Chapter 5
Patricia looked as though she wanted to disappear.
Her hands trembled.
Robert stood beside her, staring at the floor.
Elena looked from one to the other.
"What did you mean?"
Patricia shook her head.
"Nothing."
I stepped closer.
"You said Robert promised I wouldn't see the papers."
She swallowed.
"I was upset."
Samuel remained calm.
"Ms. Wells, I recommend you obtain independent legal advice before discussing these documents further."
Patricia looked relieved.
But Robert didn't.
He knew the truth was catching up.
Samuel turned toward me.
"Daniel, we'll preserve what we have and proceed through proper channels."
I nodded.
Patricia left a few minutes later.
Robert followed after refusing to answer more questions.
Elena watched them go.
Then she sank into a chair.
"I don't understand."
Miriam sat beside her.
"Sweetheart."
Elena shook her head.
"Dad came back three months ago. He said he wanted to make up for lost time."
I felt an ache in my chest.
She continued.
"He took me to dinner. He bought me gifts. He told me he'd always regretted leaving."
Her voice broke.
"I believed him."
I sat across from her.
"Elena, wanting to believe your father doesn't make you foolish."
She looked at me.
"But I hurt you."
I swallowed.
"Yes."
Her eyes filled.
"I said terrible things."
I nodded.
"You did."
She began crying harder.
"I'm sorry."
I sat quietly.
For years, whenever Elena apologized, I immediately told her everything was fine.
Even when it wasn't.
This time, I wanted her to understand that apologies mattered because actions mattered.
I took a breath.
"Elena, I love you. But what you said today hurt me deeply."
She nodded.
"I know."
"You didn't simply choose Robert to walk you down the aisle."
She wiped her face.
"You told me twenty years of raising you didn't count."
Her lips trembled.
"I didn't mean it."
I looked at her.
"Then why did you say it?"
She lowered her head.
For a long moment, she didn't answer.
Then she whispered, "Because I wanted him to stay."
My chest tightened.
"What?"
She looked up.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Robert told me he felt uncomfortable because everyone treated you like my father."
I stared at her.
"He said he wanted a chance to prove himself."
She swallowed.
"And he said if I let you walk me down the aisle, people would think I didn't need him."
Miriam covered her mouth.
Elena continued.
"I thought if I gave him that moment, he'd finally feel like he belonged."
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The little girl who'd waited for her father outside school was still inside the grown woman sitting across from me.
She was still trying to earn his love.
I reached for her hand.
"Sweetheart, you should never have to hurt someone else to convince your father to love you."
She burst into tears.
"I'm so sorry."
I moved beside her.
She wrapped her arms around me.
For a moment, I held her the way I had when she was small.
But I also knew we couldn't pretend the problem was solved.
"Elena," I whispered, "we need to talk about tomorrow."
She pulled back.
"I know."
I looked at her.
"Do you still want Robert walking you down the aisle?"
She hesitated.
"I don't know."
I nodded.
"Then don't decide because you're afraid of losing him."
She wiped her face.
"Okay."
That evening, Nathan returned with a revised wedding plan.
He'd spoken with the venue.
They agreed to reduce several optional services and apply certain deposits toward a smaller event.
The catering company offered a revised menu.
The florist agreed to use the flowers already ordered without additional arrangements.
The hotel canceled unneeded rooms subject to the contract terms.
The wedding wouldn't look exactly as Elena originally imagined.
But it could still happen.
At a much lower remaining cost.
I looked at the numbers.
Nathan had also arranged to pay a portion himself.
Miriam offered to contribute from her savings.
Elena said she'd use money she'd saved from work.
I listened carefully.
Then I said, "I'll honor the commitments I made that remain legally binding, and I'll contribute the amount I originally promised as a gift."
Elena looked stunned.
"But you canceled the payments."
"I canceled the automatic payments while we figured out who was responsible for what."
I took a breath.
"I'm not going to financially ruin you to teach you a lesson."
Tears filled her eyes.
"But I'm also not going to pretend what happened was acceptable."
She nodded.
"I understand."
Nathan looked relieved.
"Thank you, Mr. Carter."
I smiled faintly.
"You're welcome."
For the first time all day, I felt the family beginning to steady itself.
But then Samuel called.
He had received preliminary information from the trust administrator.
The inheritance was real.
Robert had indeed served in a management role.
And substantial funds had been withdrawn years earlier.
Samuel couldn't yet determine whether every withdrawal had been lawful.
But several were questionable.
I looked toward Elena.
She was sitting beside Nathan, reviewing the revised guest list.
I hated having to tell her more bad news.
But I refused to hide it.
"Elena, we need to talk."
She looked up.
"What happened?"
I explained what Samuel had found.
Her face went pale.
"How much did he take?"
I hesitated.
"The records suggest more than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars left the account."
She stared at me.
"One hundred and fifty thousand?"
I nodded.
She covered her mouth.
Then she whispered, "He told me Grandpa never left me anything."
My chest tightened.
"He lied."
She nodded slowly.
Then began crying.
"I defended him."
I sat beside her.
She looked at me.
"And I pushed you away."
I didn't know what to say.
So I simply held her hand.
The next morning, the day of the wedding, Elena asked to speak with me privately.
She stood outside my study wearing her bridal robe.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
"Daniel?"
I looked up.
"Come in, sweetheart."
She stepped inside.
Then closed the door.
For a moment, she stood silently.
Finally, she whispered, "I made a decision."
My heart tightened.
"About what?"
"Who walks me down the aisle."
I took a breath.
"Elena, you don't have to decide based on guilt."
She shook her head.
"I'm not."
Tears filled her eyes.
"I want the person who showed up for me."
I stared at her.
She continued.
"The person who taught me how to drive. Who stayed awake when I was sick. Who worked overtime so I could go to college."
My throat tightened.
"Dad."
The word came out softly.
Then she stepped closer.
"Will you walk me down the aisle?"
I couldn't speak.
For a moment, I saw every version of Elena.
Six years old.
Ten years old.
Sixteen.
Twenty-one.
And now twenty-six, standing before me on her wedding day.
I nodded slowly.
"Yes, sweetheart."
She burst into tears.
Then she threw her arms around me.
I held her tightly.
"I love you, Dad."
I closed my eyes.
"I love you too."
But before we could leave the study, my phone rang.
Samuel.
I answered.
"Daniel?"
His voice was urgent.
"There's something you need to know before the ceremony."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
He paused.
"Robert has contacted the trust administrator."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"He is attempting to stop the release of Elena's account records."
I looked at my daughter.
She was wiping her tears.
Then Samuel added the words that changed the day again.
"He claims Elena signed a document yesterday withdrawing her complaint."
I went still.
"She did what?"
Elena stared at me.
"Dad?"
I looked directly at her.
"Did you sign anything for Robert yesterday?"
Her face drained.
May you like
"No."
And suddenly, I realized Robert wasn't finished trying to use his daughter.
