My fiancé CHEATED ON ME with my own cousin. 5 years later, she showed up at my new wedding…
Chapter 1: The Ghost Under the Vineyard
The Napa Valley in October is as beautiful as an oil painting. Rows of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon grapes stretch as far as the eye can see, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.
Today is the day I, Elena Vance, 32, marry Daniel, a promising District Attorney of San Francisco. This is my second marriage – or rather, my first real marriage since the tragedy of five years ago.
Five years ago, I was engaged to Mark Sterling. We were the golden couple of New York’s financial world. But a week before the wedding, I discovered Mark in bed with Jessica – my closest cousin, the one I considered like a sister. That double betrayal crushed me. I called off the wedding, quit my job, and fled to California to start over.
Today, I stand beneath the arch of white roses, watching Daniel smile. I feel safe.
“Bride and groom, please raise your glasses!” the master of ceremonies shouted.
Applause erupted. I raised my glass of Champagne.
But as I brought the glass to my lips, I saw her.
Standing at the edge of the crowd, right next to the entrance to the outdoor reception area, was a woman in a dazzling red dress – a forbidden color in Western weddings if you didn’t want to declare war on the bride.
It was Jessica.
She wasn’t alone. Beside her, thinner, more gaunt, but still with that familiar arrogance, was Mark.
The glass in my hand trembled, the golden liquid swirling. All the sounds around us seemed to be sucked into an eerie silence.
Daniel noticed my change. He gripped my hand tightly, whispering, “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“They…” I stammered. “They’re here.”
Jessica saw me looking at her. She smiled, raised her glass in a toast, then pulled Mark’s hand and led him straight to the main table. They walked naturally, as if they were VIPs, even though I had never sent them an invitation.
Chapter 2: The Blackmail Wedding Gift
Security approached them, but Jessica said something that made the security guard stop and step back. She walked straight onto the small stage where Daniel and I were standing.
The entire room fell silent. Everyone could feel the tension. My parents in the front row turned pale as they recognized their treacherous niece.
“Congratulations, dear sister!” Jessica said loudly, her voice sharp. She didn’t need a microphone. “Mark and I drove six hours from Nevada just to give you a gift.”
“You’re not welcome here,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “Please leave.”
“Come on, Elena,” Mark said. He looked at me with a greedy, lustful gaze. “We’re family, after all. Besides, we brought something you really need.”
Mark placed a worn leather briefcase on the banquet table, right next to the five-tiered wedding cake.
“Inside,” Mark patted the briefcase. “The original 2018 Vance Investment Fund accounting records. Remember?”
My heart tightened. 2018. The year I was the CFO of Mark’s family business before everything fell apart.
“Five years ago,” Jessica continued, a triumphant smirk on her face. “When I ran away, I left a $5 million deficit in the fund. Mark suffered the consequences, the company went bankrupt, and we were left in hiding. But I… I’m here, married to a District Attorney, living comfortably.”
The crowd began to murmur. Suspicious glances fell on me. My husband, Daniel, frowned, staring intently at the briefcase.
“That’s slander,” I said. “Mark is the one who’s been siphoning off the company’s money.”
“Where’s the proof?” Mark sneered. “All the signatures in the ledger are yours, Elena. I’ve kept it for five years. I was going to report it to the police, but Jessica said we should give you a chance. After all, you’re about to become the wife of a high-ranking official.”
He leaned forward, lowering his voice just loud enough for Daniel and me to hear:
“2 million dollars. Cash. Right now. And we’ll burn this briefcase, disappear forever. Otherwise, tomorrow morning your husband will have to personally sign an arrest warrant for his wife for embezzlement.”
I looked at Mark, then at Jessica. They were worn out, starving. For the past five years they’d been living in debt after spending all the money Mark stole. Now they’re back, using the past to blackmail me, to destroy my newfound happiness.
Daniel squeezed my hand. “Elena, what’s going on?”
I took a deep breath. I looked down at the leather briefcase.
“Mark,” I said. “Do you really want to open that briefcase here?”
“Are you scared?” Jessica laughed. “Scared that your new husband will find out you’re a criminal?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I just want to confirm one thing. You two are blackmailing me, in front of 200 witnesses, including the Supreme Court Justice and the Napa Sheriff sitting at table number 3?”
