Chapter 3: The Fire That Never Ended
Chapter 3: The Fire That Never Ended
The silence inside the ballroom had become unbearable.
Juliette watched Nathan create more distance between them.
Each step felt like another crack beneath her carefully built life.
"No..."
She reached for him.
"Please listen to me."
Nathan stared at the DNA report.
"I don't even know who you are anymore."
His words struck harder than any slap.
Caroline quietly removed another document from the folder.
"This one is for everyone."
She handed copies to both deputies.
The officers began distributing them to members of the Mercer board, several judges, and Nathan's parents.
Within seconds...
Dozens of wealthy guests were reading the same report.
Across the top appeared one sentence:
Request to Reopen the Malibu Estate Arson Investigation.
Below it...
Photographs.
The burned study.
Destroyed curtains.
Chemical analysis.
Accelerant residue.
Expert conclusions.
Intentional ignition.
Not an accident.
Guests looked at one another in disbelief.
"I remember that fire."
"They said faulty wiring."
"It wasn't..."
A retired judge slowly removed his glasses.
"This report was prepared by a certified arson specialist."
Another guest whispered,
"Someone deliberately started that fire."
Juliette's breathing became uneven.
"Those documents mean nothing."
Caroline ignored her.
Instead, she spoke to everyone else.
"Six years ago, I confronted my sister."
"I had discovered that millions of dollars had disappeared from Mercer charitable foundations."
Several board members exchanged alarmed looks.
"The money wasn't stolen by strangers."
"It was redirected."
"To cover private gambling debts."
Every eye turned toward Juliette.
She felt trapped.
"That's false!"
Caroline continued.
"I confronted her inside our Malibu estate."
"I told her I had evidence."
"I told her I was going to expose everything."
She paused.
"That same night..."
"The house caught fire."
No one interrupted.
"The study door was locked from the outside."
"I pounded on it until my hands bled."
"I screamed."
"No one came."
Juliette closed her eyes.
"Stop..."
"I watched smoke fill the room."
"I thought I was going to die."
Nathan slowly lowered the report.
His face had become emotionless.
Caroline looked directly at her sister.
"You walked away."
Juliette's knees nearly gave out.
"I didn't..."
"You left me there."
"No!"
"I panicked!"
The words escaped before she could stop them.
The ballroom gasped.
Juliette froze.
She had said too much.
Caroline tilted her head.
"You panicked?"
Juliette covered her mouth.
Her eyes widened in horror.
Nathan stared at her.
"You were there?"
Juliette couldn't answer.
Every guest had heard it.
Every phone in the room was now recording.
And for the first time in six years...
The perfect bride realized the fire she thought had buried the truth...
May you like
Had just begun to burn again.
End of Chapter 3
