“My Bride Walked Down the Aisle Covered in Bandages—When I Touched Her Hand, I Discovered a Horrifying Secret Her Father Was Hiding…”

For three seconds nobody moved. Then Nathan turned toward Dad.

"Where is Mia?"

My nineteen-year-old sister was supposed to stand beside me holding the train of my dress. Her chair near the altar was empty. The little white orchid tied to its back trembled in the breeze from an open door.

"Arthur?" Nathan demanded.

Dad swallowed. "She left the hotel an hour ago. She sent a message saying she needed air."

"Mia doesn't disappear without telling me," I said. The words came out muffled through the bandages, but Nathan understood.

Owen lifted his palms toward the guests. "Everyone, please remain seated. There's obviously been a misunderstanding. Evie had an accident, and emotions are running high."

"An accident?" I asked.

He tilted his head. "That's what Arthur told us."

That was the first lie spoken openly in the chapel, and it came out of his mouth as smoothly as the vows we were supposed to exchange.

Nathan stepped away from me. "Owen, stay right there."

"Why?" His brother gave a tight laugh. "Are we turning our wedding into a police interview?"

"My wedding," Nathan said. "And she says you know something."

At the front row, Nathan's mother, Celeste, rose in a pale silver dress. Her diamond bracelet flashed under the chandeliers. "Nathan, for heaven's sake. Think about the guests."

He did not even look at her. "I'm thinking about Evie."

My chest tightened. Until that moment I hadn't known how badly I needed to hear him say that.

Tessa Ward, my best friend and wedding coordinator, slipped through the flower arrangements carrying her phone. She was usually impossible to rattle. Now her hands shook.

"I called Mia twelve times," she whispered. "Someone answered the last call. A man."

Dad reached for the phone. "What did he say?"

Tessa's eyes filled. "He said if Evie tells the groom what happened, Mia doesn't come home."

Nathan took one step toward Owen. The older man backed into a wall of white roses.

"I haven't touched her," Owen snapped.

"Nobody said you had," Nathan replied.

Across the aisle, an unfamiliar man in a dark suit stood and hurried out through the stone entrance. I recognized the square shoulders and the heavy walk. He had been in the conservatory when I was attacked.