Chapter 1: The Footage
The ambulance doors slammed shut, taking Sophie away from that cursed ballroom.
I didn’t follow immediately.
Instead, I turned back.
Preston was still standing in the center of the room, though the confidence had drained from his face. Guests whispered now—not about my daughter—but about him.
“You’re not leaving?” my mother snapped.
I walked past her.
Straight to the hotel manager.
A thin man in a navy suit who had watched everything… and done nothing.
“I need the CCTV footage,” I said calmly.
He hesitated. “Ma’am, that requires—”
“Police will be here in less than two minutes,” I cut in. “You can either give it to me… or explain to them why you protected a man who assaulted a child.”
That did it.
Within minutes, we were in the security room.
Four screens.
Multiple angles.
And there it was.
Preston.
Alone near our table.
Looking around.
Then slipping his phone into Sophie’s jacket pocket.
Clear.
Deliberate.
Undeniable.
The manager swallowed. “Should I… save this?”
“No,” I said.
My voice was steady now. Ice cold.
“Send it to every email address registered for this wedding.”
Behind me—
A voice cracked.
“No—wait—”
May you like
Preston.
Too late.
