The True Killer Lurks at the Wedding Altar

1
I returned from my tour of duty to find that my sister, the only family I had left, had died under mysterious circumstances during a routine appendectomy.
After twelve official appeals to the hospital were rejected, I went underground for three years. I clawed my way into the life of the citys wealthiest family, the Thornes, and became the fianc of their heiress.
At the altar, during my own wedding, I put a bullet through my father-in-law's chest.
Amid the screams of the wedding guests, I dragged his bleeding wife onto the dais and pressed the barrel of my gun to her temple.
Celeste, I said to my bride, you have fifteen minutes to give me the name of the person who murdered my sister three years ago. Judging by the bleeding from your mothers femoral artery, thats all the time she has left.
My fiance sobbed, begging me to stop. Her adopted brother screamed that he would see me rot in prison for the rest of my life.
I ignored them. I pulled the trigger again, sending a round through my mother-in-laws left arm.
The clock is ticking. You have ten minutes now.
I knew, with absolute certainty, that my sisters killer was in this room.
Another shot rang out, and the wedding reception dissolved into pure chaos. People screamed and scrambled for the exits, some collapsed in fear, while others huddled in corners, staring at me in horror.
My fiance, Celeste Thorne, fought to control her trembling and took a shaky step forward. Her voice was a strained whisper, trying for calm. Jaxon, please, calm down We are all heartbroken about what happened to Phoebe. But you cant hurt innocent people like this. You were a soldier. You know better than anyone that violence solves nothing Your sister wouldnt want to see you become this.
Before she could finish, her adopted brother, Elias, lunged forward, roaring with fury, only to be held back by the bodyguards. His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at me, spitting venom. Jaxon! Are you out of your goddamn mind?! Your sister died because she hid her anesthesia allergy! The hospitals conclusion was final! Your twelve appeals were all rejected because the evidence was irrefutable! You planned this, didnt you? You wanted to ruin my family! My parents treated you like a son, and this is how you repay them?!
Hearing this, the guests began to murmur their agreement, their voices a mixture of contempt and fear.
Is he insane? His sister died, so he gets to blame everyone else? Kidnapping and murder? Hes a monster!
I heard she didnt tell them she was allergic to the anesthetic. The hospital explained everything, but he refused to believe it. He filed a dozen complaints and got nowhere, and now hes doing this?
If twelve appeals failed, it must have been an accident, right? If there was a killer, they would have found them by now!
They had their version of the truth. I had mine.
My sister, Phoebe, would never have hidden her allergy.
Our parents died when we were young. I was sixteen when I started raising my ten-year-old sister on my own. She was frail, always sick. Every pill, every injection, she was meticulously careful, terrified of something going wrong.
The day I left for basic training, I stroked her hair and made her promise. Listen to me. No matter what, if you ever have surgery, you tell them about your allergy. Dont you ever forget.
She nodded fiercely. I know, Jaxon. I promise.
The day of her appendectomy, I was on my final mission. I couldnt be there. All I could do was call and remind her one last time.
Dont worry, big brother, shed said, her voice bright with laughter. Ive already told the doctor everything.
But when I came home, all that was waiting for me was her cold, lifeless body.
The hospitals official cause of death was cardiac arrest due to an allergic reaction to anesthesia. I didnt believe it.
I demanded an autopsy. The medical examiner made a horrifying discovery: Phoebes heart was missing.
When I confronted the hospital director with the report, he just laughed and tore it to shreds. Dont be ridiculous, Jaxon. Your sisters body was already cremated. What proof do you have that her heart was gone?
I stormed down to the morgue, but it was too late. Her body was already being pushed into the incinerator.
The next day, the medical examiner who had found the missing heart changed his story completely, insisting hed never seen any such thing.
I went back again and again, demanding answers. Each time, the director had security throw me out. The last time, he stood on the steps, looking down at me with contempt. Give it up, Jaxon. Youre a nobody in this city. You cant move the mountains that stand in your way.
I tried going to the authorities, to the media, but no one would listen. It was only later that I learned the truth. The hospital was owned by the Thorne family, the wealthiest and most powerful family in the city. They were the ones burying the story.
Everyone told me to let it go. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw my sisters pale, lifeless face.
She would never forget her allergy. And her heart wouldnt just vanish into thin air.
So today, the Thornes were going to give me an answer. I tuned out the accusations, the curses, the pleas. After three years of planning, I knew everything. But I was just one man against an empire.
