Chapter 4
I felt the room spin.
"What?"
Mom stood quickly.
"Nia, please listen."
I stepped backward.
"No."
She reached for me.
I pulled away.
"Please tell me that's not true."
Her eyes filled.
"I was going to replace it."
I stared at her.
"You used Vanessa's money?"
Mom nodded.
My throat tightened.
I looked around the bridal suite.
The flowers.
The champagne.
The expensive decorations.
The gown hanging beside the couch.
Everything suddenly looked different.
I had paid for most of my wedding myself.
Marcus covered the remaining expenses.
Mom insisted on contributing twenty thousand dollars.
She called it a gift.
A wedding present from her and Dad.
I had cried when she gave it to me.
Now I understood.
It wasn't her money.
It belonged to Vanessa.
I looked at my sister.
For the first time that day, I saw something beneath her cruelty.
Pain.
Real pain.
"You knew?"
Vanessa nodded.
"I found the bank statement last month."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She gave a broken laugh.
"Would you have canceled everything?"
"I would have returned the money."
She looked skeptical.
"You say that now."
I shook my head.
"Vanessa, I didn't know."
Her eyes filled.
"Mom knew."
I turned toward Claire.
"Why?"
Mom covered her mouth.
"I wanted to give you something beautiful."
"With money that wasn't yours?"
She began crying.
"I made a terrible mistake."
I felt angry.
At Mom.
At Vanessa.
At the entire situation.
But the ceremony was still approaching.
And I refused to begin my marriage with a lie.
I looked at Marcus.
"We need to fix this."
He nodded immediately.
"Whatever you want."
I turned toward Vanessa.
"I will pay you back."
She stared at me.
"What?"
"Every dollar Mom used for this wedding."
Mom stepped forward.
"Nia, no."
I looked at her.
"Yes."
"But it's my responsibility."
"Then you'll repay me."
Mom lowered her eyes.
I faced Vanessa again.
"I didn't ask for your money. I didn't know it was being used."
She swallowed.
"But you're my sister. And you deserve what's yours."
For a moment, she looked stunned.
Then her expression hardened.
"Money doesn't erase what happened."
"I know."
I took a breath.
"And it doesn't erase what you did to me."
Vanessa looked down at my ruined dress.
Her face changed slightly.
But she still didn't apologize.
Marcus stepped beside me.
"We'll arrange repayment through an attorney."
I nodded.
"Everything documented."
Mom looked devastated.
"Do we really need lawyers?"
I turned toward her.
"Yes."
The word came out stronger than I expected.
"Because family shouldn't mean pretending something wrong is okay."
The room became silent.
Then somebody knocked.
"Nia?"
It was my wedding coordinator, Jasmine.
I opened the door.
She stared at the ruined gown.
"Oh my goodness."
I gave a tired smile.
"It's been a morning."
She looked at Marcus.
Then at Mom.
Then at Vanessa.
"What happened?"
"An accident," Vanessa muttered.
I turned toward her.
"No."
My voice was calm.
"My sister deliberately threw paint on my dress."
Jasmine's eyes widened.
Vanessa looked furious.
"You didn't have to tell her that."
"Yes, I did."
I looked at Jasmine.
"We need to move quickly. There's another gown."
She glanced at the heirloom dress.
Her expression transformed.
"Oh, Nia."
She stepped closer.
"That is extraordinary."
Mom carefully lifted it.
Jasmine called two assistants.
Within minutes, the bridal suite became busy again.
They helped me remove the ruined dress.
I stood in my undergarments, staring at the stained fabric on the floor.
The sight hurt.
That dress represented years of hope.
But I refused to let Vanessa's cruelty become the final memory of my wedding day.
I stepped into Grandma's ivory gown.
The fabric felt cool against my skin.
Jasmine adjusted the bodice.
One assistant fastened the hidden buttons.
Another arranged the flowing train.
Then they turned me toward the mirror.
I gasped.
The gown fit almost perfectly.
Gold embroidery traced delicate patterns across the neckline.
Tiny crystals caught the sunlight.
The skirt flowed around me like something from a dream.
I lifted my hands to my mouth.
"Oh, Grandma."
Mom began crying behind me.
"She knew."
I looked at her reflection.
"What?"
"She always said this dress belonged to the granddaughter who understood its story."
I touched the embroidery.
Grandma's hands had created part of it.
So had mine.
I suddenly remembered a tiny crooked stitch near the waist.
I leaned closer.
There it was.
My sixteen-year-old mistake.
I laughed through tears.
"I remember this."
Mom smiled sadly.
"She refused to fix it."
"Why?"
"She said the imperfect stitch was her favorite."
I began crying again.
This time, the tears were different.
They weren't about humiliation.
They were about love.
Behind me, Vanessa stood completely still.
Her face was unreadable.
Jasmine checked her watch.
"We need to move."
Marcus took my hand.
"You look incredible."
I smiled at him.
"You're not supposed to see me before the ceremony."
He laughed softly.
"Too late."
He kissed my forehead.
Then he turned toward the door.
"I'll be waiting."
I watched him leave.
My heart filled with warmth.
But before I could follow Jasmine into the hallway, Vanessa spoke.
"Nia."
I turned.
She looked at the gown.
Then at me.
"I know something else about Grandma's will."
Mom immediately stiffened.
"Vanessa, don't."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
Vanessa reached into her purse.
She pulled out a folded document.
"I made a copy."
Mom's face went pale.
May you like
Vanessa held it toward me.
"Before you walk down that aisle, you need to know why Grandma really chose you."
