Mara glanced down at it casually, not intending to snoop, but the screen lit up repeatedly with an unlisted number. Daniel quickly picked it up, slipping it into his jacket pocket without looking at the caller ID, though Mara caught a sudden, brief tightness around his jawline that hadn’t been there a moment before.
“Are you going to answer that?” she asked gently, placing her hand over his. “It might be someone trying to find the venue.”
Daniel gave a quick, dismissive wave of his hand, his easy smile returning instantly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes this time. “No, it’s just spam, sweetheart. I turned off work notifications, but some automated callers still get through. Don’t worry about it.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek before standing up from the table. “I’m going to step out to the restroom before the best man starts his speech. I’ll be right back.”
Mara watched him walk away, noticing for the first time how stiffly he carried his shoulders as he moved toward the quiet hallway leading to the venue’s private offices and exit doors. She sat alone at the head table for a few moments, sipping her water and watching their guests mingle across the dance floor.
Her mother approached the table, carrying two fresh glasses of sparkling wine, and sat in Daniel’s empty chair. “Where did your husband go?” Diane asked with a playful emphasis on the new title.
“Just to the restroom,” Mara replied, offering a quick smile. “He’ll be back in a minute for the toasts.”
As they spoke, Mara’s eyes drifted back toward the quiet hallway where Daniel had disappeared. Minutes passed—five, then ten—and he still hadn’t returned. The best man was already tapping his microphone near the speakers, testing the volume and looking around the room for the groom.
Feeling a sudden, subtle pull of intuition, Mara stood up from the table. “I’ll be right back, Mom. I’m going to check on him.”
She walked away from the noise and music of the reception hall, stepping into the dimly lit, carpeted corridor that led toward the back exit. The hallway was completely empty, the air noticeably cooler away from the crowd. As she passed the restrooms, she noticed the doors were propped open and the lights inside were off. Daniel wasn’t in there.
She continued down the hallway toward the heavy wooden door that opened to the courtyard garden. As she approached, she heard the low, hushed sound of a voice speaking urgently from the other side of the heavy glass pane.
Mara slowed her pace, her heart beginning to beat faster against her ribs. She stepped into the alcove near the door, shielding herself behind a large decorative fern, and looked through the glass into the rainy courtyard.
Daniel was standing under the overhang of the roof, his back turned to her. He was holding his phone tightly to his ear, his posture rigid, his free hand clenched into a tight fist at his side. Even through the glass, his voice sounded sharp, defensive, and entirely different from the gentle tone he always used with her.
“I told you not to call me today!” Daniel hissed into the phone, his voice laced with a cold, desperate anger. “Everything is going according to plan. She signed the papers this morning before the ceremony. Just give me a few more weeks to handle the transfer.”
Mara felt the air leave her lungs in a sharp, painful gasp, her hand instinctively flying to her mouth to stifle any sound. She stood completely frozen behind the plant, listening as the man she had just married revealed a side of himself she had never seen before.
Turn to the next page to see who Daniel was talking to on the phone.
