Page 78 of The Bridesmaid

‘Why would Silky upload this?’ I whisper. My eyes track to the comments below, which already total 10k and are multiplying before my eyes. ‘Can we … is there any way to take it down?’

‘I’m sure the police are working on it,’ says Mark. ‘But that won’t stop people seeing it. It hit one million views already.’

‘But why?’ I demand. ‘Whywould Silky kill Simone? Why would she do that to Simone’s body?’

‘Why would she say it was an accident?’ asks Mark. ‘You don’t accidentally bludgeon someone with a pole.’

‘Silky was a little crazy,’ says Georgia. ‘Maybe it was … somekind of unhinged reaction. Her art was always a manifestation of inner trauma.’

‘I guess … she just overloaded,’ I say finally, wondering why the words aren’t matching my emotions.

Mark folds his arms around me, and I allow myself one last blissful moment of safety. Because I’m certain of what must be coming.

‘I don’t blame you, if you want to call off the wedding,’ I say sadly, my eyes searching his face. ‘My life is crazy.Crazy.’

‘Why would I call the wedding off?’ He shakes his head. ‘I love you, Adrianna. It’s sad about Silky, but this is also good news. Simone’s killer has been exposed. You can have the wedding you always wanted. No security guards lurking in the aisle.’

I lower my voice. ‘You really still want to go ahead with the wedding?’

‘You didn’t think I would?’

I shake my head slowly. ‘No,’ I admit. ‘I figured …’

Mark takes both my hands in his. ‘Do you remember what you told me, when I proposed?’

I give him a small smile. ‘I wanted to know if you really knew what you were asking.’

‘Right,’ he nods sagely. ‘Then you told me, what it means to marry Adrianna Kensington. You said I was going to somehow have to manage to live with fear. The knowledge my wife might be kidnapped if she goes for a walk. The fact that if we have children, we’ll need a security detail to accompany them to school. The nanny might secretly sell pictures of our babies,’ he takes a breath. ‘Remember what I said?’

I smile. ‘You said “I do.”’

‘Exactly,’ he nods, still smiling. ‘And I’m a businessman,remember? I’m used to dealing with high-risk companies.’

‘I love you,’ I tell him, taking a breath, and trying to push back the tears.

Then I catch Georgia’s expression out of the corner of my eye, and reality crashes in. This wedding is far bigger than Mark and me. Georgia knows, more than I do, what this wedding is worth to the family fortunes.

‘It’s OK to cry, Dri,’ says Georgia, a strange look on her face.

‘No, it isn’t,’ I tell her wanly. ‘We have a photoshoot for the sponsor in half an hour.’

Georgia’s eyes switch to mine, stricken.

‘Dri, the fashion sponsor cancelled,’ she says quietly. ‘Silky’s confession – it’s too strong for their brand.’

‘What?’ The word rings out like a gunshot in the luxe dining room.

Chapter Sixty-Two

HOLLY

Having pored over the recovered court documents, Fitzwilliam and I have circled back to the depiction of graffiti on the dormitory wall. It depicts an other-worldly figure; a ghost or a ghoul. I can’t help but draw back slightly at the unsettling image.

‘Adrianna Kensington’s kidnapper styled themselves on graffiti drawn on the school dormitory wall?’ I confirm.

‘More than styled themselves,’ he says, eyeing the court document. It’s a sad hunched figure, etched in black pen. ‘Black cloak enclosing the shape of the body and fitting all the way to the neck. It’s an exact copy.’

My eyes land again on the scratchy words under the image.