Thats why it had to be today. At Celestes wedding, in front of every news camera in the city, under the watchful eyes of the entire world, I would force them to confess.
My gaze swept over the sea of cameras, my voice cutting through the noise, cold and clear. Your mother has eight minutes left before she bleeds to death.
Panic finally broke through Celestes composure. She staggered forward, her voice trembling. Jaxon please dont hurt my mother shes all I have left! She spun around and screamed, Get the director! Now!
A moment later, the hospital director, who had been a guest at the wedding, was dragged to the front. He wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to appear calm. Mr. Jaxon, Ive explained this countless times Your sisters death was a tragic accident caused by her failure to disclose her allergy. That is the undeniable truth.
He shakily pulled a stack of documents from his briefcase and spread them out before me. Id seen this so-called proof a hundred times before: falsified anesthesia records, forged consent forms, testimony from bribed doctors a web of carefully constructed lies.
I let out a cold laugh and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The bullet tore through his wife's wrist, and blood sprayed across the white tablecloth.
Six minutes, I said calmly.
Elias completely lost it, screaming as he tried to break free from the guards. Youre insane! Youre a monster! We gave you the proof, what more do you want?!
I looked at his contorted face and smiled. You cant bear to see your mother suffer, can you, Elias? Did you ever stop to think that when my sister died, she didnt even have a complete body left to bury?
The room erupted.
Hes seen the evidence! He just wont accept it!
This is a paranoid delusion! Does he think he can just ignore the law?!
Where are the police? They should just shoot this maniac on sight!
The insults washed over me, but I didn't flinch. My eyes were locked on the director, my voice like a poisoned blade. I want the real killer. I want the evidence youve worked so hard to hide. Stop trying to fool me with these forgeries, or the next bullet will be fatal.
The directors face was ashen. He kept glancing nervously at Celeste, sweat beading on his forehead. I knew he was close to breaking.
Seeing this, Celeste slowly approached, her hands raised in a placating gesture. "Jaxon, I understand your pain. What do you want? We can form a special investigation team, right now, to reopen your sisters case."
She kept talking, inching closer with every word. "But an investigation takes time. Why don't you let my mother get medical attention first? Or you could take me as a hostage instead."
I watched her performance with cold eyes, my gaze flicking to the unnatural bulge at the side of her wedding dress. It was the distinct outline of a handgun.
I had spent three years learning everything about Celeste Thorne. She wasn't just a business powerhouse; she was a black belt in taekwondo and a crack shot who held the record at her private gun range.
A smirk touched my lips. "Did you really think I didn't know your right hand is three inches from your holster, Celeste?"
I deliberately moved the barrel of my gun, aiming it at her mothers chest.
"Take one more step, and your mother will bleed out in thirty seconds."
Celestes pupils contracted. She froze. Behind her, the bodyguards tensed, their fingers on their own triggers. The air in the ballroom was thick enough to choke on, broken only by the pained moans of the woman on the stage.
I noticed the director trying to sneak away into the crowd. "Director, stop right there!" I barked.
Every head in the room turned to watch the cowardly man.
It seems our esteemed director knows where the real investigation should begin.
Celestes expression flickered. She shot a look at her bodyguards. Two of them immediately seized the director and dragged him back. His white coat was soaked with sweat, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
Five minutes.
I stared at my watch, my voice terrifyingly calm. Your mother has five minutes left. Director, are you going to watch your bosss wife die in front of you, or are you going to tell us what really happened in that operating room three years ago?
"I have all the time in the world to play this game, Celeste. Your mother doesn't."
"What's it going to be? Are you really willing to sacrifice your own mother to protect a criminal?"
My words struck a nerve. Celestes hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into fists, her whole body trembling. The directors face was slick with sweat as his eyes darted between me and Celeste.
Just as she was hesitating, biting her lip, the main doors of the ballroom burst open.
Elias, who had slipped out at some point, strode back in, dragging a familiar figure with him.
He grinned maliciously. "Jaxon! If you won't believe us, surely you'll believe her!"
My hand, the one holding the gun, went rigid.
Standing next to Elias was Clara, my childhood sweetheart. She was wearing a simple white dress, her eyes red and swollen as she looked at me. The girl who had promised to spend her life with me was now standing with my enemies.