Mark glanced around nervously, but greed blinded him. “I call this… a civil settlement. $2 million or jail time. Choose.”
Chapter 3: The Undercover Agent’s Twist
I released Daniel’s hand. I stepped in front of Mark and Jessica. I was no longer trembling. Instead, I smiled.
A cold, sharp smile that I had learned from my own years of suffering.
“I choose,” I said.
I picked up the wedding cake knife. Mark took a step back.
My hands were poised for action.
But I didn’t attack him. I used the tip of my knife to pry open the latch of his briefcase.
Click. The briefcase sprang open.
Inside were indeed old, yellowed files. Financial records from 2018.
“See?” Mark exclaimed. “Your signature!”
“Yes, my signature,” I nodded. “But Mark, have you ever wondered why I signed those withdrawal papers? Why would a cautious CFO like me leave such clear traces?”
Mark looked bewildered. “Because… because you’re stupid?”
“No,” Daniel’s voice rang out from behind me. Calm and authoritative. “Because she’s the Whistleblower.”
Mark and Jessica spun around to look at Daniel.
“What did you say?”
Daniel stepped forward and stood beside me. He showed no surprise or suspicion towards his wife. He pulled a badge from his vest pocket.
“Five years ago,” Daniel said. “When Elena discovered you were laundering money for the Cartel through the company, she didn’t run away. She went to the FBI. She agreed to cooperate: Signing papers to help you carry out the transactions, creating a paper trail for us to track.”
Mark’s face turned ashen.
“But… but the company went bankrupt… I wasn’t caught…”
“That was part of the plan,” I continued. “The FBI needed you to lead them to bigger fish. They let you go free, let you spend, let you think you were out. I had to live in hiding, change my name, endure the stigma of being a fugitive embezzler under the Witness Protection Program.”
I looked directly into Jessica’s eyes.
“Cousin, you think you stole my husband? No. I dumped him on you. I needed someone to keep him occupied, to keep him busy and spending money while the FBI set the trap. And you did a great job.”
Jessica’s jaw dropped. She realized she wasn’t the winner. She was just a pawn in the game I’d been playing for the past five years.
“This briefcase,” I pointed to the stack of documents. “It’s the final piece. The FBI has been waiting for you to bring it to light. They need you to confirm that this is the original, and that you’re using it for blackmail. That proves you possess and understand these documents.”
“You set me up!” Mark yelled, lunging towards me.
But he didn’t manage to touch me.
From the guest seating area, the well-dressed men in suits – whom Mark thought were Daniel’s friends – all rose to their feet.
“FBI! Stand still! Hands behind your head!”
It turned out that half the guests at this wedding were federal agents and undercover cops. The wedding was real, my love for Daniel was real, but it was also the perfect trap to ensnare Mark once he walked right into it.
Daniel knew everything. He was the prosecutor in charge of my case five years ago. We fell in love during the investigation.
Chapter 4: The End at the Vineyard
Mark and Jessica were pinned to the grass. Jessica’s red dress was stained with mud and torn. Mark was screaming meaningless curses.
“Elena! You venomous snake! You’ve ruined my life!” Mark yelled as he was handcuffed.
I stepped forward, bending down to look at him.
“No, Mark,” I said softly. “You destroyed yourself the day you slept with my cousin. Do you think I left because I was weak? I left so I could come back on a day like today and watch you lose everything.”
I turned to Jessica. She was crying, her makeup smudged.
“And Jessica,” I said. “Thanks for the wedding gift. With this briefcase, my husband will have an easier time getting you two jailed. I heard the combined sentence for Federal Extortion and Money Laundering is about 20 years.”
The police dragged them away. The sirens blared, shattering the peace of Napa Valley, but to me, it was the sound of liberation.
The guests – true friends and family – began to applaud. At first a few, then a thunderous roar.
Daniel put his arm around my waist. “Are you okay, Mrs. Sterling… oh wait, Mrs. Vance?”
“I’m fine,” I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder. “And I think I like this new last name better.”
I looked at the worn-out leather briefcase lying alone on the table. The past had been packed up and sent away.
I picked up my glass of Champagne and drained it. The wine was sweet, slightly tart, and refreshing.
Five years ago, they stole my wedding.
Today, I used my own wedding to send them to jail.
It wasn’t just justice. It was a masterpiece.
