Chapter 8 - My Father Walked Into My WeddingI had imagined seeing my father a thousand times.
I had imagined screaming.
I had imagined slapping him.
I had imagined asking why.
I had never imagined him walking into my wedding wearing a dark coat and looking at my sister as if she were the child he had left behind.
Paige whispered:
“Dad.”
He looked at her.
“I told you never to come here.”
She stepped closer.
“You were alive.”
“I know.”
“You lied.”
“So did your mother.”
I stepped between them.
“Don't.”
He looked at me.
For a moment, something softened.
“You look like her.”
I hated hearing that.
“Why did Mom tell us you were dead?”
“Because I was dangerous.”
“For us?”
“For everyone.”
“What did you steal?”
He looked at Ethan.
“Ask him.”
Ethan stepped forward.
“You stole from the Hayes Foundation.”
My father nodded.
“And Marcus helped.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I was smarter than him.”
“And Mom?”
“She discovered it.”
“Then she paid him.”
“Yes.”
“To keep you away.”
“Yes.”
My father's voice dropped.
“She saved both of you.”
Paige stared at him.
“You abandoned me.”
He looked at her.
“I thought I was protecting you.”
“You let me believe Clara was your favorite.”
“No.”
“You let me hate her.”
“I never asked you to hate your sister.”
“You never corrected it.”
Silence.
My father turned toward the empty chair.
“She would be furious with me.”
“You think?”
He smiled sadly.
“She usually was.”
Then he looked at the white dress.
“I told her to destroy it.”
My heart tightened.
“Why?”
“Because that dress belonged to your grandmother.”
I looked down.
“What?”
“She wore it when she married your grandfather.”
“This dress?”
“No. The original.”
He stepped closer.
“Your mother had it remade.”
I touched the fabric.
“Why?”
“Because the original contained a hidden seam.”
I looked at Ethan.
The recorder.
“The trap.”
My father nodded.
“Your mother used that dress once before.”
“When?”
“The last time she caught Marcus lying.”
I frowned.
“What happened?”
“He came to the house believing he was meeting Paige.”
I stared.
“He wasn't.”
“No.”
“It was Mom wearing the dress.”
I felt a chill.
“She dressed like Paige?”
“He couldn't tell from the back.”
“What happened?”
“She recorded him.”
“What did he say?”
My father's expression hardened.
“He admitted that he had been blackmailing Paige.”
Paige whispered:
“What?”
My father looked at her.
“Marcus told me you owed him.”
“I didn't.”
“You borrowed money.”
Paige began shaking.
“I thought it was for Mom.”
“It wasn't.”
“Then where did it go?”
My father looked at Denise.
Everybody turned.
Aunt Denise was silent.
My father said:
“Ask her.”
I stared at Denise.
“You took Paige's money.”
“No.”
“You told her the family needed it.”
“No.”
“You told her if she refused, Mom would lose the house.”
Denise's eyes filled with tears.
“I was trying to keep the family together.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You don't understand.”
“Then explain.”
“I borrowed money to save the company.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother wouldn't listen.”
“To what?”
“To the fact that the company was already failing.”
That made no sense.
Ethan quickly opened the ledger.
“The company wasn't failing.”
Denise froze.
“It was profitable.”
My father nodded.
“Which means someone was stealing.”
We all looked at the records.
The missing millions were not missing.
They had been transferred.
And every transfer carried the same authorization.
My mother's digital signature.
I stared.
“She didn't make these.”
“No,” Ethan said.
“Then who did?”
My father's voice was barely audible.
“Someone who had access to her computer.”
I looked toward Paige.
She shook her head.
“I didn't.”
Aunt Denise whispered:
“I did.”
Everyone turned.
She covered her face.
“I did.”
My stomach dropped.
“Why?”
She lowered her hands.
“Because Marcus threatened me.”
“What did he have?”
She looked at Paige.
“The truth about your mother.”
“What truth?”
Denise looked at me.
And said:
“Your mother knew exactly why your father left.”
I waited.
Denise whispered:
May you like
“She wasn't protecting you from him.”
“She was protecting him from you.”
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