Chapter 5: The Woman Behind the Perfect Wedding
Nobody touched the food.
Nobody touched the champagne.
Nobody cared about the wedding anymore.
The ballroom that had been designed for celebration had become a courtroom without a judge.
And Simone was standing in the center.
Marcus held onto the edge of the table.
“Tell me she’s wrong.””
Simone looked at him.
“Marcus…”
“Tell me.””
Her lips moved.
But no words came.
That silence answered him.
Evelyn covered her mouth.
“Oh my God.””
I looked at my mother.
She looked older suddenly.
Not because of age.
Because disappointment changes people.
Marcus turned toward me.
“Darius, did she ever tell you I was supposed to pay you?””
“No.””
“Did she ever mention receiving money for catering?””
“No.””
He nodded slowly.
Every answer was another piece falling into place.
Simone stepped forward.
“You’re acting like I stole something.””
Marcus looked at her.
“Didn’t you?””
Her eyes widened.
“I was under pressure.””
“That doesn’t answer my question.””
“I was trying to make everything perfect.””
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because I had heard that excuse too many times.
Perfect.
That word had controlled Simone for years.
She didn’t want a beautiful wedding.
She wanted everyone to believe she was the kind of person who had one.
There was a difference.
Marcus shook his head.
“You lied to me.””
“I didn’t mean to.””
“That doesn’t matter.””
“It does matter!””
Her voice echoed through the ballroom.
“I was scared.””
Marcus stared at her.
“For what?””
She looked around.
At the guests.
At the decorations.
At the expensive dress.
Then she whispered:
“Everyone expected this.””
Nobody answered.
She continued.
“My friends have weddings like this. My coworkers have weddings like this. I couldn’t be the person who couldn’t afford it.””
I watched Marcus’s expression.
A part of him wanted to understand.
But another part knew understanding didn’t erase what happened.
“You could have told me.””
“I thought I could handle it.””
“You lied instead.””
She looked away.
“I thought I could fix it before you found out.””
I stepped forward.
“By telling everyone I was paid?””
Simone looked at me.
Her eyes sharpened.
“You don’t understand.””
“No. I understand perfectly.””
“You’re my brother.””
“And that’s why I helped you.””
She looked down.
I continued.
“But you used that.””
The words hurt.
I knew they did.
But some truths hurt because they arrive late.
Evelyn walked closer.
“Simone.””
Her daughter looked at her.
“Mom, don’t.””
“I need to ask you something.””
“What?””
“Did you tell people Darius volunteered because you were embarrassed to say you couldn’t pay him?””
Simone didn’t answer.
Evelyn closed her eyes.
“Oh, Simone.””
The disappointment in her voice was worse than anger.
Marcus sat down.
The energy left his body.
“I don’t even know what’s real anymore.””
Simone immediately moved toward him.
“Marcus, please.””
He pulled his hand away.
That small movement hurt her more than anything else.
The bride who had controlled every detail of the wedding suddenly had no control over the one person who mattered most.
I looked at the printed catering card still sitting on the table.
The signature.
The agreement.
The proof.
But there was something bothering me.
Something I hadn’t considered.
Jordan knew about the money.
Which meant someone had told her.
And if Simone told Jordan the catering company was already paid…
Why?
My phone buzzed again.
This time, it wasn’t Jordan.
It was an email notification.
From my business account.
I opened it.
My eyes moved across the screen.
Then I stopped.
Because attached to the email was a payment confirmation.
A payment made to my catering business.
Not today.
Not recently.
Three weeks ago.
My heart started beating faster.
Because if that payment existed…
Then someone had tried to pay me.
Someone had sent money.
But I never received it.
Marcus noticed my expression.
“What now?””
I looked at the screen.
“I think there’s another piece missing.””
Simone immediately turned toward me.
“No.””
Everyone looked at her.
She realized her mistake.
Again.
Marcus stood.
“What do you mean, no?””
She swallowed.
“I mean… don’t make this worse.””
I stared at her.
“You already know what I’m going to find.””
Her face changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Marcus saw it.
“What payment are you talking about?””
I looked down at the email.
A transaction number.
A date.
A sender.
Everything was there.
And then I saw the name attached.
The person who had supposedly paid for my catering.
The person who had access to the wedding money.
The person who had just spent the last hour pretending to be shocked.
I looked up.
And everyone followed my eyes.
Because the name on the payment confirmation was not Simone.
May you like
It was someone else.
Someone standing in that ballroom.
