Chapter 5 - The Choice Nobody Expected
Nia's words traveled quickly through the people standing nearby.
Celeste instinctively tightened her grip on the silver clutch.
“You have no right to touch my belongings.”
Nia almost laughed.
The irony was unbearable.
“That's interesting,” she said. “Because you didn't seem concerned about my rights when Andre dumped my purse onto the floor.”
Celeste looked toward her brother.
“Andre, say something.”
He glanced at Nia.
For once, he said nothing.
Gabriel stepped between the women.
“Celeste, if the ring isn't in your bag, opening it would settle this.”
“Why should I have to prove anything?”
“Because you accused someone of a crime.”
Celeste's voice rose.
“And everybody believes her because her father owns the building!”
Malcolm remained near the doorway.
He had instructed the venue staff to restore normal service and allow guests to leave freely.
The wedding wasn't canceled.
No doors were locked.
No one was being detained.
But enough guests remained nearby to hear what was happening.
Malcolm spoke calmly.
“My daughter isn't asking you to prove you're a good person. She's asking you to account for an accusation you made in front of a room full of people.”
Celeste stared at him.
“You think your money means you can control everyone.”
“No,” Malcolm replied. “And if Nia had no connection to this building, what happened to her would still be wrong.”
Nia looked at her father.
For the first time that evening, she felt something besides disappointment when she saw him.
He wasn't trying to buy her way out of trouble.
He was standing beside her without taking over.
Gabriel held out his hand toward Celeste.
“Let me see your bag.”
She stepped backward.
“No.”
His face changed.
Not anger.
Something quieter and more painful.
“Celeste, I married you this afternoon.”
“So?”
“So I'm asking you to tell me the truth.”
Her lips trembled.
“I am telling you the truth.”
Gabriel took out his phone.
“Then help me understand this.”
He opened their messages.
“Before the reception, you sent me a text saying your ring felt too tight.”
Celeste looked toward the screen.
Gabriel read it aloud.
“It's pinching my finger. I put it in my evening bag until the swelling goes down. Don't let your mother make a fuss.”
A murmur passed through the hallway.
The message was timestamped at 5:16 p.m.
Fourteen minutes before Nia and Andre entered the ballroom.
Celeste stared at the phone.
“That doesn't mean—”
Gabriel interrupted.
“Why didn't you mention this when the ring went missing?”
“I forgot!”
“Then let's look for it.”
Celeste's breathing grew shallow.
Nia watched her carefully.
For the first time, the bride looked genuinely frightened.
Not because of Malcolm.
Not because of the guests.
Because Gabriel had stopped accepting her explanations.
Andre moved closer.
“Celeste, please. If it's there, just take it out.”
She rounded on him.
“Oh, now you're on her side?”
“This isn't about sides anymore.”
Celeste laughed bitterly.
“That's exactly what she wanted. Ever since she came into this family, everything has been about her.”
Nia felt the old sting of those words.
For two years, she had tried to make Celeste comfortable.
She attended family dinners.
Remembered birthdays.
Helped organize holiday meals.
When Celeste's salon had plumbing problems, Nia brought dinner while Andre helped with repairs.
But somehow, none of it had been enough.
Because Celeste didn't want another person in her brother's life.
She wanted to remain the person he chose first.
Nia touched her stomach.
“That baby you're so angry about is your niece.”
Celeste looked away.
“Andre doesn't stop being your brother because he becomes a father.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Gabriel extended his hand again.
“Celeste. The bag.”
She looked around the hallway.
The operations director.
The photographer.
Her mother.
Her brother.
Her new husband.
And finally Nia.
The woman she had tried to humiliate.
Celeste slowly lifted the silver clutch.
Her fingers worked at the clasp.
Gabriel held his breath.
A tiny metallic click broke the silence.
May you like
The bag opened.
And Celeste reached inside.
