Chapter 3
I followed Aaron into the chapel's private office.
Daniel came with me.
So did Reverend Harris.
Nia and Celeste tried to enter behind us.
I stopped them.
"Not yet."
Nia stared at me.
"Marcus, he's my brother."
"And he's about to explain what happened to my mother's money."
Celeste folded her arms.
"You have no authority to question my son."
I looked at Aaron.
He was twenty-five.
Old enough to run a business.
Old enough to sign contracts.
Old enough to understand that stealing someone's retirement savings wasn't a misunderstanding.
"Aaron," I said, "do you want them here?"
He stared at his mother.
Then shook his head.
"No."
Celeste's face tightened.
"Aaron!"
He stepped backward.
"Mom, please."
I closed the office door.
Aaron sat in a leather chair.
His hands trembled.
Daniel stood near the window.
Reverend Harris remained by the door.
I sat across from Aaron.
"Start talking."
He looked at the floor.
"Nia told me the money was hers."
My chest tightened.
"What money?"
"The seventy-five thousand."
I stared at him.
"She said your mother gave it to her as a gift."
I took a slow breath.
"Did she tell you what it was for?"
He hesitated.
"Wedding expenses."
"And you decided to move it?"
He nodded.
I felt sick.
"Where?"
He swallowed.
"Into our family's investment account."
I leaned forward.
"Your family's?"
He nodded.
"Mom manages it."
Celeste.
Of course.
"Why would wedding money go into an investment account?"
Aaron rubbed his face.
"Because we were supposed to double it."
I stared at him.
"Double it?"
He nodded.
"Nia said if we invested quickly, we'd make enough to pay for everything and keep the difference."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
My mother's retirement savings had been treated like gambling money.
"Who authorized the transfer?"
Aaron looked down.
"Nia signed the form."
I closed my eyes.
"How much did you transfer?"
He whispered, "Fifty thousand."
My stomach tightened.
"Where is it now?"
He began crying.
"That's the problem."
I stared at him.
"What problem?"
"The investment failed."
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then I asked quietly, "How much is left?"
Aaron wiped his face.
"Maybe nine thousand."
My chest tightened painfully.
Forty-one thousand dollars.
Gone.
And another twenty-five thousand had supposedly remained available for wedding expenses.
But the vendors were still owed money.
I looked at him.
"Where did the rest go?"
He hesitated.
Then whispered, "Mom used some of it."
My jaw tightened.
"For what?"
"Her mortgage."
I stared at him.
Celeste had spent months talking about her family's wealth.
She wore designer clothes.
Drove an expensive car.
Hosted elaborate dinners.
And now I was learning she needed my mother's money to pay her mortgage.
"How much?"
Aaron shook his head.
"I don't know exactly."
I leaned forward.
"Then find out."
He nodded.
I looked at Daniel.
He was shaking his head.
"Man, this is unbelievable."
I almost laughed.
But there was nothing funny about it.
My mother had been planning to retire that winter.
She wanted to travel.
Visit old friends.
Spend mornings gardening.
And volunteer at the church.
Now money she'd saved for decades was missing.
Because the people I was about to marry into believed they could use it without permission.
I stood.
"We're going to an attorney."
Aaron looked frightened.
"Are you calling the police?"
I stared at him.
"If crimes were committed, they need to be reported."
He began crying.
"I didn't know Nia hadn't told you."
I shook my head.
"Did you ask my mother before transferring her money?"
He remained silent.
That was enough.
I opened the door.
Nia stood directly outside.
Her eyes were red.
Celeste was behind her.
Both looked furious.
"What did he tell you?" Nia demanded.
I looked at her.
"Enough."
She stepped forward.
"Marcus, whatever Aaron said—"
"Did you transfer fifty thousand dollars from Mom's wedding contribution into an investment account?"
Her face went pale.
I waited.
Then she whispered, "It was supposed to come back."
My stomach twisted.
"So you did."
She began crying.
"I wanted us to have a beautiful wedding."
I stared at her.
"At my mother's expense?"
She shook her head.
"Not like that."
I felt my voice rise.
"Then explain how!"
Several guests turned.
I forced myself to breathe.
Nia lowered her eyes.
"Mom said she knew a man who could get us a great return."
I looked at Celeste.
She folded her arms.
"It was a legitimate opportunity."
"Then why did you use money meant for a wedding?"
She looked away.
I shook my head.
"Where's the paperwork?"
Celeste's expression changed.
"What paperwork?"
"The investment agreement."
She hesitated.
Aaron stepped out behind me.
"Mom, Marcus needs the documents."
Celeste turned sharply.
"Keep quiet!"
He flinched.
I stared at them.
Something was wrong.
More wrong than I understood.
Daniel touched my shoulder.
"Marcus, your mother needs you."
I turned.
He was right.
Mom had been waiting near the chapel entrance.
I walked toward her.
She sat beside my aunt Gloria.
Her mint-green jacket was folded carefully across her lap.
When she saw me, she tried to smile.
"Baby."
I knelt.
"Mom, I'm sorry."
She touched my cheek.
"Don't."
Tears rolled down my face.
"I should have protected you."
She shook her head.
"You couldn't have known everything."
I swallowed.
"But I knew Nia was treating you badly."
Mom looked down.
I waited.
Then she whispered, "I didn't want to ruin your happiness."
My heart broke.
"Mom, you are my happiness."
She began crying.
I hugged her gently.
For a long moment, we remained like that.
Then Aunt Gloria leaned toward me.
"Marcus, there's something you should know."
I looked up.
She held her phone.
"Evelyn told me about the money last month."
My stomach tightened.
"And?"
Gloria hesitated.
"She said Nia asked her to sign another document."
I stared at her.
"What document?"
Mom looked frightened.
I turned.
"Mom?"
She swallowed.
"Nia said it was needed to guarantee the wedding payments."
My heartbeat quickened.
"What did you sign?"
Mom reached into her handbag.
She removed a folded sheet.
I opened it.
The heading made my stomach drop.
PERSONAL GUARANTEE AND COLLATERAL AUTHORIZATION.
Below it was my mother's name.
Her address.
And the description of her fully paid-off home.
I looked up.
"Mom, did Nia ask you to use your house as collateral?"
She began trembling.
"I thought it was just paperwork."
I stared at the signature.
Then at the date.
Three weeks earlier.
May you like
And suddenly, the missing seventy-five thousand dollars wasn't the worst part.
My mother may have been tricked into risking the home she'd spent forty years paying for.
