Chapter 5 - The Vow of Truth
The priest reached the part of the ceremony where he asked if anyone had reason why these two should not be wed.
Usually,
this is the part where the room remains silent,
a brief pause in the drama of the day.
But before he could even finish the sentence,
I stepped away from Warren,
dropping his hand as if it were a burning coal.
"I do,"
I said,
my voice ringing out with a clarity that silenced the organ and froze every heart in the room.
Warren looked at me,
confusion turning into a mask of concern.
"Adeline?
Honey,
it’s just nerves,
it’s okay."
"It’s not nerves,
Warren,"
I said,
reaching into my bouquet and pulling out the small,
high-powered speaker I had hidden there.
I connected it to my phone,
which was tucked into the lace of my bodice,
and hit play.
The sound of the study,
the clinking of ice,
and the cold,
calculating voice of Celeste Halstead filled the chapel.
"By the time the vows are exchanged,
the power of attorney clause will be active,"
Warren’s recorded voice boomed through the speakers.
The guests gasped,
a wave of sound that traveled from the front pews to the back of the church.
Warren’s face went from pale to a sickly,
terrified shade of grey as he heard his own brother ask about emptying the coffers.
"Just make sure she signs that final amendment,"
Celeste’s voice echoed,
sounding even more predatory in the sacred space.
I looked at Celeste,
who had stood up,
her face contorted into a mask of pure,
unadulterated rage.
"Turn that off!"
she shrieked,
her voice cracking the silence.
"This is a private conversation!
This is a setup!"
"No,
Celeste,"
I said,
looking her directly in the eye as the recording finished.
"This is an audit."
I turned back to Warren,
who was trying to reach for my arm,
but I stepped back,
the white silk of my dress rustling like the wings of a vengeful angel.
"You wanted my company,
Warren,"
I said,
loud enough for every investor in the room to hear.
"You wanted to strip Crosswell Navigation and sell it for parts while I sat at home and played the quiet wife."
"But you forgot one thing,"
I continued,
pulling the folder Celeste had given me from my bouquet and tearing it into pieces,
the white paper falling like snow on the altar.
"I am the one who built that company,
and I am the one who knows how to spot a leak in the hull."
I looked at the priest,
who was staring in shock,
and then at the guests.
"There will be no wedding today,"
I announced,
my voice steady and proud.
"And there will be no Halstead takeover."
I turned on my heel,
the long train of my dress following me like a ghost as I walked back down the aisle alone.
The doors of the church swung open,
revealing the bright,
honest Maine sunshine,
and I stepped out into the air.
Warren tried to follow me,
shouting my name,
but Silas and my security team stepped in his path,
blocking him from the woman he had never truly known.
I got into my car,
the same car that had brought me back to the estate just twelve hours ago,
and drove toward the horizon.
The Halsteads were left in the ruins of their own greed,
their reputation destroyed in front of the very people they had tried to impress.
I looked in the rearview mirror,
watching the stone chapel disappear into the distance,
and for the first time in three years,
I took a deep,
clean breath.
The company was safe,
my life was mine again,
and the bride had finally,
truly,
said no.
May you like
I was Adeline Cross,
and I was free.
