Chapter 5: The Name Hidden in the Contract
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not the kind of silence that comes after a speech.
Not the kind where people are politely waiting.
This was different.
Heavy.
Everyone was afraid to move.
The stranger who had walked into my wedding with secrets had disappeared.
And he had taken whatever proof he brought with him.
I looked toward the entrance.
The doors were still open.
No footsteps.
No explanation.
Nothing.
“Did anyone see where he went?”” I asked.
Nobody answered.
I looked at Simone.
She looked terrified.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Terrified.
“You knew he would come.””
The accusation left my mouth before I could stop it.
Her eyes widened.
“No.””
“Then why do you look like you expected this?””
“Because I knew he was desperate.””
“Desperate enough to ruin my wedding?””
Her face fell.
“Darius…”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know what to think anymore.””
My mother touched my shoulder.
“Come with me.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because there’s something you need to see.””
Simone stepped forward.
“No.””
Everyone looked at her.
She swallowed.
“Not without me.””
That surprised me.
After everything.
After all the secrets.
She still wanted to come.
I almost said no.
Almost.
But something stopped me.
Maybe because I wanted answers.
Maybe because some part of me still believed the woman I loved was somewhere underneath all this chaos.
We walked into a quieter corner of the ballroom near the floral decorations.
The guests stayed behind, watching us from a distance.
My mother took a deep breath.
“I never wanted you to find out this way.””
“Find out what?””
She looked at Simone.
“About the contract.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“What contract?””
Simone closed her eyes.
My heart sank.
“You knew?””
She whispered, “Yes.””
I turned toward her.
“You knew?””
“I knew there was something wrong.””
“That’s not an answer.””
She looked at me.
“Your family’s company.””
I froze.
“What about it?””
My mother’s expression changed.
“Darius, before your father died, he created a trust.””
I nodded slowly.
I knew about it.
A small business inheritance.
Nothing unusual.
“He left certain conditions.””
“What conditions?””
Loretta looked down.
“Conditions that only mattered after your marriage.””
The room felt colder.
I stared at her.
“What are you saying?””
Simone spoke quietly.
“Someone wanted you married before you gained full control.””
The words hit me.
I looked between them.
“Someone?””
My mother nodded.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
Neither answered.
That was becoming a pattern.
I stepped back.
“No.””
My voice sharpened.
“I’m done with people protecting me from the truth.””
I pointed toward the phone.
“I need answers.””
Simone nodded.
“You’re right.””
She took the folded paper from her hand.
“This is the reason I made the recording.””
Finally, she handed it to me.
I unfolded it.
The paper was old.
A photocopy.
A legal document.
At the bottom was a signature.
My father’s.
My eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
One name.
A name I recognized.
A name that made my entire body go still.
Because it wasn’t Simone’s.
It wasn’t Marcus’s.
It was someone I trusted.
Someone who had hugged me before I walked down the aisle.
Someone who had smiled at me just hours earlier.
I looked up slowly.
My mother’s face had gone pale.
“Darius…”
I held up the paper.
“Why is her name on my father’s contract?””
Nobody spoke.
The answer was written all over their faces.
Then my phone rang.
Everyone froze.
Unknown number.
I stared at the screen.
My mother whispered:
“Don’t answer.””
But I already had.
“Hello?””
For three seconds, there was only breathing.
Then a voice.
A woman’s voice.
A voice I knew.
“Darius…”
My blood turned cold.
Because she sounded terrified.
May you like
And because she said the one thing nobody else had been willing to say.
“Your mother is the reason Simone never told you the truth.””
