CHAPTER 2: The Hidden Motive
The ballroom erupted into chaos.
Guests shouted.
Security officers dragged Ethan—the groom—toward a side room while police were called.
But Amelia, the bride, couldn't move.
Her eyes remained fixed on the second photograph.
The Maid of Honor.
Sophia.
Her best friend for fifteen years.
The woman who had helped her choose the wedding dress.
The woman who had planned the bridal shower.
The woman who had stood beside her only minutes earlier, smiling during the vows.
Sophia slowly lowered her head.
"I can explain."
Amelia felt her stomach twist.
"Then explain."
Tears filled Sophia's eyes.
"It wasn't supposed to hurt anyone."
The words only made everything worse.
Police soon searched Ethan's hotel suite.
What they discovered shocked everyone.
The poisoning had never been about murder.
It was about money.
Inside Ethan's laptop investigators found forged financial documents, hidden bank transfers, and evidence that he was drowning in gambling debt.
Millions of dollars were gone.
The wedding had been his escape plan.
The sedative hidden inside the cake would have caused dozens of guests—including Amelia—to lose consciousness.
During the confusion, Ethan planned to disappear with access to Amelia's family fortune.
But one question remained.
Why had Sophia helped him?
No one was prepared for her answer.
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Because she wasn't helping him.
She thought she was helping Amelia.
