The church doors opened wider. At the far end of the aisle, Ethan appeared, framed by candlelight and stained glass. Two hundred guests twisted around in their seats. The organ faltered. Olivia froze at the altar.
“Mr. Parker, please,” Lily cried. “She’s lying to you.”
The guard started apologizing, but Ethan never looked at him. He looked at Lily. Not at the dirt on her clothes. Not at her bare feet. At her face. At the terror and urgency in her eyes.
He raised one hand, and the entire room seemed to stop.
Then he walked toward her.
When he reached the doorway, he crouched down. “What’s going on?”
Lily pushed the phone toward him. “Don’t marry Olivia. I have proof. Just five seconds.”
He stared at her for one long moment, then nodded. “Let me hear it.”
At first there was only static. Lily’s face went white. Then the audio cleared, and Olivia’s voice came through, smooth and cruel.
“Ethan trusts me completely,” she laughed. “The poor fool doesn’t see what’s coming.”
A man’s voice followed. “Once he signs, the transfer happens automatically.”
Lily watched the color drain from Ethan’s face.