[Edward POV]
The paintball ga ca to a satisfying conclusion. The best man won the match and rescued the groom, fulfilling the age-old responsibility that ca with his role.
I returned to my cabin, expecting to get so rest.
Instead, I found my cabin transford into sothing resembling a cri scene.
A splotch of red paint marked the abdon of the wedding dress.
"We—We weren’t aiming for it. But Haley opened the door to see what was going on, and the pellet went inside the room. We didn’t think it hit the dress, but when we checked, we saw the red paint," Maggie explained, her hand trembling slightly.
As everyone had been assigned different-colored paint, I turned toward the gun loaded with red—Amy’s gun.
Haley cried softly, her voice thick with exhaustion. "I was almost done with it. Now it’s ruined."
She had been working non-stop for days to finish the dresses. Heavy bags had ford beneath her eyes from sleepless nights, and her shoulders slumped as if she were carrying the weight of the entire event.
Apparently, she had fallen asleep while working, only to be jolted awake by the commotion.
She opened the door to check—and at that mont, chaos erupted.
Maggie, Amy, Vanessa, and Taylor were in the hallway. Taylor and Maggie were already "out" of the ga, but Vanessa playfully raised her gun toward Amy, triggering a brief burst of chaotic retaliation.
The playful attack lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough for a shot to go astray—straight into Haley’s room.
I glanced inside and noticed several more red splotches scattered around—on the rug, the doorfra, and most concerningly, near the teal-colored satin bridesmaid dresses.
Those had been narrowly spared. But the red mark on the wedding dress’s abdon stood out; it didn’t match the other splatters.
"Hey, Maggie. Can you call Abby here?" I asked Amy gently while she was still crying. Amy nodded, sniffling, and obediently left to find the forensic expert.
"Edward, are you mad?" Amy asked nervously, tugging at my sleeves. Taylor and Vanessa stood frozen, their faces ashen, staring down at the floor in sha.
I smiled gently, trying to ease the tension, and placed a reassuring hand on Amy’s shoulder.
"Oh, you guys don’t have to worry. I used a special type of paint for the pellets—just in case sothing like this happened. I can remove the stain pretty easily with a cleaner made specifically for this, even if it’s on fabric."
The girls visibly relaxed, though none dared to celebrate just yet. Not until they saw the stain actually disappear.
I had actually lied about the solution, but I could remove the stain with a simple spell paired with alchemy. In a way, it was a cleaning solution, though not made with detergent.
A few monts later, Abby entered the room, looking confused about why she had been summoned. But the second her eyes landed on the wedding dress, she raised her hands defensively.
"Whoa! I didn’t do that!"
"I didn’t say you did," I snapped, looking at her in disbelief. "But I am suspicious now."
I quickly explained the situation to Abby, who furrowed her brow as she examined the splatter. She looked just as confused as I initially had.
"So, you saw it too, huh?" I said, crossing my arms and looking at her expectantly.
Haley, still distraught, interrupted. "What do you an, Edward? Can you stop playing around for a mont and get the cleaner already?!"
I took Haley’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Be patient. There’s sothing strange going on here. Also, after this, you should get so rest. I’ll handle it."
Haley blushed slightly, and after a brief silence, she said, "Okay. I will. Can you let go of my hand now?"
"Oh, sorry." I released it imdiately, not even realizing I was holding it.
Abby turned to Amy. "Can you show where you were standing when you—uh—shot the dress?"
"On accident. Emphasis on the ’on accident’ part," Amy groaned, still watery-eyed. Nevertheless, she returned to the exact spot in the hallway as Abby requested.
Abby studied the scene carefully. "This is weird. Look—here’s the paint splatter on the wall. It spreads out evenly, like a proper chaotic burst." She circled it lightly with a pencil she picked from Haley’s book.
"But this one," she said, walking over to the wedding dress and pointing at the splotch, "this one’s different. The splatter trails off to the right."
Everyone leaned in to see what she ant. Abby held up her phone to show a picture she had taken for reference.
