I picked up the phone. My thumb was shaking so much that I missed the screen the first time. Then I opened the gallery and pressed play.
The screen displayed Ryan.
That's not my Ryan standing at the altar. A younger Ryan, but the same face, the same voice, the same smile.
Claire stood before him as he slipped a ring onto her finger. Then he kissed her.
A hoarse sound escaped from my throat.
The next sequence began before I could collect my thoughts. Ryan was sitting in a restaurant booth, far too close to another woman. Then another sequence. Another woman. Yet another.
The filming of Claire was shaky, rushed, furious.
Megan put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my God."
For several seconds, I remained frozen in front of the screen, Claire's last words echoing in my head. Then I grabbed the phone, folded the note, and left before completely collapsing in front of Megan.
I cried all the way back and had to stop once because I couldn't see the road because of my tears.
That evening, Ryan came in through the front door, carrying yellow roses and a box of cupcakes from my favorite bakery.
"Hey," he said softly. "I was thinking maybe we could..."
Then he stopped.
Both our families were sitting in the living room. My parents were stiff and pale on the sofa. His mother was standing by the fireplace. And I was standing by the coffee table, Claire's phone in my hand.
"Sit down," I said.
Ryan stared at the phone when I pressed play.
Silence reigned in the room, except for Claire's shaky videos and Ryan's voice coming from the small speaker. By the end of the first video, his face had turned gray. By the second, his mother had sat down without even looking for a chair.
When the third clip was finished, my father whispered, "My God."
Ryan finally spoke up. "I can explain."
" You are welcome. "
He ran a hand through his hair. "I knew Claire before I met you. We went out together. It ended badly."
"Did you love him?"
He looked down at the ground. "At that moment, I believed him."
"So when you met me and realized I was her sister, you didn't say anything."
"I was afraid she'd ruin everything, Alice. When Claire confronted me later, I told her that if she said anything, everyone would think she was just trying to destroy your happiness out of jealousy."
