Chapter 6
I stared at Daniel Carter's name for almost a minute.
Marcus's younger brother.
Thirty years old.
Charming.
Confident.
Always making jokes.
Daniel had been one of the groomsmen.
He helped us choose the reception music.
He recommended several vendors.
And he'd repeatedly praised Tasha for finding such impressive wedding deals.
I had never suspected anything.
Then I remembered something from three months earlier.
Tasha and Daniel standing together outside the ballroom during our final venue tour.
They were laughing.
When I approached, they stopped talking.
Tasha said they were planning a surprise.
I believed her.
Now I wondered what kind of surprise they'd really arranged.
I called Rebecca.
"Are you certain?"
She answered calmly.
"The account records identify Daniel as an authorized holder. We still need to establish exactly what the payments were for and who controlled them."
I swallowed.
"Does Marcus know?"
"Not yet. I wanted to verify the information before presenting it to him."
I closed my eyes.
He had already lost his wedding.
Now he might discover his brother was involved in stealing from Evelyn.
I felt sick.
"Please tell him."
Rebecca hesitated.
"Nia, I think it would be better if we discuss it together."
I nodded.
"Okay."
We met at Rebecca's office that evening.
Marcus arrived first.
He looked tired.
His tuxedo had been replaced by a dark sweater and jeans.
For a moment, seeing him made my heart ache.
I wanted to run into his arms.
Instead, I sat across from him.
Rebecca opened a folder.
She explained the account records.
Then she placed Daniel's name on the table.
Marcus stared at it.
His expression changed.
"What?"
Rebecca remained calm.
"Daniel appears as an authorized account holder."
Marcus shook his head.
"That can't be right."
I watched him carefully.
He looked exactly the way I had when I first realized Tasha might have betrayed us.
Confused.
Angry.
Desperate for another explanation.
Rebecca continued.
"We're still determining whether he received funds personally or acted on someone else's instructions."
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
"Daniel helped me with the wedding."
I nodded.
"I know."
"He said he wanted to make everything easier."
My chest tightened.
Rebecca showed him the payment history.
Several transfers had been made from the wedding account to the secondary business account.
The amounts totaled nearly nineteen thousand dollars.
Marcus went pale.
"Nineteen thousand?"
Rebecca nodded.
"Some of this may reflect legitimate services, but the supporting documentation appears inconsistent."
He stared at the papers.
Then he said quietly, "I need to talk to my brother."
Rebecca advised him to avoid accusations and preserve any communications.
Marcus nodded.
But I could see how badly he wanted answers.
After the meeting, we walked toward the parking lot.
The evening air was cool.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Marcus stopped.
"Nia."
I turned.
He looked devastated.
"I'm sorry."
I frowned.
"For what?"
"For Daniel."
I shook my head.
"We don't know exactly what he did."
Marcus looked down.
"But if he was involved..."
His voice broke.
I stepped closer.
"Marcus, you're not responsible for your brother's choices."
He looked at me.
Then smiled sadly.
"That's what you've been learning about Evelyn and your father."
I nodded.
He took a shaky breath.
"I know."
For a moment, I wanted to touch his hand.
Then he said something that made my heart tighten.
"Do you think we were both too focused on how everything looked?"
I stared at him.
He continued.
"You wanted the perfect wedding. I wanted everyone to think our families were close."
I looked down.
He sighed.
"I ignored how often Daniel borrowed money. I ignored the way he talked about business opportunities."
I swallowed.
"And I ignored Evelyn."
Marcus nodded.
"We both ignored things that mattered."
I looked at him.
"But you defended her."
He shook his head.
"Only after she was already hurt."
I felt tears rising.
For several seconds, we stood together.
Then I whispered, "I wish we'd done everything differently."
He looked toward the parking lot.
"So do I."
Two days later, Daniel agreed to meet Marcus with Rebecca present.
I didn't attend.
