Chapter 3: The House My Father Wanted
“The property?”” I repeated.
Michael's smile widened when he saw the confusion on my face.
“Your grandmother's house,” he said.
“The one your mother has been holding on to all these years.””
My mother stood so abruptly that her chair scraped across the ballroom floor.
“Michael, stop.””
He looked at her with theatrical disappointment.
“Why? Are we still pretending this isn't part of our family history?””
I turned toward my mother.
“What house?””
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Michael answered for her.
“Your maternal grandmother left a property in her estate. Your mother inherited it, and she's kept it in the family ever since. I've been trying to settle matters connected to that house for years.””
Robert's face had gone pale.
I looked between them.
“What does that have to do with me?””
Michael lowered the microphone.
“Everything, sweetheart. Your mother and I have a complicated history. There were promises made before you were born. Things that were never properly resolved.””
“Stop calling me sweetheart,” I said.
His smile vanished for a second before returning.
“Fine. Emily. You and I talked about building a relationship. I thought you understood that helping me get my life back on track was part of that.””
“I never said anything about a house.””
“You said you wanted to make up for lost time.””
“I meant spending time together!””
Several guests shifted uncomfortably. At the front table, my uncle stared at his plate. Jessica stood beside me with her arms crossed, her face flushed with anger.
Daniel reached me and took my hand.
“Emily,” he said softly, “did you know about any of this?””
“No.””
He searched my face.
“Not even a little?””
“Daniel, I swear to you. I don't know what he's talking about.””
Michael gave a short laugh.
“Of course she doesn't. Linda has spent years keeping the truth from her.””
My mother stepped forward.
“You abandoned us, Michael. Don't stand here and rewrite history.””
The room seemed to shrink around us.
I had heard fragments of their story growing up. My mother had always said that Michael left when I was too young to remember him. She rarely discussed him, but she never told me he was dead or that he had been prevented from contacting me.
When I was sixteen, I asked why she had never tried to find him.
She'd been washing dishes at the time. She turned off the faucet, dried her hands, and said, “Some people have to decide whether they want to be parents. I couldn't make that decision for him.””
I had thought she was protecting herself from painful memories.
Now I wondered what else she had been protecting me from.
“Mom,” I said, “what house is he talking about?””
She looked at me, her eyes shining.
“Your grandmother's house is in Franklin. She left it to me before she died. That's all.””
Michael scoffed.
“That's not all, and you know it.””
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded document.
“Your grandmother's estate was settled years ago. But there were financial arrangements between Linda and me before Emily was born. I have records.””
Robert stepped forward.
“Put that paper away.””
Michael's face reddened.
“You don't get to tell me what to do.””
“No,” Robert replied.
“But I can tell you that using Emily's wedding to pressure her into giving you money is shameful.””
Michael pointed toward the guests.
“Listen to him. He thinks he's some kind of saint because he married a woman with a child. But where was he when the original decisions were made?
He wasn't there. He wasn't part of this family.””
Robert didn't raise his voice.
“I was there when Emily needed someone. That's the family that matters to me.””
A few guests began murmuring.
Michael noticed and changed tactics.
He lowered his shoulders, softened his voice, and looked toward the front row as if he were the wounded party.
“I know this is uncomfortable. I didn't want to discuss private matters today. But Emily invited me into her life, and I came here believing we were finally going to make things right.””
He held up the invoice.
“She knows what I spent to be here. I didn't ask for anything unreasonable. I simply wanted her to acknowledge that relationships require effort from both sides.””
I couldn't believe he was using the bill as evidence of his devotion.
“You charged me for your hotel,” I said.
“You charged me for a suit and for wages you claim to have lost. Then you threatened not to walk me down the aisle unless I paid you.””
He shook his head sadly.
“I asked you to help with expenses.””
“You gave me an invoice!””
“Because you refused to listen.””
Jessica stepped forward.
“You've been here less than a day, and you're already trying to manipulate her.””
Michael pointed at her.
“This is a family matter.””
“No,” Jessica replied.
“It's a wedding. And you're the only person here turning it into a business transaction.””
Someone in the crowd whispered, “Good for her.””
Michael's face darkened.
He turned back to me.
“Fine. Let's forget the expenses. Let's forget the house. All I'm asking is for you to honor the understanding we had.””
“What understanding?””
“That you would help me get what I deserve.””
“From whom?””
He glanced at my mother.
“From your family.””
My mother shook her head.
“You have no claim to my mother's house.””
Michael's expression sharpened.
“Then why did you agree to meet with my attorney last month?””
The words hit the room like a dropped glass.
I turned toward my mother.
“You met with his attorney?””
She looked as though the floor had disappeared beneath her.
“Emily, I can explain.””
“When?””
“Last month.””
“While I was choosing flowers? While I was finalizing the guest list? While you were helping me try on wedding dresses?””
“Please, sweetheart.””
“No. You don't get to tell me to trust you while everyone else seems to know something I don't.””
Daniel gently squeezed my hand.
“Let's take a breath,” he said.
“We don't have to settle anything today.””
Michael laughed.
“That's easy for you to say. You're marrying into this family. You have no idea what you're stepping into.””
Daniel turned toward him.
“I know enough to recognize when someone is trying to intimidate my fiancée.””
For the first time, Michael looked genuinely unsettled.
Then he turned toward the wedding coordinator.
“Since the ceremony is apparently on hold, I suggest we make one thing clear. I didn't come here for nothing.””
He held out the invoice again.
“Emily can pay me the $4,860, or she can acknowledge in writing that she'll help resolve the property dispute. One way or another, I'm not leaving empty-handed.””
The room erupted in whispers.
I stared at the man who shared my blood and felt a strange, painful clarity settle over me.
He hadn't come to learn who I was.
He had come because he believed I could get him something.
But I still didn't understand why my mother had met with his attorney, or why Daniel had gone silent at the mention of the property.
I turned to my fiancé.
“Daniel, what is it?””
He hesitated.
It was only a second, but I saw it.
“Emily,” he said carefully, “there's something I need to tell you about that house.””
My heart sank.
“What?””
He looked toward Michael, then at my mother.
“Before we got engaged, my firm received a request to review some documents connected to your grandmother's estate.””
I felt his hand loosen around mine.
“And the person who asked us to review them was…”
May you like
Daniel swallowed.
“Your biological father.””
