Emily set her phone down and let out a slow breath. Her mouth felt dry, nerves prickling under her skin.
Just as she’d expected, the party reached its loudest, happiest moment right before everything crashed. Several police officers walked in with Rose Ward, cutting through the noise and laughter. Conversations died off as the officers headed straight for Benjamin Gomez and Isabella Austin, their faces unreadable. Without hesitation, they announced they were arresting Isabella for suspected crimes.
The entire room froze. No one seemed to know what to do.
Benjamin immediately stepped in front of Isabella, his face tight with worry.
Isabella had gone all out with her makeup tonight, but even that couldn’t mask the panic in her eyes. “Wait, what are you talking about?”
Emily put her drink down and watched, her face calm as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.
Standing beside her, Andrew glanced over, studying her with a thoughtful, almost searching look.
The lead officer’s voice was hard and direct. “A few months ago, in the Matthew Ross case, the suspect Isabella Austin was reported killed in a car crash and the case was closed. But now, with new information from the public and solid evidence, we know you are actually Isabella Austin. You faked your death, fled overseas, got plastic surgery, and came back. We need you to come with us.”
Most people in the room recognized the name Isabella Austin. She was Andrew Lane’s wife, the Lane family’s daughter-in-law. Not long ago, Andrew had announced their divorce, but no one had heard a thing about criminal charges. Suddenly, according to the police, her guilt was a done deal and everyone had been in the dark.
Not only was Isabella a suspect, but she’d even changed her face and her name. Now she was Juliana Silva.
Shock rippled through the crowd. People stared at Benjamin, at the woman accused of being Isabella, then at Andrew standing a little ways off.
It was a lot to take in. Some faces even lit up with excitement, like they were watching a real-life drama.

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