PART 5: The Final Walkout
“The police are already downstairs,” I said quietly, watching the color completely drain from her face. “I didn’t bring this folder to show you; I brought it for the detectives who followed us here.”
The double doors of the dressing room swung open, but it wasn’t the wedding coordinator. Two uniformed officers stepped into the room, followed by the chief investigator.
Claire backed away toward the mirror, clutching her white gown around her like a shield, but the evidence was absolute. They read her rights right there beneath the portrait of white roses.
I leaned down and lifted my mother into my arms, carrying her past the stunned bridesmaids and out into the bright afternoon sun, leaving the empty altar behind.
As the sirens echoed in the distance, my mother looked up at me with tears in her eyes, finally safe. “I’m sorry about your wedding day, Ethan.” “Don’t be, Mom,” I smiled. “It’s the day we finally got our lives back.”
