Chapter 3: The Funeral That Was Planned Before the Wedding
Daniel sat silently in the back of the police car.
But instead of fear...
He smiled.
Emily saw it through the window.
That smile terrified her more than his arrest.
Because guilty people begged.
Daniel looked... confident.
Almost relieved.
The next morning, every news channel carried the same headline.
"Millionaire Groom Arrested During Wedding Ceremony After Hidden Identity Exposed."
Social media exploded.
Millions watched the videos.
Emily became the woman everyone pitied.
Margaret became the mysterious old lady who had saved the bride.
But behind the headlines...
Something wasn't right.
Detective Ryan Collins visited Emily that afternoon.
"We searched Daniel's apartment."
Emily looked hopeful.
"Did you find evidence?"
Ryan nodded slowly.
"We found something much worse."
He placed a thick black folder on the table.
Inside were photographs.
Not of Emily.
Of other women.
Beautiful.
Successful.
Rich.
Each photo had handwritten notes.
Net Worth.
Family Members.
Insurance Amount.
Medical History.
Emily's blood ran cold.
"What is this?"
Ryan answered quietly.
"You're not his first target."
There were seven women.
Three had disappeared.
Two had died in "accidents."
One had supposedly taken her own life.
The seventh...
Was Emily.
Every victim had one thing in common.
Each had married Daniel—or nearly had.
Each controlled a fortune.
Each trusted him completely.
Emily's hands shook uncontrollably.
"You're saying..."
Ryan finished the sentence.
"We believe Daniel is a serial con artist."
"And possibly... a serial killer."
Margaret quietly closed her eyes.
"I prayed I was wrong."
Emily stared at her.
"You knew?"
Margaret nodded.
"Years ago."
"When Daniel left prison, I thought he wanted a second chance."
"So I gave him everything I had."
"My savings."
"My house."
"My trust."
"He disappeared the next morning."
Emily whispered,
"And you still tried to save him?"
Margaret looked away.
"No."
"I came to save you."
Then Ryan pulled out one final document.
A confidential report.
"The forensic team found something hidden beneath Daniel's garage."
Emily expected money.
Weapons.
Fake passports.
Instead...
Ryan placed a faded wedding ring on the table.
"It's been buried for eleven years."
Emily frowned.
"Whose ring is that?"
Ryan swallowed hard.
"We finally identified it this morning."
He slid over a photograph.
Emily's heart nearly stopped.
The woman wearing the ring...
Looked almost identical to her.
Same eyes.
Same smile.
Same hair.
Same age.
The only difference...
The woman in the photo had disappeared eleven years ago.
Her name was...
Elizabeth Carter.
Emily stared at the surname.
Carter.
Her own surname.
She looked at Margaret in horror.
"My father never told me I had a sister..."
Margaret's face turned completely white.
Then she whispered seven words that shattered Emily's entire life.
May you like
"Because she wasn't your sister... she was your mother."
To Be Continued...
