Chapter 4: What He Left Behind
“Because someone entered my house that night,” my father said, “and what they left behind was a copy of a document that should never have existed outside my attorney’s office.””
Nobody moved.
The bright reception lights reflected off the sealed legal folder between us. Behind my father, white roses hung from a decorative arch, their petals scattered across the marble like snow after a storm.
I looked at Derrick.
He was no longer trying to look offended. His eyes kept moving between my father’s hands and the front entrance.
“Daddy,” I whispered, “what document?””
Walter rested one hand on the folder.
“A document bearing your signature.””
My stomach dropped.
“My signature?””
“Yes.””
“I haven't signed anything for your attorney.””
“I know.””
Derrick cleared his throat.
“Mr. Hayes, perhaps we should discuss this somewhere private. There's no reason to drag the guests into something they don't understand.””
My father looked at him.
“You had an entire room watching my daughter kneel on the floor. You lost the right to decide what this room should understand.””
A woman near the dining area quietly nodded.
Lorraine noticed.
“Everyone needs to stop acting as though my son committed some terrible offense,” she snapped.
“There was a spill. Ariana was upset. People said things they didn't mean.””
I turned toward her.
“Did you mean what you said about my marriage having a purpose?””
She lifted her chin.
“I meant that marriage requires responsibility.””
“Did you mean it when you said Derrick would never marry someone like me without a reason?””
For the first time, Lorraine looked uncomfortable.
“Don't twist my words.””
“You said them in front of everyone.””
“And you are behaving like a child who cannot accept criticism.””
Derrick seized the opportunity.
“See? This is exactly the problem. Ariana takes everything personally. I've spent months trying to help her understand how the world works.””
I stared at him.
“Help me?””
“Yes.””
“By making me clean wine off the floor?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“I was angry. I already told you that.””
“And I already told you that being angry doesn't explain why your mother knew about my inheritance.””
He glanced at Lorraine.
She gave him a warning look.
My father saw it.
“Stop looking at your mother for permission to answer,” Walter said.
“You're thirty-three years old.””
Derrick's cheeks reddened.
“I don't take orders from you.””
“No. But apparently you take them from her.””
Lorraine slammed her champagne glass onto the table.
“That's enough!””
The glass tipped over, spilling champagne across a white linen cloth.
Nobody reached to clean it.
My father opened the legal folder.
I leaned forward despite myself.
Inside were several sheets of paper, a printed email, and a photograph of a document bearing my name.
Walter removed the photograph first.
He didn't hand it to Derrick or Lorraine.
He handed it to me.
My fingers trembled as I examined it.
The page appeared to be a legal authorization. My name was printed beneath a paragraph granting someone permission to request information regarding certain family assets.
At the bottom was a signature that looked disturbingly similar to mine.
But the date made my breath catch.
It was dated three weeks earlier.
The same day Derrick had visited my father's house.
“That's not my signature,” I said.
Walter nodded.
“Look carefully.””
I traced the shape of the letters with my eyes.
Whoever had signed it had copied the way I crossed the final letter of my first name. Even the slight upward slant looked familiar.
But I knew my own handwriting.
“I didn't sign this.””
Derrick shifted his weight.
“Maybe you forgot.””
I looked up sharply.
“Excuse me?””
“You've signed dozens of things over the past few months. Wedding contracts, venue paperwork, insurance forms. Maybe you signed something without reading it.””
“Not this.””
“You can't know that.””
“I know what I sign.””
Lorraine stepped toward the table.
“Let me see it.””
Walter held the document away from her.
“Why?””
“Because I want to know what you're accusing us of.””
“I haven't accused you of anything.””
“Then stop treating us like criminals!””
Walter looked at the photograph.
“I'm treating this document as evidence of something that requires an explanation.””
Derrick laughed nervously.
“Anyone could have created that. How do we even know it came from your house?””
My father removed another sheet.
“Because the copy was found inside a locked desk in my study.””
