Chapter 5 - The Man She Never Stopped Loving
I watched my son stare at the photograph until his hands began to shake.
Vanessa was smiling in it.
Not the polished smile she used for family gatherings.
Not the careful smile she wore in engagement photographs.
This was different.
Her arms were wrapped around Adrian.
Her face rested against his chest.
And the date showed that she had been seeing him while planning her wedding to Nick.
I wanted to tear the photograph in half.
But I didn't.
I had already watched one act of anger destroy my son's wedding.
I wasn't going to let my own anger interfere with the truth.
Nick placed the photograph on the desk.
"Who is Adrian?"
Denise looked uncomfortable.
"Adrian Lewis. He used to work with Vanessa."
"Used to?"
"He left the company after Patricia found out about their relationship."
Nick frowned.
"Why would she care?"
Denise lowered her voice.
"Because Adrian didn't come from money."
I felt a bitter realization settle in my stomach.
Patricia had decided Adrian wasn't suitable.
But my son was.
Not because of his character.
Not because he loved Vanessa.
Because of an inheritance Patricia believed was waiting for him.
Nick looked toward Marcus.
"What do we do with this?"
Marcus answered carefully.
"The photograph may be relevant to the broader timeline, but infidelity itself isn't a criminal offense."
Nick nodded slowly.
"I know."
His voice broke.
"I just need to understand what happened."
I reached for his hand.
"Sweetheart, you don't have to understand every lie to know you deserve better."
He looked at me.
"I know. But I need to hear the truth from her."
I worried that seeing Vanessa again would hurt him.
Still, Nick was a grown man.
I couldn't make every decision for him.
Marcus arranged a meeting through Vanessa's attorney.
It took place two days later.
A conference room.
Two attorneys.
No cameras.
No family members except me, at Nick's request.
Vanessa arrived wearing a simple black dress.
Her eyes were swollen.
For one brief moment, I almost felt sorry for her.
Then I remembered her hands pushing against my shoulders.
I remembered her demanding information about Samuel's money.
And I remembered the pain on my son's face.
Vanessa looked at Nick.
"Thank you for coming."
He didn't smile.
"Tell me about Adrian."
Her face changed.
"Who?"
Nick placed the photograph on the table.
Vanessa stared at it.
Then she closed her eyes.
"Nick..."
"How long?"
She swallowed.
"It wasn't what you think."
Nick laughed bitterly.
"Then tell me what it was."
Vanessa looked toward her attorney.
He spoke quietly.
"Vanessa, answer only what you're comfortable discussing."
She nodded.
Then whispered:
"Almost a year."
Nick's face went completely still.
I felt my stomach twist.
"While we were engaged?"
She nodded.
Nick looked away.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then he asked:
"Did you ever love me?"
Vanessa began crying.
"I cared about you."
"That's not what I asked."
She wiped her cheeks.
"Nick, you were good to me."
He stared at her.
"Did you love me?"
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
"No."
The word was barely audible.
But it was enough.
I watched my son absorb it.
Two years of memories.
Two years of trust.
Two years of believing he had found someone who wanted the same future.
All reduced to one word.
No.
Nick inhaled slowly.
"Was marrying me your mother's idea?"
Vanessa nodded.
"At first."
"At first?"
She looked ashamed.
"I agreed."
"Why?"
"Because she said everything depended on me."
Her voice rose.
"She said we would lose the house. The business. Everything."
Nick stared at her.
"So you decided to use me."
Vanessa covered her face.
"I'm sorry."
He shook his head.
"You could have told me the truth."
"I was afraid."
"Of losing money?"
"Of disappointing my mother."
I felt anger rise.
But Nick spoke before I could.
"You were willing to destroy my relationship with my mother to protect yours."
Vanessa went silent.
He continued.
"You tried to make me believe my mother was controlling. You told me she embarrassed you."
Tears ran down his cheeks.
"And all along, you were trying to keep her away because she knew too much."
Vanessa whispered, "I'm sorry."
Nick stood.
"I believe you regret getting caught."
She looked up sharply.
"No!"
He shook his head.
"But I don't know whether you regret what you did."
Vanessa began sobbing.
Nick turned toward the door.
Then stopped.
"One more thing."
She looked at him.
"Did you know about the forged financial forms?"
Her attorney immediately intervened.
"Nick, any questions regarding the documents should go through counsel."
Nick nodded.
"Fine."
He looked at Vanessa one last time.
"I hope someday you become someone who doesn't need to hurt people to feel safe."
Then he walked out.
I followed.
Outside the building, he leaned against my car.
His shoulders shook.
I wrapped my arms around him.
He cried harder than I had seen him cry since Samuel's funeral.
"Mom, I loved her."
"I know."
"I would have done anything for her."
"I know, sweetheart."
He pulled back.
"Was I stupid?"
I took his face between my hands.
"No."
"But I believed everything."
"Trusting someone you love isn't stupidity."
His eyes filled.
"Then why does it feel like I've lost everything?"
I held him tightly.
"Because you've lost the future you imagined."
He nodded.
I continued.
"But you haven't lost yourself."
He closed his eyes.
"And you haven't lost me."
We stood there for a long time.
When we finally reached home, Nick went straight to his childhood bedroom.
I found him sitting on the edge of the bed.
His father's ring lay beside him.
He looked up.
"Mom, can you tell me something about Dad?"
I sat down.
"What would you like to know?"
"How did you know he loved you?"
I smiled through tears.
"Because he made me feel safe."
Nick looked at me.
"Safe?"
"Yes. I could disagree with him. I could make mistakes. I could have a terrible day. And I never worried that he would use those things against me."
Nick stared at the ring.
"That's what I wanted."
I squeezed his hand.
"And someday, you may find it."
He shook his head.
"I don't think I want to love anyone again."
I didn't argue.
He needed time.
That night, after Nick had gone to sleep, Marcus called.
His voice was serious.
"Evelyn, we received the bank's response."
I sat upright.
"What did they say?"
"The authorization documents were submitted using Nick's personal information."
My heart sank.
"Can they identify who submitted them?"
"They've preserved the records for investigators."
He paused.
"And there's something else."
I gripped the phone.
"What?"
"The attempted transaction included instructions to move funds into an account connected to Patricia's company."
I closed my eyes.
Marcus continued.
"The amount requested was much larger than the trust actually holds."
I stared into the darkness.
Patricia had expected millions.
She had planned to take far more than Samuel had ever left.
And suddenly, I wondered what she would do when she discovered the truth.
May you like
Because desperate people make dangerous decisions.
And Patricia was running out of time.
