Chapter 7
I didn't meet Patricia Ellis during my reception.
I refused.
For the first time in my life, I chose my own happiness over someone else's urgency.
I asked Simone to give Patricia my attorney's contact information.
If she truly had something important to share, she could do it without interrupting my wedding.
Then I returned to the dance floor.
Elijah held out his hand.
"Mrs. Brooks?"
I smiled.
"Yes, Mr. Brooks?"
"May I have this dance?"
I laughed.
"Absolutely."
He pulled me close.
The music began.
For several minutes, I forgot the calls.
The threats.
The letters.
I rested my head against his chest.
He kissed my forehead.
"You okay?"
I nodded.
"Better than okay."
He smiled.
"Good."
Then he whispered, "Your dad's been watching us."
I glanced toward Arthur.
He stood beside Mom, smiling.
His eyes were still red.
I laughed softly.
"He's emotional."
Elijah nodded.
"He loves you."
I looked at Arthur.
"More than I understood."
When our dance ended, I walked toward him.
"Dad?"
He turned.
"Sweetheart."
I held out my hand.
"One more dance?"
His face softened.
"I thought you'd never ask."
We stepped onto the dance floor.
The music changed to a song he used to play when I was little.
I recognized the opening notes immediately.
My eyes filled.
"Dad."
He smiled.
"Your mother told the DJ."
I laughed.
"Of course she did."
Arthur placed one hand carefully at my back.
I rested my hand on his shoulder.
For a moment, I remembered standing on his shoes when I was six.
He would guide me around the living room while I laughed.
Now I was wearing wedding heels.
And he was still teaching me how to move through life without fear.
"You're beautiful," he whispered.
I smiled.
"Thank you."
He looked toward Elijah.
"You chose well."
I nodded.
"I learned from Mom."
Arthur laughed.
Then his eyes filled again.
"Nia, about the letters—"
I shook my head gently.
"Not tonight."
He looked surprised.
I smiled.
"We'll read them together later."
He nodded.
"Okay."
I continued.
"But I want you to know something."
He looked at me.
"My name-change wasn't about punishing Raymond."
Arthur's expression softened.
"It was about honoring you."
His eyes filled.
"I know."
I smiled.
"And when Elijah and I decide what surname we'll use as a family, Carter will always be part of my story."
Arthur pulled me into a hug.
I held him tightly.
That was the moment I knew I had made the right choice.
Not because Raymond was absent.
But because Arthur was present.
The reception ended beautifully.
Elijah and I left beneath a shower of flower petals.
Our guests cheered.
Mom hugged us both.
Arthur kissed my forehead.
And I climbed into the wedding car feeling lighter than I had in years.
But the next morning, reality returned.
My phone contained seventeen missed calls from Raymond.
There were also messages from numbers I didn't recognize.
One claimed Raymond was seriously ill.
Another said I was being cruel.
A third accused Arthur of stealing me.
I deleted none of them.
Instead, I forwarded everything to my attorney, Lauren Mitchell.
Lauren had helped me with my legal name change.
She also handled family-related legal matters.
When I explained the situation, she advised me to preserve the messages and avoid responding to threats.
I agreed.
Then I asked her to contact Patricia Ellis.
Two days later, Lauren called.
"Nia, Patricia wants to speak with you."
I sat at our kitchen table.
Elijah was making coffee.
"What does she want?"
Lauren hesitated.
"She says Raymond is facing serious financial trouble."
I closed my eyes.
"Of course."
"She also says he has been telling relatives that Arthur owes him money."
My stomach tightened.
"Why would Arthur owe him anything?"
"That's what we need to clarify."
I looked toward Elijah.
He noticed my expression.
"What's happening?"
I covered the phone.
"Raymond wants money."
Elijah sighed.
I returned to the call.
"Lauren, is Patricia willing to explain without Raymond present?"
"Yes."
I thought for a moment.
Then I nodded.
"Okay."
We arranged a meeting at Lauren's office.
