Chapter 6: The Phone That Should Not Exist
Nobody moved.
The phone continued ringing.
A sharp, repetitive sound cutting through the silence of the reception hall.
Everyone was staring at it.
The guests.
Claire.
Marlene.
Elena.
Richard.
And Weston.
Especially Weston.
Because he looked like he had just seen a ghost.
Again.
I watched him carefully.
Three months ago, he had become a ghost himself.
Now there was a phone on a table with his name flashing across the screen.
A phone that shouldn’t exist.
“What is that?”” Claire whispered.
Nobody answered.
Weston took one slow step forward.
“Don’t touch it.””
The command was immediate.
Almost desperate.
That made my heart race.
“Why?”” I asked.
He looked at me.
“Because it means someone wants us to.””
I stared at him.
“You’re telling me a phone is dangerous?””
His jaw tightened.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
My voice sharpened.
“I really don’t.””
I looked around the room.
“And that seems to be the problem.””
The phone kept ringing.
Finally, Richard smiled.
Not a friendly smile.
A satisfied one.
“You always were predictable, Weston.””
Weston turned toward him.
“You knew this would happen.””
Richard shrugged.
“I knew eventually you would run out of places to hide.””
The guests nearby started whispering.
The wedding had completely stopped.
The perfect celebration had become a room full of confused strangers watching a disaster unfold.
Marlene stepped forward.
“Richard, this has gone too far.””
Richard looked at her.
“Has it?””
His tone was calm.
Almost amused.
“You were always the emotional one, Marlene.””
Her face changed.
“You have no right to talk about my son.””
Richard smiled.
“Your son made his choices.””
Weston moved between them.
“Leave.””
Richard laughed softly.
“Still pretending you’re in control.””
The phone stopped ringing.
For one second, the silence felt worse.
Then the screen lit up.
A new message.
Weston looked at it.
I saw the fear return.
“What does it say?””
He didn’t answer.
“Weston.””
Slowly, he picked up the phone.
His hands were shaking.
He looked at the screen.
Then his face went completely blank.
“What?””
Claire moved closer.
“Show me.””
Weston turned the phone away.
“No.””
That single word told me everything.
“Give it to me.””
He looked at me.
“Juniper.””
“Give it to me.””
“Please.””
I almost laughed.
Not again.
Not another secret.
Not another person deciding what I could handle.
I grabbed the phone from his hand before he could stop me.
The message was short.
Only one sentence.
*You should have stayed dead.*
Below it was a photo.
My breath stopped.
It was taken moments earlier.
A picture of me standing beside Weston in the reception hall.
Taken from above.
Someone had been watching us.
Someone was close.
Very close.
I looked up immediately.
The room was full of faces.
Every person became a possibility.
The photographer.
The guests.
The staff.
Anyone.
My hands went cold.
“Someone is here.””
Weston nodded.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
“I don’t know.””
I looked at him.
“You always say that.””
His expression changed.
Because he knew I was right.
Before he could answer, Elena rushed into the room.
She looked terrified.
“Juniper.””
Everyone turned.
Weston’s eyes narrowed.
“Elena, what are you doing here?””
She ignored him.
“Did you receive a message?””
The question made my stomach tighten.
“How do you know?””
She looked at the phone.
Then closed her eyes.
“Because I received one too.””
She pulled out her phone.
The screen showed a message.
Same number.
Same time.
I stepped closer.
“What did yours say?””
Elena hesitated.
Then turned the screen toward us.
*Tell Juniper the truth before he tells her the wrong version.*
Weston stared at it.
His face changed.
“What does that mean?””
Elena looked at him.
“I think someone wants us to fight.””
Richard laughed quietly.
Everyone looked at him.
“You know something,” Weston said.
Richard adjusted his cufflinks.
“I know many things.””
“About the messages?””
“Maybe.””
“Who sent them?””
Richard smiled.
“You still don’t understand the game.””
I hated how calm he was.
“How many people are involved?””
Richard looked at me.
“More than you think.””
My stomach twisted.
“What does that mean?””
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he looked at Weston.
“You should tell her.””
Weston’s face hardened.
“Don’t.””
Richard ignored him.
“Tell her what happened after the crash.””
The room went silent.
I looked at Weston.
“After?””
He looked away.
That was enough.
“Weston.””
He swallowed.
“I woke up in a hospital.””
The words came quietly.
No one moved.
“I was injured. Confused. I didn’t know where I was.””
“Who found you?””
He hesitated.
“Richard.””
The room changed.
Everyone looked at Richard.
I felt something twist inside me.
“You saved him?””
Richard smiled.
“I did.””
Weston looked at him.
“You didn’t save me.””
“No?””
“You controlled everything.””
Richard’s smile faded slightly.
“Careful.””
Weston stepped forward.
“You found me before anyone else.””
“Yes.””
“You convinced me I couldn’t return.””
“Yes.””
“You told me Juniper would be killed if I contacted her.””
Richard didn’t deny it.
The silence was the answer.
My chest tightened.
“You lied to him.””
Richard looked at me.
“I protected him.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You isolated him.””
His eyes narrowed.
For the first time, his calm expression cracked.
“You don’t understand what kind of people were involved.””
“Then explain.””
He looked at Weston.
“Tell her about the evidence.””
Weston went still.
I noticed.
“What evidence?””
No answer.
“What evidence?””
Weston looked at me.
“I found documents.””
“About Richard?””
“Yes.””
“Fraud?””
“Yes.””
“Enough to put him in prison?””
His silence answered.
I looked at Richard.
“You wanted him gone.””
Richard smiled.
“I wanted the problem handled.””
The room went cold.
“What does that mean?””
Nobody spoke.
Then Claire stepped forward.
Her voice was quiet.
“Weston.””
He looked at her.
“Were you ever going to tell me?””
His face broke.
“Claire.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“I need to know.””
The sadness in her eyes was worse than anger.
“Was I just part of the plan?””
Weston immediately answered.
“No.””
But the speed of his response didn’t comfort her.
It hurt more.
“Then what was I?””
Weston looked lost.
And for the first time, I realized something.
He wasn’t only trapped by fear.
He was trapped by the choices he had made while afraid.
A siren sounded outside.
Everyone froze.
A moment later, the front doors opened.
Two police officers entered.
My heart dropped.
Nobody had called them.
At least not that I knew.
One officer looked around the room.
Then directly at Weston.
“Mr. Hale?””
Weston stepped forward.
“Yes?””
The officer’s expression was serious.
“We need you to come with us.””
The entire room erupted.
“What?””
“Why?””
“What happened?””
Weston looked confused.
“On what grounds?””
The officer pulled out a folder.
“We received new evidence regarding the highway accident three months ago.””
My pulse increased.
Richard became very still.
The officer opened the folder.
“We need to ask you about the identity of the person who died in that vehicle.””
Weston looked at me.
Then at the officer.
“What about it?””
The officer hesitated.
Then said the words that changed everything.
“The person found in that car…”
He looked down at the papers.
“Was identified as Weston Hale.””
Nobody spoke.
I frowned.
“That’s impossible.””
The officer looked at me.
“I agree.””
My blood ran cold.
“Then why are you here?””
The officer closed the folder.
“Because the fingerprints from the body were not Weston Hale’s.””
Weston stopped breathing.
The officer continued.
“And we have just discovered something else.””
He looked directly at Weston.
“The person whose body was buried under your name…”
A pause.
“The same person whose identity was used to fake your death…”
May you like
He swallowed.
“Was your older brother.””