I wanted Marcus to have space to hear the truth without worrying about my reaction.
But he called me afterward.
His voice sounded broken.
"Daniel admitted receiving money."
My stomach tightened.
"How much?"
"Eleven thousand."
I closed my eyes.
"Why?"
"He says Tasha told him the payments were commissions for arranging vendors."
I swallowed.
"Did he know about Evelyn's loan?"
Marcus paused.
"He claims he didn't."
I looked toward the window.
"Do you believe him?"
There was a long silence.
Then Marcus whispered, "I don't know."
My heart ached for him.
He continued.
"Daniel admitted he knew Tasha inflated some invoices."
I stared at the phone.
"He knew?"
"Yes."
I felt cold.
"And he took the money anyway?"
Marcus's voice broke.
"Yes."
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then I asked, "What happens now?"
"Rebecca is helping us provide the records to the appropriate authorities."
I nodded.
"Okay."
Marcus continued.
"Daniel says he'll return what he received."
I closed my eyes.
"That's a start."
He laughed bitterly.
"A start."
Then his voice changed.
"Nia, there's something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Daniel says Tasha used some of the money to cover debts from an earlier business."
I frowned.
"What business?"
"He wouldn't explain."
I felt sick.
Tasha had always seemed successful.
She wore designer clothes.
Drove an expensive car.
Posted photographs from luxury restaurants.
I had envied her lifestyle.
Now I wondered whether any of it was real.
Marcus continued.
"Rebecca found evidence that Luxe Event Services had serious financial problems before our wedding."
I swallowed.
"How serious?"
"Several unpaid vendors. Tax issues. Outstanding loans."
I closed my eyes.
So that was why Tasha pushed me toward an extravagant wedding.
She needed money flowing through the company.
And I had given her access to Evelyn's savings.
I sat down.
"Nia?" Marcus asked.
"I'm here."
He took a breath.
"Are you okay?"
I looked toward Evelyn's room.
She was resting after a doctor's appointment.
"I'm angry."
"I know."
"At Tasha."
"Of course."
"At Daniel."
He remained silent.
I swallowed.
"And at myself."
His voice softened.
"Nia."
I wiped my cheeks.
"I let everyone use her because I wanted people to think I was rich."
Marcus didn't answer.
I continued.
"I kept saying Evelyn didn't understand what it meant to be successful."
My voice broke.
"But she understood love better than any of us."
There was a long pause.
Then Marcus whispered, "Yes."
I began crying.
After we ended the call, I opened my computer and reviewed every wedding photograph.
I had received a preview gallery from the photographer.
In one image, Evelyn stood near the flower wall.
She was watching me smile with my bridesmaids.
Her expression was full of pride.
In another, she held my veil while I adjusted my necklace.
She looked so happy.
Then I found the photograph taken moments before I pulled her out of the family lineup.
Evelyn stood at the edge of the group.
Her hands were folded.
Her smile was nervous.
She looked like someone asking permission to belong.
I stared at it.
Then I contacted the photographer.
"Can you send me every photograph you took of Evelyn?"
He paused.
"Of course."
I swallowed.
"And please don't delete anything from the ceremony."
His voice softened.
"I won't."
After the call, I made another decision.
I would not hide what happened.
Not from myself.
Not from Marcus.
Not from the people who had watched me humiliate Evelyn.
If I wanted to change, I had to stop protecting my image at someone else's expense.
Then my phone rang.
It was the photographer.
He sounded concerned.
"Nia, I reviewed the footage from the family-photo area."
My heart tightened.
"What did you find?"
He hesitated.
"Something happened before you arrived."
I sat upright.
"What?"
He took a breath.
"Tasha was arguing with Evelyn."
I felt cold.
"About what?"
He paused.
"She was telling Evelyn not to mention the money."
My heart pounded.
May you like
Then he said something that made me grip the edge of the desk.
"And Evelyn told her she'd already discovered the forged loan."
