«I haven’t liked you since our first night!»…

I didn’t flinch. I greeted them like a hostess should. You made it, I said warmly.

Ashley blinked. Daniel narrowed his eyes. You look different, he said slowly.

Lighter, I replied. It must be the lighting. We made our way to the head table.

My parents sat nearby, my mother giving me a searching look. She had noticed the shift. She didn’t know everything, but she knew enough to stay quiet.

Chloe wasn’t there, of course. I had told everyone she was spending the night at her grandparents’. I didn’t want her to see what was coming.

Not yet. The same one he always delivered, just polished for the occasion. Except this time he couldn’t finish it, because the lights dimmed.

The projector flared to life, and the video began. Not the sweet montage he expected, but the first crack in the porcelain mask he wore. The guests turned in their chairs.

Daniel froze mid-sentence. On screen, he appeared ten years younger, sitting in a cheap suit, laughing into the camera. Of course I married her, he said.

You think I’d pass up a Langford. Laughter. Clinking glasses.

A younger Daniel continued. Her dad’s practically a god in Manhattan. She’s sweet, naive, the kind of woman who says yes before she asks what she’s signing.

The room fell silent. Someone gasped. Someone else dropped a fork.

Daniel’s face twisted. Victoria, turn it off, he growled. But I stayed seated.

Eyes on the screen. This is your moment, darling, I said softly. Enjoy it.

The clip ended. A new one began. This time the hotel surveillance footage.

Daniel and Ashley. Their laughter in the hallway. A stolen kiss in the elevator.

The time stamp? Last Tuesday. Hours after he told me he was in D.C. for meetings. His lies weren’t just exposed, they were immortalized.

He reached for the remote. It wasn’t there, because I had it. Because I controlled everything now.

The video cut to black. For a moment, the ballroom was frozen in that strange, echoing silence where shame has nowhere to hide. Then the screen lit up again, this time with a softer tone.

A bedroom. Dim evening light. And Chloe, sitting cross-legged on her bed.

Holding a stuffed fox in her lap. Mommy, when is daddy coming home? She asked the camera. My voice off screen.

Gently responded. He’s working late tonight, sweetie. Chloe frowned.

He’s always working late. Does he not like being here? There was no script. No edits.

Just truth. Captured in a moment I had once tried to forget. Gasps rippled through the room.

I saw my mother turn away. One hand to her heart. Daniel stared in horror.

Trapped in his own unraveling. And then the sound of Chloe crying. Soft at first, then breaking into a trembling sob as she whispered, did I do something wrong? The video paused on that frame.

Her tear-streaked face. The room was silent except for someone sniffling near the back. Maybe it was Ashley.

Maybe it was me. I couldn’t tell anymore. Daniel pushed his chair back, chest heaving.

This is disgusting, he barked. You’re using our daughter. Don’t, I said, standing now, voice calm but cutting.

Don’t you dare say her name like she’s just a prop in your story. She’s the only reason I waited this long. He tried to speak, but I raised my hand and the final clip began playing.

It was Daniel again, this time in an upscale office, whispering into a phone. No, she won’t see it coming, he said. Once the paperwork is filed, I’ll freeze the accounts.

She’s too busy playing mommy to notice. I didn’t need to narrate anymore. The video was telling the story for me.

I walked slowly to the center of the ballroom, stopping just beside him. You said you married me for legacy, I said, but what you never understood was that my legacy doesn’t come from a name. It comes from knowing when to walk away and when to fight.

I reached into my clutch and pulled out a single envelope, sleek, heavy. I handed it to him without flinching. These are divorce papers.

My lawyers have already secured everything in my name. Your access is gone. The apartment, mine.

The accounts, frozen. The firm, they’ve seen the footage. Daniel looked down at the envelope like it might bite him.

You can’t do this, he said, voice barely audible. You need me. I leaned in just close enough for only him to hear…