Chapter 2: The Secret Appointment
I spent the next ten minutes standing in front of a mirror, staring at a dress that no longer looked like a wedding gown.
It looked like evidence.
The red stain at the bottom of my dress felt like a warning.
Terrell stood near the window with the papers in his hand.
Delphine sat on the chair beside the vanity, perfectly calm again.
That was what scared me most.
She had just destroyed something important to me, yet she looked like she was waiting for breakfast.
“Terrell,” I said quietly.
He turned.
“Tell me everything.””
He looked at his mother.
Delphine immediately shook her head.
“This is not the time.””
I laughed softly.
“Actually, I think this is exactly the time.””
Terrell walked closer.
“I was going to tell you after the ceremony.””
“Why?””
His face tightened.
“Because I wanted today to be about us.””
I looked down at my dress.
“Your mother made sure it wasn’t.””
Silence filled the room.
Terrell took a deep breath.
“The papers are for the house.””
I frowned.
“What house?””
“The Vance family property.””
I knew the name.
Everyone did.
The large estate outside the city had belonged to Terrell’s grandfather before passing down to his father.
It was the place Delphine always talked about.
The place she called “our family legacy.””
“What about it?””
Terrell handed me the papers.
I looked at the folder but did not open it.
“What am I supposed to see?””
He sat beside me.
“My grandfather left instructions before he passed.””
Delphine suddenly stood.
“Terrell.””
He ignored her.
“The house was never meant to stay under Mama’s control forever.””
My eyes moved toward Delphine.
Her expression hardened.
“She raised you,” I said.
Terrell nodded.
“I know.””
“Then why is she angry?””
He looked at me.
“Because Grandpa left one condition.””
The room became quiet.
“What condition?””
Terrell looked at the papers.
“After I married, the ownership transfer would happen.””
I blinked.
“Married?””
He nodded.
“The house would legally become ours.””
I looked at Delphine.
Her face was unreadable.
“You were trying to stop the transfer.””
She crossed her arms.
“I was trying to protect my son.””
“No,” Terrell said.
The word was quiet.
But it hit harder than shouting.
“You were trying to control something that was never yours.””
Delphine looked wounded.
“How can you say that to your own mother?””
Terrell looked away.
For a moment, I saw pain in his eyes.
This was not easy for him.
But neither was it easy for me.
Because suddenly I realized something.
Delphine had not just hated my dress.
She hated what my marriage represented.
She hated losing control.
I looked at the clock on the wall.
11:15.
“You said the appointment is at noon?””
Terrell nodded.
“Yes.””
“With the attorney?””
“Yes.””
Delphine stepped forward.
“Jasmine, you need to be careful.””
I looked at her.
“Careful of what?””
She lowered her voice.
“People who make promises when they want something.””
My eyes narrowed.
“You mean like pretending to spill wine accidentally?””
Her jaw tightened.
For the first time that morning, she looked uncomfortable.
Terrell moved between us.
“Mama, stop.””
She looked at him.
“You really think she understands what she’s getting into?””
Terrell answered immediately.
“She understands more than you think.””
Delphine grabbed her purse.
“I’m leaving.””
Nobody stopped her.
She walked to the door.
Then she paused.
Without turning around, she said,
“When Jasmine sees what’s inside those papers, she may not be as excited to sign.””
The door closed.
I stared after her.
“What did she mean?””
Terrell did not answer.
That scared me.
“Terrell.””
He looked at me.
“There is something else.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
He looked down at the papers.
“There is a reason my mother has been fighting this transfer for months.””
I waited.
“Tell me.””
He hesitated.
Then he handed me the folder.
Inside was the first page.
And the name written at the top was not mine.
Not Terrell’s.
It was Delphine’s.
May you like
Underneath it was one sentence that made my hands go cold.
The house was never the only thing being transferred.