Patricia arrived wearing a simple gray dress.
She was in her early sixties.
She looked nervous.
When she saw me, her eyes filled.
"Nia."
I remained seated.
"Hello."
She smiled sadly.
"You look so much like your grandmother."
I frowned.
"My grandmother?"
"Raymond's mother."
I felt a strange tightening in my chest.
I had never met her.
Patricia sat down.
For a moment, she simply looked at me.
Then she whispered, "I'm sorry I never knew you."
I took a breath.
"Why didn't you?"
Her eyes filled.
"Because Raymond told us your mother wouldn't allow contact."
I looked down.
Another lie.
Patricia continued.
"I believed him for years."
I nodded slowly.
"Then what changed?"
She opened her handbag.
She removed a folded letter.
"Three months ago, Raymond asked me for money."
I waited.
"He said he had a chance to reconnect with you."
My stomach tightened.
"He wanted money for that?"
Patricia looked ashamed.
"He said he needed it to travel and make things right."
I stared at her.
"Did you give it to him?"
She nodded.
"Five thousand dollars."
I closed my eyes.
She continued.
"Then I learned he was telling other relatives that Arthur had stolen you from him."
I looked up.
"What did you do?"
"I started asking questions."
She swallowed.
"And I found out Raymond had been contacted many times when you were a child."
I nodded.
"Mom showed me the letters."
Patricia began crying.
"I wish I'd known."
I studied her.
"Why are you here now?"
She took a breath.
"Because Raymond has debts."
I waited.
"He borrowed money from several relatives."
"How much?"
She looked down.
"Nearly sixty thousand dollars."
My stomach tightened.
"And he told them you would help repay it."
I stared at her.
"What?"
Patricia nodded.
"He told people you were marrying into a wealthy family."
I almost laughed.
Elijah was a successful engineer.
But he wasn't wealthy.
And even if he were, our marriage didn't make us responsible for Raymond's debts.
Patricia continued.
"He said Arthur had money."
I felt anger rise.
"And?"
"He told relatives he deserved compensation for losing twenty-three years with his daughter."
I stared at her.
The audacity was unbelievable.
Raymond had chosen not to show up.
Now he wanted to be paid for his absence.
I shook my head.
"That's not happening."
Patricia nodded.
"I know."
She wiped her cheeks.
"That's why I came."
I studied her.
"You're warning me?"
"Yes."
She took a breath.
"Raymond told me he planned to pressure Arthur."
My stomach tightened.
"How?"
"He said Arthur would pay to keep old family problems private."
I looked toward Lauren.
She was taking notes.
Patricia continued.
"Raymond believes your stepfather cares too much about his reputation."
I felt cold.
Then she whispered, "He says he has one final piece of information that could embarrass Arthur."
I leaned forward.
"What information?"
Patricia hesitated.
"I don't know whether it's true."
I took a breath.
"Tell me."
She looked directly at me.
"Raymond claims Arthur helped arrange the legal settlement that ended his parental involvement."
I stared at her.
I already knew Arthur helped Mom resolve legal matters.
But Patricia continued.
"He says Arthur promised to pay him money if he stopped seeking contact."
My chest tightened.
"Do you have proof?"
She shook her head.
"Only Raymond's word."
I sat back.
That wasn't enough.
Not anymore.
Then Patricia reached into her bag again.
"But I do have something else."
She placed an old photograph on the table.
It showed Raymond standing beside a younger Arthur outside a courthouse.
Both men were smiling.
My heart stopped.
I looked closer.
Arthur had told me he barely knew Raymond before the custody proceedings.
But the photograph made them look familiar.
Patricia watched me.
Then she whispered, "They knew each other before your mother ever met Arthur."
I stared at the picture.
And for the first time since my wedding, I felt uncertain about a piece of my family's history.
Not about Arthur's love.
I had never doubted that.
May you like
But about how our family began.
And why nobody had ever mentioned that photograph.