Her voice was choked with tears. "Jaxon please, put the gun down. You always dreamed of being a soldier, of protecting people. How can you hurt innocent"
A sharp pain lanced through my chest. This was the girl my sister and I had treated like family. "Clara, do you remember when Phoebe was fifteen? How she worked three secret jobs to save up and buy you that dress you wanted for your birthday?"
Claras fingers twisted the fabric of her dress.
"Do you remember when your father was in the hospital? Who stayed with him every single day for two weeks? It was Phoebe." My voice grew colder. "And this is how you repay her? By helping them cover up her murder?"
The ballroom was dead silent. I couldnt understand it. How could everyone, even Clara, be protecting the killer?
Clara avoided my gaze, but her voice was firm. "Jaxon, Phoebe really did die because of her allergy I'm not lying to you. The hospital isn't lying. I was there. I saw her sign the consent form with my own eyes"
"Is that so?" I sneered. "Then where is her heart? Does an allergic reaction make your heart disappear?"
I tried to keep my voice steady, but the slight tremor in my hand betrayed me. "Clara, look me in the eye and tell me you're telling the truth. Do you have proof? Or is someone forcing you to lie? Don't be afraid. Today is our chance. I will get justice for Phoebe!"
Clara kept her head down, her voice barely a whisper as she pulled a folder from her bag. "I do have proof!"
She shakily unfolded a single piece of paper.
As the page opened, the blood in my veins turned to ice.
Claras voice was thick with tears. "Jaxon Phoebe left this It's a suicide note."
"It says it right here"
I stared at the familiar handwriting.
Brother, Im so sorry. Because of my carelessness, I cant be with you anymore. I want to donate my heart to someone who needs it, so they can live on and stay by your side for me
Every word was a needle in my heart. It was Phoebe's handwriting, down to the little hook she always put at the end of her sentences.
For a single, terrifying moment, I faltered. My fingers trembled. Could I have been wrong all this time?
But as my eyes scanned the page, I saw the last line.
I hope you can forgive me, brother I wont be able to share a big seafood feast with you anymore.
My pupils constricted.
BANG!
Another shot echoed through the hall. Celeste's mother now had a bleeding hole in her other arm.
My voice was like a shard of ice. "I don't accept this note."
"You have two minutes left, Celeste."
The room exploded.
Clara was frantic. "Jaxon! She really wrote this! Please, just turn yourself in! With your service record, they'll go easy on you"
Celeste jumped in immediately. "Jaxon, if you let my mother go, I promise I won't press charges. You can still be my husband"
The crowd's curses rained down on me.
"He's still denying it, even with the proof right in his face!"
"His sister got herself killed, and now he's trying to extort them!"
"Scum! Profiting off his own sister's death!"
Eliass face was purple with rage. "Jaxon! We have a witness and a note! What more do you want?!"
I ignored the noise, my eyes locked on Celeste.
After a few moments, sweat began to bead on her forehead. Her lips trembled. I knew she was at her breaking point. Her mother's life was in my hands.
Just then, the sound of sirens grew louder, closer.
The doors burst open again, and a SWAT team swarmed the ballroom, weapons raised.
What broke my heart, what truly shattered it, was that Celeste didn't hesitate for a single second. "Shoot him!" she screamed at the police. "Shoot him! I want him dead!"
In that moment, it felt like my soul was being torn in two. For three years, I had pretended to love her, pretending to care. But routine becomes reality, and somewhere along the line, I had started to believe it myself.
And she, without a second thought, had just ordered my execution.
Outnumbered and outgunned, I was quickly subdued.
Celeste instantly regained her composure, her voice dripping with aristocratic disdain. "It's no use, Jaxon. Your sister died because she was careless. No amount of threats will change that."
I didnt say anything. I just let out a short, sharp laugh.
The room erupted in cheers.
Good! They got him!
He got what he deserved!
They should execute monsters like him!
The director, Celeste, and Elias all breathed a collective sigh of relief, waiting to see me break.
But all they saw on my face was cold, burning hatred.
Seeing that I was still defiant, Elias snarled, "You're going to rot in prison for this!"
"And my sister was supposed to just die for nothing?" I shot back, my voice raw. "She was so careful she read the ingredients on a bottle of cold medicine! How could she forget about an anesthesia allergy?"
Died from hiding an allergy? It was a pathetic lie. These butchers weren't going to get away with it. This was far from over.
Just as they thought they had won, the SWAT team leader's voice boomed through the hall.
"It's a fake! The hostage is a hyper-realistic doll!"

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