Chapter 18 - THE FACE ON THE SCREEN
I didn't want to watch. Then I did.
The footage came from a guest's phone propped against a planter to record a speech. Most of the frame showed a white tablecloth and string lights. But behind them was the west side of the pool, clear enough to see Serena's hands.
She stood behind my chair, glanced toward the ballroom, and shoved. Not a stumble. Not a rescue attempt. A deliberate, hard movement. I went over the edge while she stayed on dry ground.
The guest picked up the phone a moment later. That was why nobody had recognized the clip when it first appeared among hundreds of party videos.
Owen covered his mouth. Tessa watched beside me, her hands folded so tightly her knuckles whitened.
"There," she whispered. "That's what I saw."
Ellis explained that the video would be authenticated and reviewed with the rest of the evidence. A prosecutor would make decisions about charges. I appreciated her caution. After weeks of lies, I wanted nothing I couldn't stand behind.
Soon afterward, Serena was charged in connection with the attack and the efforts to intimidate a witness. Graham faced a separate financial investigation. Arrests and charges weren't the end of either case, but the story was finally being told without Serena controlling the microphone.
Owen attended the hotel board meeting where his sister's authority was formally revoked. He came home drained and pale.
"She called me a traitor," he said.
"What did you say?"
"I told her being my sister never gave her permission to hurt my wife."
I waited for the familiar qualification. It didn't come.
At thirty-six weeks pregnant, I could feel June turning beneath my ribs as if she were making up her own mind about the world. My doctor said everything looked reassuring, though we'd keep a close eye on my recovery.
That night, after Owen fell asleep, I received a final message from Serena's old number.
You think the truth fixes what he did to you?
May you like
I looked at my husband, then at the long line of messages he'd never sent when I needed him to speak.
The awful thing was that Serena had finally asked a fair question.