"It’s impossible for the pellet to have hit this way if it ca from Amy’s angle," she explained.
She stepped back, retraced the shot line, and then slowly turned toward the open window to the right.
"If the trace bends this way..." Abby trailed off, her voice dropping. She raised her own paintball gun, aligning it with the trajectory. "Then the pellet would’ve been shot from here."
She turned and looked directly at the open window.
"Or from outside the window."
A collective gasp filled the room. I nodded in satisfaction, arms crossed.
"Well, it seems that although you girls were being incredibly reckless and ca this close to ruining the wedding, you’re not actually the culprits here."
Abby smirked, nudging my waist excitedly. "So, if you figured it out, why’d you call over?"
I grinned. "Because if I explained it, Amy would’ve thought I was just trying to make her feel better. She’d still feel guilty, even after the stain was removed. But if you explain it, she’ll believe it."
The tension finally broke, replaced by relieved sighs and the slow return of color to everyone’s cheeks. I glanced around, my tone shifting slightly.
"Now, everyone except Vanessa and Taylor can go back to their cabins. I need to have a serious talk with those two. Privately."
...
Inside my ruined room, I sat on the edge of the bed while the two ladies stood in front of .
"So... mind explaining what happened? Why did you decide to go berserk here?" I asked in a calm tone, though my expression was anything but pleased.
Vanessa opened her mouth but turned to Taylor for support.
Taylor begrudgingly said, "We didn’t plan to co here together. For so reason, Vanessa was tracking ."
"And why are you here in the first place?" I crossed my arms, staring directly at Taylor.
Taylor looked overwheld and avoided my gaze. "I—I ca here to ambush you. That’s it. I was planning to stay here until the ga finished, and then shoot you when you walked in."
"Is that it?" I pressed. Taylor nodded, and I turned to Vanessa. "So you saw her co here, and then you followed her. Even though you have the tools to win the ga, you thought she was more important. Why?"
Vanessa was silent for a mont before she said, "Well... she was acting weird. So I wanted to know what she was planning."
"Is that really it? Because I know what a war-torn scene looks like. This place was a warzone for a few minutes while I was out in the maze. I’m not looking for a reason to get angry with you guys either. I can clean this up pretty easily. So, just tell ."
I looked at them with sincere eyes.
Vanessa and Taylor fell silent. I waited patiently until Taylor finally spoke up. "I was lying on your bed... without my skirt on." Taylor blushed and explained while avoiding eye contact.
I widened my eyes in shock, and Vanessa added, "She said you guys had an arrangent. I got pissed... so I began to shoot."
"Arrangent? What arrangent—Oh, that." My heart skipped a beat as I realized what she ant. I turned to Taylor and said, "I told you we’d stop that whenever one of us got into a relationship."
Vanessa was frazzled and interjected, "So it’s true?! You were sleeping with her for the past two years?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Sotis."
"Oh my god! I can’t believe this!" Vanessa held her head, fuming in anger.
We didn’t date; it was more of a friends-with-benefits situation.
Taylor turned to her and said, "You don’t get to be angry! I get to be angry! You ruined everything."
"You were dating so other guy?!" Vanessa looked at Taylor in disbelief, her voice rising.
Taylor snorted. "Yeah. To make him jealous. But then you snaked him away, you SNAKE!"
Taylor told that she had never even kissed the guys she had dated before. I guessed the Kennedy guy was the sa.
"Hold on! Hold on." I interjected, standing up quickly and positioning myself between Vanessa and Taylor.
I held onto Vanessa but turned to Taylor. "I thought you were okay with it. When I told you I was dating Vanessa, you didn’t say anything. So why bring it up now?"
Taylor shut her mouth and crossed her arms, sitting at the edge of the bed, trying to calm herself down.
Vanessa realized what she was doing and stopped trying to provoke Taylor.
After a mont, Taylor said, "Look. I don’t care that you’re dating Vanessa. But I never thought you guys would go far. I thought you were just doing it."
