so sickeningly sweet, it was almost too much.

I forced down the sour taste of resentment and managed a smile. ‘Sure, I’ll help you out with your mom.

“You guys should focus on your wedding plans.

“And expect a big surprise from me on your big day.”

‘Charles, remember that I gave you a chance,’ I thought bitterly.

…

I decided to stick around at Wallace’s.

When Margaret returned and laid into me with her usual snide remarks, I did not flinch. I just took it, same as always.

I did my usual duties for her, just like any other day.

However, everything changed on the day Charles and Emily tied the knot.

The wedding was a whirlwind of activity, and in the midst of it all, nobody spared a thought for me, the widow left in the shadows, unloved and unnoticed.

I sat among the guests, my gaze icy as I watched the newlyweds lock lips on stage, basking in the glow of applause.

That was, until the big screen at the back of the room flickered to life.

The sweet air was shattered by a recording and photos that no one expected, splashing across the screen for all to see.

Whispers and gasps swirled around me, growing louder by the second.

“The Wallace family sure knows how to put on a spectacle!”

“He’s marrying his brother’s widow?”

“Doesn’t Emily see what’s happening?”

“Perhaps they’ve joined forces to kill Jeffrey so that there’s more inheritance to go around.”

Chaos reigned on the stage.

Emily’s screams pierced the air, begging for the screen to be shut off, her earlier joy wiped away in an instant.

Margaret, catching sight of the screen’s contents, collapsed.

This time, it was not for show.

I watched the drama unfold as a smile played on my lips.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I knew by heart.

Charles, up on stage, whipped his head around to stare at me.

I rose to my feet, my voice clear and steady as I said, ”

Congratulations on your wedding. Did you enjoy my present?”