Chapter 5 - Mallory Quinn Looked Just Enough Like Vanessa

Mallory Quinn was thirty-one.
Vanessa’s maternal half-sister.
Same mother.
Different fathers.
They were not twins.
Not even unusually identical.
But they shared enough features that presentation could close the remaining distance.
Similar height.
Similar coloring.
Dark hair.
Same narrow chin from their mother.
Mallory had spent years working as a professional makeup artist.
She knew contouring.
Hairpieces.
Lighting.
And, more importantly, she had access to photographs of every detail of our wedding through relatives and public posts.
Still, nobody could understand how she obtained the exact reception dress.
Vanessa could.
“There were two.”
“What?”
“The designer made a backup.”
The original had required extensive alterations.
Vanessa’s mother insisted on ordering a second version after a zipper problem during the final fitting.
It was stored at her mother’s house.
Three weeks before the wedding, the backup disappeared.
Everyone assumed it had been moved.
Mallory had taken it.
That meant the impersonation had not been spontaneous.
She had planned it before our wedding day.
The vial confirmed that.
The stolen dress confirmed it.
The locked bridal suite confirmed it.
Everything pointed toward preparation.
May you like
The only question left was why.
---