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“So, it wasn’t you?” What the...? No one ever fights back. “Who was it then? Did they find you a stunt double? Or maybe they found you an identical twin?”
“Well done, Sherlock. Maybe you can figure out the rest. It’s not that hard.”
For a heartbeat or two I hold Stephi’s gaze. Then, I stand slowly, carefully, and walk to the ensuite, gather my dress, and toss Stephi’s dress at her. I walk into the bathroom and slam the door.
I sink down to rest my hips on the roll top bath. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit together. This was Mimi’s mistake. For whatever reason, Mimi hadn’t spoken to Sean like I’d asked her to. I’d specifically asked Mimi to check if he got my message, because the plan had always been to announce our engagement to the rest of the world that night. No wonder he’s doing everything he can to keep Krystal in the public eye when he knows I hate it. To have witnessed that must have been awful for him. Why had he forgiven me? I wouldn’t have forgiven him.
I unzip the bag and pull out the burnt orange taffeta bridesmaid dress. Somehow, I have to make amends, and that starts by building a bridge with Stephi. I don’t know how, but I mull it over as I step into the princess skirt and pull the strapless dress up over my chest. It’s then that I realize I need help with the zipper because I can’t twist and stretch to fasten it myself.
I ruefully open the door. Wrapped in a fountain of burnt orange taffeta, Stephi looks stunning and so very grown up. It’s hard to believe she’s just a freshman in high school.
“Would you mind helping with the zipper?” I ask. Stephi rolls her eyes impatiently. “I can’t reach.”
I gather my hair and turn around, ready to brace for Stephi’s reaction. She doesn’t disappoint. She shrieks, “Oh my god! How did you get that scar?”
Sean and I were too busy tearing each other's clothes off and getting horizontal last night to bother with the lights. If Sean saw the scar, he hadn’t said anything.
“Skiing.” I sigh as the zipper slides all the way up with very little problem. The dress is slightly too big. I turn around to Stephi. “When I was in Switzerland last year.”
“I don’t understand. What’s going on, Ashleigh?”
“If I tell you the truth, you can’t tell anyone Stephi, not even your Dad.” I take her hands in mine, gently pull her to the bed. “I need to be the one to explain it because he’s going to take it badly.”
“He… he doesn’t know? But why? I thought you were engaged?”
“We’d agree we were going to tell everyone about our engagement when I came back from Switzerland. But it’s okay that he told you. It would’ve been awful for you finding out in the press. Trust me. I know how it is. My Mom and Jackson didn’t tell Mimi and me when they got married. We found out in the press just like everyone else.”
I take Stephi's hand and run her fingertips along the ridge in my hair where my skull was opened. Her eyes widen. “What’s that?”
“Another scar. A head injury. The scar on my back, the flat shoes, and the crutches you saw me with, they’re all because I’ve been in Switzerland recovering from an accident.”
“An accident? What kind of an excuse is that? You could have still told dad. Why did you agree to marry him if you couldn’t trust him with a secret like that?”
“I … couldn’t,” I whisper. “I was supposed to present the award to Mom, but I fell and the doctor at the hospital wouldn’t let me fly. So Mimi went to the ceremony in my place instead. She was Krystal that night, not me. I tried to call your dad. But he was already on the flight to LA, so he didn’t answer.”
Stephi narrows her eyes and sighs impatiently.
“I collapsed,” I continue. “I fell down some stairs and was unconscious. They found out I had a bleed on my brain. So they operated. I've never had general anesthetic before. No one knew I’m allergic to it, so that complicated the surgery further. By this time your dad had already seen Mimi sucking face with Justin.”
“I don’t understand. Why didn’t someone tell him the truth?”
“I don’t know. But I couldn’t. I… I wish I could’ve… I wish I could have answered his calls… Stephi.” My voice breaks. Tears fill my eyes. “I tried. As soon as I woke up, I tried to call. It was too late. He wouldn’t answer my calls.”
“He was mad at you. You cheated on him. You broke his heart, and then you ignored him and acted like he never existed at all.”
“I didn’t!” I cry out. “I’d never cheat on him. Stephi, I love your dad. I don’t know how to tell him that I didn’t answer his calls because I was in a coma.”
“What?” The color drains from her face.
“I don’t know why someone didn’t tell him.” I try not to smudge my makeup as I wipe my eyes. “They didn’t tell Darryl or Julia either. Not until after I’d woken up. By then it was too late. Your dad was too angry to discuss me with anyone.”
“But it wasn’t in the news. Or on socials. If that were true, it would be on social media for sure.”
“I didn’t want the press to find out, not before your dad. So Mimi carried on being Krystal. I’ve been in Switzerland recovering. I came home on Wednesday, specifically for the wedding. I wasn’t even supposed to be on TV that night. Mimi was, but she fainted so I did the interview.”
“And that’s why you flipped out?” Stephi asks. “Because you found out about Krystal and Justin when he proposed?”
I nod gently. “I was mad at Sean. He gave me the silent treatment. It took twelve months to find out what I did wrong. Things haven’t made much sense this weekend. Your dad is acting like a guy whose fiancée cheated on him, and I’ve treated him like a man who abandoned me when I needed him the most. But you’ve just confirmed for me, my suspicion that he doesn’t know what happened to me is correct.”