Taylor turned to Vanessa and said, "I’m sorry. I wasn’t here to seduce your boyfriend—well, maybe a little. I just wanted to know sothing."
"Know what? Whether he’ll still sleep with you even though he has a girlfriend now?" Vanessa replied sarcastically.
"Yes." Taylor responded honestly, leaving Vanessa stunned.
Taylor continued, "I thought I could wait until you guys were over. But when... the incident happened... and I caught a glimpse of what Edward’s real life is like... waiting seems like a bad idea considering he could be dead at any given ti."
Vanessa blinked, Taylor’s words reaching her and making her think.
Taylor turned to Vanessa and said sincerely, "I’m sorry, Ness. Not for what I wanted to do, but because I didn’t tell you first. I like Edward. So I’m going to pursue him."
"What?" I was shocked. Vanessa fell silent for a mont.
I turned to her and asked, "Ness. Are you okay?"
Taylor kept her eyes on Vanessa, waiting for her response. Vanessa sighed and placed her left hand on her hips, saying annoyedly, "Well, I kind of expected this to happen. So I’m not really surprised."
"I am." I raised my hand ekly.
Vanessa ignored and said, "In fact, you’re not the only one. So, I’m going to let this go... for now. Until after the wedding. Then we’ll sit down together and have a serious talk about this... special situation..."
"Can I share my opinion on this?" I said teasingly. Vanessa turned to and said, "No. You may not."
I went to sleep very confused that night. But before I slept, I made sure to remove the stain from the wedding dress, which made everyone’s night better.
...
The next morning.
A pair of one-year-old twin toddlers rushed toward with their weak legs and tugged at my pants the mont I entered my grandparents’ house.
"Aww, they recognize you, Ed." My uncle Aaron’s wife, linda, lted slightly as she saw her sons wanting to pick them up.
I placed the freshly squeezed milk on the table beside the entrance and lifted them both, making them sit on my forearms.
The boys, with heterochromia eyes—one blue and one green—had long blonde hair and were born almost a year ago. My uncle Aaron married again, and his wife beca pregnant soon after.
"Let’s go, Aiden! Noah!" I said excitedly as I brought the boys to the kitchen.
"Gouh—" Aiden raised his tiny fist and yelled, while Noah remained a bit more reserved. They both laughed as I played with them, giggling at every exaggerated face I made, while the entire family enjoyed breakfast together.
"So who won last night?" my grandma asked, sipping her tea.
"Phil won," Uncle Aaron muttered begrudgingly. "I could’ve won if I was there."
He had made the choice to stay in and spend ti with his sons instead of joining the bachelor party. He thought it would just be a lowkey night—maybe scotch and steak. He had no idea there’d be a full-blown paintball war.
"So, you never went out last night, right?" I asked my uncle casually.
He shook his head, chewing on a slice of toast. "Nope."
"Okay. Cool."
After breakfast, I headed outside and found Abby waiting for near the field.
"So?" Abby asked as I approached.
"Everyone has their own alibi. It’s not them," I replied, shaking my head slightly in disappointnt.
Abby and I were still conducting our little investigation into who had really shot the wedding dress last night. Since this was supposed to be a private event—just family and close friends—I hadn’t thought to install any caras or surveillance. That was my mistake.
With Jin, Yuri Alpha, ZeroTwo, and Mikasa guarding the periter, it would’ve been almost impossible for an outsider to sneak in. The problem wasn’t the periter security—it was what was happening inside.
"If it’s not your family, maybe it’s soone from Frankie’s side," Abby guessed. "We need to be able to check their alibis too."
I nodded and began walking in the direction of Frankie’s family cabin. Abby fell into step beside .
"Umm... I’m not going to bring you with ," I said, coming to a stop and turning toward her.
"Why not?! I can be really useful!" Abby widened her eyes, clearly offended.
"It’s not that you aren’t a good partner. It’s just... scandalous for to be walking around with my ex-girlfriend early in the morning while my current girlfriend is still asleep."
