Who Left You Out Here

David’s hands trembled slightly as he pulled Emma closer, checking her over frantically for any sign that she was hurt, that this had been more than simply frightening and cold. Her small body shook against his chest, sobs coming in short, exhausted bursts, the kind that came from a child who had been crying far longer than anyone had noticed. “You’re okay,” David murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, his own voice unsteady despite his best efforts to stay calm for her sake. “I’m here now. I’ve got you.” Behind them, a few curious guests had begun to notice the commotion, drifting toward the open doors with expressions caught somewhere between concern and simple curiosity. David barely registered them. His entire focus remained fixed on his daughter, on the tear-streaked face still buried against his shoulder, on the small hands still gripping his jacket like she was afraid to let go. “Who left you out here?” he asked again, gentler this time, though the urgency beneath the question hadn’t faded in the slightest. He needed to know. He needed to understand how his daughter had ended up alone and locked out during what was supposed to be the happiest day of his entire life. Emma pulled back slightly, her tear-filled eyes meeting his, her lower lip trembling as she visibly gathered the courage to answer him. She’d been taught to be polite, to not cause trouble, to not say anything that might upset the adults around her. But something in her father’s expression told her it was safe now, that whatever she said next wouldn’t get her in trouble. She took a shaky breath, her small voice barely above a whisper as the words finally came. Behind David, unnoticed by either of them in that moment, Isabelle had begun making her way toward the doors, her expression carefully composed, entirely unprepared for what her stepdaughter was about to reveal in front of an entire room of wedding guests.