Chapter 3
I stared at my signature on the investment document.
It looked almost perfect.
The shape of the M.
The long stroke beneath my surname.
Even the unusual way I crossed the second letter.
But I had never signed it.
I looked toward Daniel.
"Where did you get this?"
He opened another folder.
"It was submitted to Bennett Holdings six weeks ago."
My heart tightened.
"By who?"
"A company called Carter Prestige Ventures."
I closed my eyes.
Evelyn had mentioned that company several times.
She called it her family's investment business.
She claimed it managed luxury events and real estate opportunities.
I had never asked questions.
I thought it was part of her private financial life.
Now I wondered whether I'd been foolish.
Dad leaned forward.
"Marcus, are you certain you didn't sign this?"
I looked at him.
"Absolutely."
He nodded.
Then turned toward Daniel.
"Preserve the original submission records."
Daniel immediately agreed.
Dad continued.
"Notify legal counsel and request an independent document examination."
My chest tightened.
"Dad, do you think Evelyn forged my signature?"
He looked at me.
"We don't know yet."
I swallowed.
"But someone submitted a document bearing your name."
I nodded.
That distinction mattered.
Dad refused to accuse anyone without evidence.
Even now.
I looked down at the paper.
"What was the money supposed to be used for?"
Daniel turned a page.
"Development of a luxury residential complex outside Savannah."
I frowned.
"Does the project exist?"
He hesitated.
"That's under review."
My stomach twisted.
Then I noticed another name.
NIA CARTER.
I stared.
"Nia is listed as a company officer?"
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
My wife.
The woman I'd just married.
The woman who laughed at my father.
Her name appeared on a financial request carrying a signature I didn't recognize as mine.
I took a breath.
"Does Nia know about this?"
Daniel shook his head.
"We haven't established that."
I nodded.
My mind raced.
Part of me wanted to believe she knew nothing.
Another part remembered the wedding.
How she laughed.
How she immediately stopped when I removed my ring.
How she followed us outside.
Then I remembered something else.
Two months earlier, Evelyn had asked me to sign a stack of wedding paperwork.
She said it concerned vendors and seating arrangements.
I remembered signing several forms without reading every line.
My stomach tightened.
I looked at Daniel.
"Could someone have copied my signature from the wedding paperwork?"
He nodded.
"That's possible."
I closed my eyes.
I had trusted Evelyn because she was becoming family.
I had trusted Nia because I loved her.
Now I wasn't sure what either woman knew.
Dad touched my shoulder.
"Marcus."
I looked up.
"Don't assume guilt before the facts are established."
I nodded.
"I know."
He smiled sadly.
"But don't ignore warning signs either."
That night, I returned to my apartment rather than the hotel suite reserved for our honeymoon.
Dad insisted I stay somewhere quiet.
He also asked me to keep the wedding gift.
I had almost forgotten it.
The small wrapped box Evelyn threw onto the table.
One of the security men had retrieved it before we left.
Dad handed it to me.
"Your mother wanted you to have this."
My throat tightened.
I carefully removed the wrapping.
Inside was a small wooden box.
The lid was scratched.
The hinges were old.
I recognized it immediately.
Mom kept her most precious things inside.
I opened it.
There was a gold pocket watch.
A folded letter.
And a photograph of my parents on their wedding day.
Mom wore a simple white dress.
Dad wore the same brown suit he'd worn at my wedding.
I stopped breathing.
"Dad..."
He smiled.
"That's why I wore it."
Tears filled my eyes.
He continued.
"Your mother helped choose that suit forty-one years ago."
I touched the photograph.
They looked young.
Happy.
Completely in love.
Dad's voice softened.
"She said I looked handsome in it."
I laughed through my tears.
"You still do."
He chuckled.
Then pointed toward the letter.
"Read that when you're ready."
I unfolded the paper.
Mom's handwriting filled the page.
My dear Marcus,
When you marry, remember that a good marriage isn't built on expensive things.
It's built on the way two people protect each other's dignity.
Love should make you brave.
Not silent.
My eyes filled with tears.
I continued reading.
Your father has given our family more than money ever could.
He gave us patience, loyalty, and a home where nobody was made to feel small.
I hope you find someone who sees those things in him.
I stopped.
My throat closed.
Mom had written those words before she died.
Years before I met Nia.
Yet they seemed written for that very night.
I looked at Dad.
He was crying silently.
I hugged him.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then he whispered, "Your mother would've wanted you to be happy."
I nodded.
"I know."
He squeezed my shoulder.
"But she wouldn't have wanted you to sacrifice your self-respect."
I closed my eyes.
For the first time, I understood why he had brought that small box.
It wasn't an expensive wedding gift.
It was a reminder of what marriage should mean.
The next morning, my phone rang.
Nia.
I stared at the screen.
Then answered.
"Marcus?"
Her voice was trembling.
I took a breath.
"Yes."
"Please don't hang up."
I remained silent.
She began crying.
"I'm sorry."
I looked toward the photograph.
"For what?"
"For laughing."
My chest tightened.
She continued.
"I was cruel."
I swallowed.
"Yes."
Her voice broke.
"I don't know why I did it."
I closed my eyes.
"Nia, my father was standing there holding something that belonged to my mother."
She began sobbing.
"I know."
"You saw him lower his head."
She didn't answer.
"And you laughed."
Her voice cracked.
"I hate myself for it."
For a moment, I felt something soften.
Then I remembered the document.
I took a breath.
"Nia, I need to ask you something."
She sniffed.
"Anything."
"Have you heard of Carter Prestige Ventures?"
Silence.
My stomach tightened.
"Nia?"
She whispered, "Yes."
I stared at the wall.
"What's your involvement?"
She hesitated.
"It's Mom's company."
I swallowed.
"Your name appears on its paperwork."
Another pause.
Then she whispered something that made my heart sink.
"Marcus, there's a reason."
I sat upright.
"What reason?"
She began crying harder.
"Mom told me the investment would save our family."
My blood ran cold.
"What investment?"
Then she said six words I would never forget.
May you like
"She said you already agreed."
And I realized my wife might have been manipulated into a financial scheme using my name.
