CHAPTER 2 — THE THREE LITTLE GUESTS NO ONE RECOGNIZED
The morning of the wedding arrived beneath a cloudless Carolina sky.
Everything about the Prescott estate looked designed for magazine covers.
White roses lined the marble staircase.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled beneath a glass pavilion overlooking the ocean.
Luxury cars stretched for nearly half a mile outside the entrance.
Politicians.
Judges.
Business leaders.
Television cameras.
Every important family in Charleston seemed to be there.
Vivian walked through the reception hall like a queen inspecting her kingdom.
Nothing had been left to chance.
Not the imported champagne.
Not the orchestra flown in from New York.
Not even the photographers positioned to capture Julian's perfect smile.
She wanted the entire country to see what success looked like.
Her son.
Her legacy.
Her victory.
Julian stood alone in a private room adjusting his cufflinks.
He looked flawless.
Black tailored tuxedo.
Silver watch.
Perfect hair.
But when he looked into the mirror...
The man staring back looked strangely empty.
His best friend, Daniel, entered quietly.
"You nervous?"
Julian forced a smile.
"I suppose every groom is."
Daniel wasn't convinced.
"You've looked like someone attending a funeral for the last month."
Julian laughed softly.
"I'm just tired."
"Liar."
Daniel had known him since college.
He recognized the expression immediately.
It was the same face Julian had worn four years earlier...
...the night Clara disappeared.
"You still think about her."
Julian didn't answer.
He simply looked out the window toward the ocean.
After nearly a minute he whispered,
"Sometimes I dream she had children."
Daniel frowned.
"What?"
"I don't know why."
"In every dream..."
"...there are always three."
He laughed awkwardly.
"Ridiculous, right?"
Daniel didn't laugh.
Instead he asked quietly,
"If you had the chance..."
"...would you ask her why she left?"
Julian closed his eyes.
"No."
"I'd ask why she never gave me the chance to find her."
Before Daniel could answer...
Vivian entered.
"There you are."
She adjusted Julian's tie like he were still twelve years old.
"The press will be here in fifteen minutes."
Then she smiled.
"Oh..."
"I invited someone."
Julian barely looked up.
"Who?"
"An old acquaintance."
His stomach tightened.
Something about her smile felt wrong.
"Mother..."
"What did you do?"
Vivian answered calmly.
"Closure is healthy."
Julian's face turned pale.
"You didn't."
"I did."
"You invited Clara."
Vivian's smile widened.
"I thought it would help her move on."
Julian suddenly stood.
"You had no right."
"I have every right."
"She abandoned you."
"She lied."
"She disappeared."
"She chose that life."
Julian stared at his mother.
For the first time in years...
He wasn't certain he believed her anymore.
Meanwhile...
Forty miles away...
Clara buttoned the final button on Emma's tiny blue cardigan.
Ethan proudly straightened his little bow tie.
Ellie twirled in a pale yellow dress until everyone laughed.
They looked like ordinary children.
No one could possibly guess...
That every one of them carried the Prescott bloodline.
Clara wore a simple navy dress.
No diamonds.
No designer label.
No expensive jewelry.
Only a silver necklace her father had given her before he passed away.
Inside her handbag rested a thick envelope.
Medical records.
DNA reports.
Hospital documents.
And one small flash drive.
The recording.
The truth.
Before leaving, Emma tugged gently on Clara's sleeve.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Will there be lots of daddies there?"
Clara smiled sadly.
"I think so."
Emma thought carefully.
Then asked the question that made Clara's heart stop.
"If I see mine..."
"...will he know it's me?"
Clara couldn't answer.
Instead...
She knelt and hugged all three children tightly.
"We're only going to tell the truth."
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
An hour later...
A black taxi rolled slowly toward the entrance of Prescott Manor.
Security guards barely glanced at it.
Just another guest.
The driver opened the door.
Guests turned casually...
Then froze.
A woman in a simple navy dress stepped out first.
Behind her...
Three identical four-year-old children climbed out one by one, holding hands.
The sunlight caught their bright blue eyes.
Someone whispered,
"Those children..."
Another guest frowned.
"Don't they look familiar?"
Julian, standing at the top of the marble staircase, looked toward the entrance.
His heart skipped a beat.
He couldn't explain why.
He had never seen those children before.
Yet something inside him screamed...
Run to them.
Emma looked up at the enormous mansion with wide eyes.
Then smiled innocently.
"Mommy..."
She pointed directly toward Julian.
The handsome groom standing beneath thousands of white roses.
And in a voice loud enough for hundreds of guests to hear...
She asked:
"Mommy... why does that man have my face?"
The orchestra stopped.
The minister lowered his Bible.
Champagne glasses froze in midair.
Every camera turned toward the little girl.
Julian stared at Emma...
Then at Ethan...
Then Ellie...
His own childhood photographs flashed through his mind.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
The same unmistakable Prescott features.
Across the courtyard...
Vivian Prescott's champagne glass slipped from her fingers.
It shattered against the marble floor.
Because she realized something terrifying.
May you like
The secret she had buried for four years...
Had just walked through the front gate holding her grandchildren.
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