Chapter 10: As the evening settled in, the Osprey Lodge’s atmosphere transformed, bathed in the soft, golden glow of candlelight. Guests continued to mingle, now grouped into pairs, exchanging stories, laughter, and the kind of casual chatter that filled the space with an air of false cheerfulness. Amidst the noise and celebration, I slipped Aidan’s phone into my lap, excusing myself under the guise of needing a restroom break, although my real intention was far more urgent. Gwendolyn’s cryptic comments about Catherine Gardner had been gnawing at me, and I felt compelled to uncover more about the woman who was seemingly central to the unsettling undercurrents surrounding the evening.

The lodge was quieter as I navigated the hallways, passing a long line of women waiting to use the restroom. Once I reached the staircase, I made my way up, feeling the weight of my mission. At the top, I knocked on the master suite’s door, but when no one answered, I used Aidan’s phone to unlock it, entering cautiously into a dimly lit hallway. The air in the room was thick with an overpowering stench, and the chaos of discarded clothing scattered across the floor created an unsettling sense of neglect. It was a jarring contrast to the pristine, perfect image of the Gardners I had once been shown.

I was startled to find Catherine Gardner sitting amidst the disarray, far removed from the poised and controlled image I had seen in photographs. Her attire—a stained bathrobe and smudged makeup—left her looking disheveled and completely detached from the reality of the ongoing wedding festivities. She seemed lost in her own world, watching a game show, and when she noticed me standing in the doorway, her confusion was evident. However, upon hearing my connection to Margaret, she quickly attempted to offer me a semblance of hospitality, even though the surrounding chaos made it hard to feel any warmth in the interaction. Despite the mess, she poured gin into glasses, trying to engage in conversation, and she slowly began to open up about her life.

Her words began flowing more freely as she talked about Aidan and the complicated situation surrounding him, particularly the rumors about his relationship with Dawn Taggart. Catherine recounted her own perspective on the events, speaking of Dawn’s sense of entitlement and her claims about their familial bond. As the conversation deepened, a more disturbing truth emerged: Catherine revealed that her husband, Errol, had a history of extramarital affairs, adding another layer of dysfunction to an already strained family dynamic. It seemed that the family’s secrets were buried deep, only surfacing in moments of tension. Catherine then moved the conversation to a dark recollection of her own violent response to Dawn’s demands, an incident that had ended tragically on the stairs, compounding the chaos already surrounding them.

While I struggled to absorb all that Catherine had divulged, it was impossible to ignore the weight of what had been said. But before I could probe further, others arrived and interrupted our conversation. With my mind racing and questions piling up, I pushed for more information about Margaret’s involvement in this unraveling web, but Catherine’s mental state continued to unravel as well, and she became increasingly difficult to understand. Feeling a sense of urgency and confusion, I hastily excused myself, leaving the room with a sense of dread about what I had just learned. The weight of the situation hung heavy as I processed the realization that Maggie’s involvement with Aidan and her connection to the lies were far more complicated than I had initially thought, leaving me with a lingering sense of unease and uncertainty.