Abby rolled her eyes and waved it off. "It’s fine. Vanessa won’t mind."
"Well, that seems to be the recurring the," I muttered under my breath.
Abby raised an eyebrow. "What’s that supposed to an?"
"Nothing... Nothing at all."
Despite my very clear request, Abby followed anyway.
Frankie’s father was sitting at the dining table, scarfing down bacon and eggs alone. He was a balding, middle-aged man with a beer gut and a shirt that was two sizes too small. anwhile, Frankie was chatting with her younger sister, who was autistic.
Jackie had a bob cut and a delicate fra, always smiling with innocent eyes. Since she was a kid, she’d struggled with social interaction, empathy, and understanding taphorical language.
She also had severe sensory sensitivities—especially to sound—so she wore headphones constantly to help keep herself calm. Her favorite thing to do recently was to crank up my songs on her headphones and dance while she painted.
"Hey, Frankie. Good morning," I greeted politely as I stepped inside after knocking.
Frankie turned to imdiately. "Edward, what did you do last night?"
Caught off guard, I replied, "I hosted a paintball ga for the bachelor party."
"That’s unfair. I only had a boring bachelorette party," Frankie pouted playfully.
"Hey, kid. Do you know your dad is forcing her to get a prenup for the wedding?" her father, Fred, suddenly cut in, his voice thick with sarcasm.
Frankie’s smile vanished. She snapped, "I told you, the prenup was my idea. Whether we do or don’t get one, it’s none of your business."
"Really? Then tell —who’s going to raise your sister after I’m dead? Alana would’ve done it, if you didn’t kill her."
Jackie’s face paled. My blood boiled.
"Hey, fatso," I said sharply, venom curling in my voice. "One more word, and I’ll lock you up in the barn with a horned-up bull."
Jackie jumped up, panicking. "Please don’t fight! Please don’t fight! It’s a wedding. Weddings are happy. Please don’t fight."
Fred scoffed and turned back to his al, chewing with all the elegance of a garbage disposal.
I crouched beside Jackie and gently patted her shoulder. "We’re not fighting. We’re just... having a tough discussion, that’s all."
"Please don’t fight... Please don’t fight..." she kept repeating, her breathing shallow. It took a while, but eventually Frankie managed to calm her down.
That’s when I noticed it.
In the corner of the living room—barely visible amidst the commotion—was a colorful ss of brushes, water cups, palettes, and drying canvases. Paints. Several tubes, all in different shades. A few were open, red sared at the edges.
Jackie’s artwork. She had painted a cow, so horses, and even a hayfield.
"Jackie, that’s a really great painting," I said, sincerely. I wasn’t being facetious. She really was a talented painter.
She bead and said excitedly, "I made another one last night. Do you want to see it?"
"Sure. I’d love to."
Jackie dashed to her bedroom, and when I saw the new painting, I felt a jolt.
"It’s the wedding dress." My heart skipped a beat. There it was, the sa dress, drawn in detail—and stained with red paint in the exact sa spot.
She was there that night.
Later that afternoon, just before the wedding rehearsal, the final batch of guests finally arrived.
Sage walked slowly, lugging her suitcase across the gravel. Vanessa and Abby were walking beside when I finally spotted her.
"Oh, Edward. Anna is—" Vanessa began, but paused, confused to find I had vanished from her side.
Both she and Abby stared in disbelief as they watched sprint toward Sage.
"You didn’t answer my calls for a week!" I yelled, charging forward and putting her in a headlock.
"Let go, you brat. I said... let go!" Sage barked, flabbergasted. She turned and used a judo shoulder throw on .
I managed to plant my feet just in ti, stopping my body from slamming to the ground—but the awkward position left at an unfortunate angle. She was wearing a sundress, and the wind chose that mont to blow.
From my point of view, I saw everything.
"EDWARD!" Both Abby and Vanessa shouted in sync, clearly pissed. Vanessa wasted no ti and reported the incident to my grandma.
Which earned a long lecture about how not to be rough with won... at least not until the dinner rehearsal.
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