Chapter 3

I canceled the wedding before Evelyn opened the envelope.

Not postponed.

Canceled.

I walked to the front of the ballroom, took the microphone, and looked at the hundreds of people who had come to celebrate.

My hands were shaking.

But my voice was steady.

"There will not be a wedding today."

A wave of whispers moved through the room.

Nia stood near the aisle, crying.

My father looked devastated.

I continued.

"I apologize for the disruption, but serious information has come to light."

I swallowed.

"I cannot make marriage vows when the trust required for those vows is gone."

I stepped away.

I didn't explain the medical records.

I didn't expose anyone's private health information.

And I didn't allow the guests to turn the situation into entertainment.

The truth needed to be established properly.

Not shouted across a ballroom.

Hotel security escorted Nia to a private room after she refused to leave the ceremony area.

I arranged for her belongings to be collected later.

Then I went to Jasmine.

She was sitting with Lily in a small lounge.

My niece looked frightened.

When she saw me, she climbed from the sofa and ran toward me.

"Uncle Marcus!"

I knelt.

She threw her arms around my neck.

"I'm sorry."

I held her tightly.

"Sweetheart, you have nothing to apologize for."

She began crying.

"I pulled the string."

I kissed her forehead.

"You didn't know what it was."

She sniffled.

"Are you mad?"

My throat tightened.

"Never at you."

She looked up.

"Is Auntie Nia going to be okay?"

I swallowed.

"I hope so."

Lily nodded.

Then she whispered, "I didn't want your wedding to be ruined."

I felt tears gathering.

I held her closer.

"You didn't ruin anything."

Jasmine wiped her eyes.

I looked toward my sister.

She nodded quietly.

Then Lily said something that broke my heart.

"I just wanted you to know about the phone."

I kissed her forehead.

"Thank you for telling me."

She smiled faintly.

Then I stood.

"Go home with Mommy, okay?"

She nodded.

"Will you come see me tomorrow?"

I smiled.

"Of course."

After they left, I met Evelyn and Dr. Walker in a private hotel conference room.

My father joined us.

So did Attorney Rochelle Grant, who had represented my company for years.

Rochelle had been attending the wedding.

When she heard what happened, she immediately offered legal assistance.

I sat across from Evelyn.

"Tell me everything."

She placed the medical envelope on the table.

My heart pounded.

Dr. Walker explained that the documents included Evelyn's treatment records, facility contact restrictions, and copies of authorizations that were being reviewed.

Some records were protected medical information.

Evelyn had given permission for the relevant portions to be discussed with me.

I nodded.

Then Rochelle examined the paperwork.

Her expression changed.

"Marcus, this authorization appears to identify Nia as Evelyn's legal representative."

I stared at her.

"What?"

Evelyn shook her head.

"I never gave her that authority."

Rochelle continued.

"The document includes a signature attributed to Mrs. Carter."

I looked at my aunt.

She was trembling.

"Is it yours?"

"No."

My stomach tightened.

Another lie.

Another document.

Another piece of my family placed under someone else's control.

Rochelle looked toward Dr. Walker.

"We'll need the original records and authentication information."

She nodded.

"The facility has initiated a review."

I leaned back.

For months, I had believed Nia was helping Evelyn recover.

Now I was learning that she may have used false authority to interfere with my aunt's care.

I felt sick.

Then Evelyn opened another document.

"Marcus, I also found financial records."

I looked up.

"What records?"

She handed me a statement.

It showed transfers from a personal investment account.

Three separate payments.

Seventy-five thousand.

Ninety thousand.

One hundred and forty thousand.

I stared.

"These are my accounts."

Evelyn nodded.

"Yes."

I looked at Rochelle.

She studied the statement.

"Do you recognize the receiving company?"

I read the name.

Collins Family Holdings.

My stomach dropped.

"That's Nia's company."

Rochelle made a note.

"Do you recall authorizing these transfers?"

I shook my head.

"No."

Evelyn looked toward me.

"I tried to warn you."

Tears filled her eyes.

"But every time I asked, Nia told me you had approved everything."

I covered my face.

I had trusted Nia with wedding expenses.

I had allowed her to use a household account.

But I had never authorized transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars into her private company.

I looked up.

"Where did the money go?"

Rochelle answered carefully.

"We'll need a forensic review."

I nodded.

"Do it."

Then Evelyn pointed toward another page.

"There's something else."

I stared at it.

A document titled Beneficiary Designation Change.

My heart tightened.

It concerned a life insurance policy.

My policy.

The beneficiary listed was Nia Collins.

I frowned.

"I never changed this."

Rochelle studied the signature.

"Again, we'll need to verify the authorization."

My hands began shaking.

I thought about the fake pregnancy.

The rushed wedding.

The financial transfers.

The attempted control over Evelyn's medical care.

The insurance document.

Everything seemed connected.

But I didn't yet understand how.

My father leaned forward.

"Marcus, did Nia ever ask you to sign paperwork you didn't read?"

I thought carefully.

Then I remembered.

Three months earlier, Nia had brought me several documents at my office.

She said they were for the wedding venue and baby-related insurance coverage.

I had been rushing to a meeting.

I signed two pages without reviewing the full packet.

My stomach dropped.

"Dad."

He looked at me.

"I think I signed something."

Rochelle became serious.

"Do you still have copies?"

I shook my head.

"Nia handled everything."

She nodded.

"Then we'll obtain them."

I leaned back.

For the first time, I realized how completely I had placed my future in Nia's hands.

Then my phone rang.

Unknown number.

I hesitated.

Rochelle nodded.

"Answer if you wish, but don't discuss legal strategy."

I accepted the call.

A man's voice spoke.

"Marcus Bennett?"

"Yes."

"My name is Daniel Price."

My heart stopped.

I stood.

"Daniel."

He took a shaky breath.

"I heard what happened at the wedding."

My grip tightened.

"You helped fake the pregnancy."

Silence.

Then he whispered, "Yes."

I closed my eyes.

"Why?"

He hesitated.

"Because Nia paid me."

I felt anger rising.

"How much?"

"Twenty thousand dollars."

I stared at the wall.

Twenty thousand.

For months of lies.

For a fake pregnancy.

For a wedding that nearly happened under false pretenses.

I swallowed.

"What else did she pay you to do?"

Daniel became quiet.

Then he whispered, "Marcus, I need protection."

My stomach tightened.

"From whom?"

He hesitated.

"From Nia."

I stared at the phone.

Then he said something that made my entire body go cold.

"She told me if the wedding failed, we'd both lose everything."

I looked toward Evelyn.

She was watching me carefully.

Daniel continued.

"And Marcus, there's something you need to know about the baby."

I stopped breathing.

"What baby?"

There was a long silence.

Then he whispered, "The pregnancy was fake, but the child at the center of this isn't imaginary."

My heart stopped.

May you like

My sister sl@pped my four-year-old daughter at family dinner and claimed...

The Dinner That Exposed My Wife's Cruelest Secret

She said there was no money for his daughter—then Dad saw the brand-new...

Because I suddenly realized Nia might have been hiding a real child somewhere.

And I had no idea whose child it was.