Chapter 3

As the sound of police echoed in the background, I wondered if Chase felt even a flicker of sadness at my supposed disappearance. Surely, decades of shared memories couldn't simply vanish?

But there he was, annoyingly handsome and calm. He casually asked, "Is it just the wedding dress?"

"Yes, for now," I replied. "But Ms. Kennedy could be in danger. We can't rule out suicide. We found that the dress..."

Before the officer could finish, Chase interrupted, "I don't know who called this in, but I know Amanda well enough. She'd never take her own life. She's pulled these over-the-top stunts before. You don't need to waste your time on her drama."

The officer was stunned. They'd married yesterday, yet he seemed completely unconcerned about his wife's supposed plight. He hung up before the officer could respond.

I felt an unexpected urge to laugh at myself for ever believing Chase still cared. The police were calling him, and he thought I was playing a game!

Nicole, sly as a serpent, coiled around Chase. "Chase, what if Amanda is really in trouble?"

Chase's brow furrowed. "Yesterday, on the phone, Amanda did sound like she was weakly asking for help."

Nicole continued, "Maybe it's because I tried on her wedding dress earlier. She probably tossed it in the river out of anger. But we're truly in love. I've already pushed my feelings aside to be with you. What more does she want? That dress was designed to my taste anyway. Was she really that petty to get mad over me trying it on? She just tossed away a fortune and is causing a scene at the police station... isn't she deliberately shaming the Reyes family?"

Chase's unease vanished, replaced by his usual disdain for me.

A week ago, I was to try on my wedding dress, only to find Nicole already in it, the design and size altered to fit her. I asked her to remove it—without raising my voice—but my family exploded, insisting it was just a dress. She paraded in the gown, arm-in-arm with Chase, making it seem she was the real Mrs. Reyes.

My family's favoritism stemmed from an incident when Nicole fell into the river at five. Despite my attempts to save her, I hit my head and blacked out. I awoke to find the heir of the Reyes family—Chase—had rescued me, while my sister vanished beneath the water.

That's how Chase and I first met, growing up as childhood friends. At eighteen, Davin brought Chase's stepmother and Nicole into our lives. Back then, Chase couldn't stand her.

At my engagement party three years ago, Nicole suddenly remembered she was the fifth Kennedy daughter lost. Amidst the celebrations, she knelt before me, clutching my gown, and cried, "Amanda, why did you trick me all those years ago and push me into the river?"