Chapter 4: The Question He Refused to Answer
Marcus stared at the message on Tiana’s phone as if the words might disappear if he refused to acknowledge them.
“What happened the last time she asked you for a divorce?”” I repeated.
He glanced at the guests, then at my father, who remained standing beside the head table. The reception hall was still brightly lit, every crystal chandelier sparkling above the silent tables. A waiter stood near the champagne station with a tray balanced in both hands, unsure whether to move.
Marcus lowered his voice.
“Naomi, this isn't something we should discuss in front of strangers.””
“Those strangers watched you promise to love me forever less than an hour ago.””
“They're our family and friends.””
“Then stop treating them like an audience you need to impress and answer me.””
His jaw tightened.
Tiana placed her phone on the table, keeping one finger against the screen.
“Danielle told me she asked Marcus for a divorce twice,” she said.
“The first time, he agreed. The second time, he said he needed more time.””
Marcus turned toward her.
“You have no right to repeat private conversations.””
“And you had no right to lie to Naomi.””
“I never lied about loving her!””
“That isn't what she asked you.””
He struck the table with his palm.
A champagne flute toppled onto its side, spilling sparkling wine across the white linen. My mother gasped. Marcus barely looked at the spreading stain.
“Everybody needs to stop acting like I'm some kind of criminal,” he snapped.
“I filed the paperwork. I was trying to end the marriage properly.””
I stared at him.
“Then why didn't you tell me it wasn't finished?””
“Because I knew you'd react exactly like this.””
The sentence silenced him almost as soon as he said it.
I felt something inside me go very still.
Not because I had stopped hurting.
Because I had finally heard the truth beneath every excuse.
He hadn't kept quiet because he was confused. He hadn't forgotten to mention a minor complication. He had made a decision about what I was allowed to know, then blamed me for how I might react if I found out.
I picked up the ring from the table and closed my fingers around it.
“You knew this mattered to me.””
“Of course I knew.””
“You knew I wouldn't marry someone who was still legally married to another woman.””
Marcus looked down.
“And you decided to let me find out after I walked down the aisle.””
“I thought the divorce would be finalized before today.””
“You keep saying that as if it changes what you did.””
He dragged a hand over his face.
“Naomi, I had a lot going on. Danielle and I had a complicated separation. There were things we hadn't resolved.””
“What things?””
“Financial things. Legal things. Old disagreements.””
“Which ones?””
He hesitated.
I waited.
He adjusted his cuff, though it was already perfectly straight.
“It's not as simple as one person asking for a divorce and the other signing a paper.””
“No,” I replied.
“Apparently, it's much simpler to lie to the woman you're asking to marry you.””
Tiana's eyes flickered toward me. She didn't interrupt.
Marcus stepped closer.
“I wanted a new life with you.””
“Did Danielle know that?””
His silence answered before he did.
“I don't know what she knew,” he muttered.
“You don't know?””
“She knew we weren't together anymore.””
“That wasn't my question.””
He looked at me, frustration rising in his face.
“What do you want me to say, Naomi?””
“The truth.””
“I have told you the truth!””
“Then answer one thing without changing the subject. When you proposed to me, did Danielle believe your marriage was over?””
Marcus stared at the floor.
My father moved closer to the table.
“Son, you need to answer her.””
Marcus turned sharply.
“With all due respect, sir, this is between me and Naomi.””
My father didn't raise his voice.
“Then stop making it everybody else's problem.””
For a moment, Marcus looked as though he might argue. Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone.
“Fine,” he said.
“I'll call my attorney. We can get this cleared up.””
I shook my head.
“You don't get to call someone to explain your own choices.””
He ignored me and tapped the screen.
The call rang twice.
Then he canceled it.
I watched his thumb hover over another contact.
“Who are you calling now?”” I asked.
“No one.””
He locked the phone.
Tiana folded her arms.
“Is that Danielle's number?””
“Stay out of it.””
“Marcus,” I said, “look at me.””
He did.
“Did you tell Danielle you were marrying me today?””
His lips parted.
Then he said, “She knew I was moving on.””
I felt my stomach twist.
“That still isn't an answer.””
“She knew the relationship was over.””
“But the marriage wasn't.””
He looked away again.
I turned to Tiana.
“Did Danielle know about the wedding?””
Tiana hesitated, then nodded.
“She found out last week.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
The gesture was brief, but it told me more than another ten minutes of arguing could have.
“Last week?”” I whispered.
Tiana nodded again.
“She said she'd tried to reach him. She wanted him to tell you himself.””
I looked at Marcus.
“You had an entire week.””
He began speaking quickly.
“I was going to tell you. I was waiting for the right moment. The venue was paid for, the guests had booked flights, our families were already here. I didn't want to destroy everything we'd planned.””
I stared at him.
“You were afraid of ruining the wedding.””
“I was afraid of losing you.””
“So you let me marry you without knowing the truth?””
He looked at me helplessly.
I could almost see him searching for another explanation, something polished enough to turn his betrayal into a sacrifice.
But there was nothing left to polish.
My mother came to stand beside me. She touched my back, careful not to disturb the delicate buttons of my gown.
“Sweetheart,” she whispered, “you don't have to decide anything right now.””
I nodded, grateful for the first sensible thing anyone had said.
Then I looked at the phone lying beside the envelope.
“There's something I still don't understand,” I said to Tiana.
“If Danielle wanted me to know the truth, why didn't she come here herself?””
Marcus's head lifted.
For the first time, his expression held something other than panic.
It looked almost like relief.
“She wouldn't come here,” he said quickly.
I turned toward him.
“Why not?””
He shook his head.
“Because she knows what happened the last time she tried to confront me.””
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Tiana went completely still.
My mother removed her hand from my back.
I stared at Marcus.
“What happened?””
He looked from Tiana to me, realizing too late what he'd revealed.
Then a phone vibrated on the table.
Not Tiana's.
Mine.
A message appeared from an unfamiliar number.
Naomi, my name is Danielle. I know what he told you. Before you believe anything else he says tonight, ask him why I withdrew my first divorce petition.
I read the message aloud.
Marcus lunged toward my phone.
My father stepped between us.
May you like
And when I looked up, Marcus was no longer trying to hide his fear.
He was furious.
