CHAPTER 2 – The Coffin Beneath the Altar
Nobody breathed.
The knocking echoed through the ballroom like a heartbeat buried beneath polished oak.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The guests stared at one another, waiting for someone to laugh and explain it away.
Instead...
The lights flickered.
The crystal chandelier above the altar swayed ever so slightly.
Sophia took one step backward.
Ethan took one step forward.
His fingers wrapped around her arm with terrifying calm.
"Smile," he whispered.
"Everyone's watching."
She looked into his eyes.
There was no love left.
Only calculation.
Only desperation.
The officiant forced an uneasy chuckle.
"Probably the sound system."
But before anyone could relax...
A loud cracking noise split through the stage.
One of the wooden panels bent downward.
Another sharp knock came from underneath.
This time...
It sounded like someone—or something—was trapped inside.
Several guests stood up.
Phones appeared.
Someone started recording.
Ethan suddenly shouted,
"Nobody move!"
It was too late.
An elderly maintenance worker pushed through the crowd.
"I built this stage yesterday," he said, staring at the floor. "There shouldn't be any hollow space underneath."
His face turned pale.
"There wasn't..."
Before he finished speaking...
CRACK!
The center of the platform collapsed.
The bride and groom stumbled apart as splintered wood crashed into the darkness below.
Dust filled the ballroom.
People screamed.
When it settled...
Everyone saw it.
A large wooden crate.
Not sound equipment.
Not construction supplies.
A coffin-sized shipping box wrapped in chains.
Dark red liquid seeped through the cracks.
The metallic smell hit the room.
Blood.
Sophia's heart nearly stopped.
It was the same crate from the warehouse.
Ethan moved first.
He lunged toward it.
"Don't touch that!"
But four wedding guests, including an off-duty firefighter, held him back.
"Why?" one demanded.
"You seem awfully nervous."
"I said don't touch it!"
For the first time that day...
The perfect groom completely lost control.
His face twisted with panic.
His expensive tuxedo was soaked with sweat.
His voice cracked.
Sophia had never seen him afraid before.
That terrified her more than the crate.
Someone called 911.
Another guest found a crowbar near the stage decorations.
The firefighter slowly slid it beneath the chains.
Ethan roared,
"STOP!"
Nobody listened.
The first chain snapped.
The second fell away.
Then...
The lid creaked open.
The ballroom became so silent that every breath could be heard.
Inside...
Wasn't a body.
At least...
Not exactly.
There was a wedding dress.
Covered in dried blood.
A shattered diamond engagement ring.
Several strands of blonde hair.
And beneath them...
A waterproof folder labeled in black marker:
FOR SOPHIA BENNETT
Her hands trembled as she reached for it.
Ethan suddenly broke free from the guests.
He sprinted toward her.
Before he could reach the folder...
A calm female voice echoed from the ballroom entrance.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Ethan."
Every head turned.
A woman stepped inside wearing a dark coat despite the summer heat.
Her left cheek carried a faded scar.
In one hand she held a police badge.
In the other...
A wedding photograph.
The bride in the picture...
Was Ethan's first fiancée.
The woman looked directly at Sophia.
"My name is Detective Claire Donovan."
She laid the photograph on the coffin.
"I've been looking for this man for eight years."
Then she turned to Ethan.
May you like
"And today..."
"...your second wedding just became your arrest scene."
