Chapter 4 - THE MESSAGE SEWN INTO MY WEDDING DRESS
Someone had entered our house.
That fact bothered me more than the threat.
Blackthorne—
No.
Vale security was supposed to make the Beacon Hill brownstone nearly impossible to access without detection.
Yet someone had walked into my bedroom, taken my wedding dress, and returned it without triggering an alarm.
Graham stared at the red letters.
Then called his security chief.
“Lock down every access record.”
I touched the dress.
The ink looked dramatic.
Almost theatrical.
“Wait.”
Graham turned.
“What?”
“This isn't blood.”
“I know.”
“Then whoever did this wanted to scare me.”
“That was obvious.”
“No.”
I looked closer.
“They wanted you to see it too.”
He frowned.
The message wasn't addressed to me.
No name.
No signature.
Just a warning that our marriage should end sooner.
I checked the inside seam.
Something felt stiff.
A small object had been sewn beneath the lining.
Rebecca carefully opened it.
A flash drive.
My stomach tightened.
We preserved it.
Then connected it through an isolated forensic system.
One video.
Miles Vale.
Recorded three days before his death.
Graham sat down immediately.
His brother looked younger than I expected.
Thirty.
Messy dark hair.
Tired eyes.
He stared into the camera.
“If you're watching this, Graham, it means I failed to tell you in person.”
Graham's face changed.
I sat beside him without touching.
Miles continued.
“Everett is using the waterfront redevelopment projects to move money through subcontractors.”
My chest tightened.
My father's company had been one of those subcontractors.
“He's inflating invoices and redirecting funds into shell companies.”
Miles swallowed.
“I confronted him.”
Graham whispered:
“Idiot.”
But his eyes filled.
“He told me I didn't understand what Dad built.”
Miles gave a sad smile.
“Maybe I don't.”
Then he continued.
“But I know theft when I see it.”
He held up a file.
“The inspection company isn't responsible.”
My breath stopped.
“Lennox Manufacturing signed off on a safe structure. If anything happens at the site afterward, look at access logs.”
I covered my mouth.
My father's name.
Cleared by Miles himself.
Graham looked at me.
For years, he had hated my family for something his brother explicitly said we hadn't done.
Miles continued.
“And Graham…”
He looked directly into the camera.
“Don't become the kind of man who punishes innocent people because you're grieving.”
Graham closed his eyes.
The words landed like a blade.
Then Miles lowered his voice.
“There's one more thing.”
He glanced behind the camera.
“I think Everett knows about the trust marriage clause.”
My stomach tightened.
“He's already looking for someone he can use against you.”
The video ended.
Silence.
I stared at Graham.
He didn't move.
Then he whispered:
“I married you because I blamed your father.”
I nodded.
“And Miles told you not to.”
He laughed once.
Broken.
“I spent four years doing exactly what he asked me not to do.”
For the first time, Graham reached for my hand.
Then stopped before touching it.
“I'm sorry.”
The words were quiet.
No excuses.
I looked at him.
“I know.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
His eyes filled.
“You don't.”
Before I could answer, Rebecca's phone rang.
She listened.
Then looked toward us.
“The security review is back.”
Graham stood.
“Who entered Audrey's room?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“No outsider.”
My stomach tightened.
“Then who?”
She turned the tablet around.
Camera footage showed Charlotte Vale entering my bedroom at 2:14 that afternoon.
May you like
Graham's mother.
Holding my wedding dress.
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