Derrick stopped laughing.
My heart began to pound.
“Daddy, you said the desk was locked.””
“It was.””
“Who had access?””
Walter's eyes moved toward my husband.
“Very few people.””
Derrick's jaw tightened.
“You're looking at me as though I broke into your house.””
“I haven't said that.””
“You don't have to.””
“Then help me understand why you're so concerned about a question I haven't asked.””
Derrick looked away.
For a few seconds, all I could hear was the faint clinking of dishes from the dining area.
Then Lorraine did something unexpected.
She laughed.
Not the light, mocking laugh she'd used when I was on my knees.
This one was sharp and brittle.
“Walter, do you hear yourself? You're a wealthy man who doesn't trust anyone. You see a document you don't like, and suddenly everyone around you becomes a suspect.””
My father folded his hands.
“That's an interesting observation from someone whose name appears on the paperwork.””
Her laughter stopped.
I turned toward her.
“Why is your name on it?””
She stared at me.
“Because your father and I discussed family matters.””
“When?””
“Before the wedding.””
“Why?””
“Because we were becoming relatives.””
“That doesn't answer my question.””
Lorraine stepped closer, her voice dropping.
“You need to be careful, Ariana. You have no idea what your father has kept from you.””
The words struck me harder than I expected.
I looked at Walter.
“Is that true?””
He didn't answer immediately.
That pause frightened me.
“Daddy?””
He reached for my hand.
“There are things about my business that I never wanted you to worry about. That doesn't mean I've hidden anything about your rights or your future.””
“Then why does Lorraine know about documents I've never seen?””
His expression tightened.
“That's what we're going to find out.””
Derrick suddenly reached for the photograph.
I pulled it against my chest.
“Don't touch me.””
He froze.
“Ariana, I was only trying to look.””
“You've had months to explain yourself.””
“I haven't done anything!””
“Then stop acting like you're afraid of what we'll find.””
He looked toward the folder.
That was answer enough to make my hands shake.
My father gathered the papers and placed them neatly inside.
“We're going to my attorney's office tomorrow morning,” he said.
“Until then, nobody touches these documents.””
Lorraine folded her arms.
“You can't order us around.””
“No. But I can protect my daughter.””
“And what if your daughter doesn't want your protection?””
Everyone turned toward me.
It was the first time Lorraine had addressed me as though my decision mattered.
I looked at Derrick, remembering the ring on my finger, the vows we'd spoken, and the way he had watched me struggle to stand.
Then I looked at my father.
“I want the truth.””
Walter nodded.
“Then we'll find it.””
Derrick's phone vibrated again.
He pulled it from his pocket before anyone could stop him.
His eyes scanned the screen.
Then he turned pale.
I stepped closer.
“Who is it?””
“No one.””
“Derrick.””
He locked the screen.
“It's work.””
“Show me.””
“No.””
The answer was immediate.
Too immediate.
I held out my hand.
“Give me the phone.””
He laughed without humor.
“You've got to be kidding.””
“Why? What are you hiding?””
He looked at me, and for a moment the mask slipped completely.
“Because you wouldn't understand what happens if that information gets out.””
My father went perfectly still.
“What information?”” Walter asked.
Derrick said nothing.
I took one step toward him.
“Information about my inheritance?””
He looked at his mother.
Lorraine shook her head, almost imperceptibly.
But I saw it.
And this time, I wasn't the only one.
My father slowly closed the legal folder.
“Derrick,” he said, “I believe you just made a very serious mistake.””
Before Derrick could respond, a voice came from the reception entrance.
“Actually, Mr. Hayes, I think the mistake happened long before the wedding.””
A woman stood in the doorway, holding a black leather handbag.
She looked directly at Derrick.
Then she said my name.
May you like
“Ariana, there's something you need to know about your husband.””
And when Derrick recognized her, he whispered a name that made Lorraine grab the edge of the table.
