Chapter 2: The Empty Pocket
I didn't stop making a scene.
I screamed for an ambulance.
A hotel staff member ran forward.
Two guests near the back finally moved.
But not one member of my family took a single step toward Sophie.
My mother's hand never left Preston's shoulder.
"She took the ring," Preston said, his voice lower now but just as hard.
"The diamond from Grandmother Vance's brooch.
I saw her put it in her pocket."
I stared at him.
"She is eight years old."
"Old enough to know what stealing is."
Sophie whimpered against my chest.
I pressed my hand over the gash above her ear and felt the warmth spreading through my fingers.
"You h*t a child over a piece of jewelry," I said.
"At your own wedding."
He didn't flinch.
"I protected what belongs to this family."
That was when I noticed something that made my stomach drop.
Preston's new bride — Catherine — had finally stopped staring at the carpet.
She was watching me now.
And her expression wasn't horror.
It was relief.
Like she had been waiting for this moment.
May you like
Like she had known it was coming.
I looked down at Sophie's small, trembling hand — and saw that her pocket was completely empty.
