Chapter 10: The Woman Who Controlled The Wedding
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The recording device sat on the table like a piece of evidence in a courtroom.
But this wasn’t a courtroom.
It was my home.
The place where I had raised my daughter.
The place where I had buried my husband’s ashes beneath the oak tree in the backyard.
The place where I believed I was safe.
Until that night.
James looked at Daniel.
“The wedding planner?””
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
I frowned.
“Claire?””
The name sounded impossible.
Claire had been with Brielle for almost a year.
She organized every detail of the wedding.
The flowers.
The decorations.
The seating arrangements.
She had hugged me when I arrived at the ballroom.
She had told me, “Your daughter is lucky to have such a loving mother.””
I remembered those words now.
And they felt like a lie.
“How?”” I whispered.
Daniel looked at me.
“Because Claire knew about the house.””
James picked up the documents.
“How would a wedding planner know anything about her mother’s property?””
Nobody answered.
Then Elaine quietly said:
“Because she wasn’t just planning the wedding.””
I looked at my sister.
“What does that mean?””
Elaine looked ashamed.
“She was advising Brielle.””
“About what?””
“Everything.””
My stomach twisted.
James walked toward the window.
“So this entire wedding was a setup?””
“No,” Daniel said.
“Not at first.””
Everyone looked at him.
Daniel continued.
“Claire met Brielle when she was struggling financially. She offered to help organize the wedding at a lower cost.””
James frowned.
“That doesn’t sound suspicious.””
“It wasn’t.””
Daniel paused.
“Until Claire started asking questions.””
“What kind of questions?”” I asked.
He looked at me.
“About your health.””
The room went cold.
I remembered.
The questions.
The strange comments.
Claire once asked me:
“Your daughter mentioned you’ve been under stress lately. Are you handling your finances alone?””
At the time, I thought she was being kind.
I thought she was concerned.
I had smiled and said:
“Yes, I manage everything.””
I didn’t realize I was giving away information.
James clenched his jaw.
“She targeted Brielle.””
Daniel nodded.
“She saw an opportunity.””
Elaine looked at the floor.
“She convinced Brielle that your mother’s house was the only way to save herself.””
I turned toward Elaine.
“You knew?””
“No.””
Her voice broke.
“I knew Brielle was desperate. I didn’t know how far she would go.””
I looked at my sister.
“You helped her anyway.””
Elaine lowered her eyes.
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt.
But somehow, it was better than another lie.
James looked at me.
“Mom, we need to report this.””
I nodded.
But before we could move, my phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number.
I opened it.
One sentence.
You should have stayed quiet.
Attached was a photo.
My house.
Taken from outside.
My hands started shaking.
James saw my face.
“What happened?””
I showed him.
His expression immediately changed.
“Someone is watching you.””
Daniel stood.
“I told you.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“This was never only about paperwork.””
My heart raced.
“Then what is it about?””
Daniel looked at the letter from my husband.
“The truth about Brielle’s father.””
Silence.
James looked confused.
“But why would that matter now?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then he said:
“Because Claire knows something about him.””
I stared.
“What?””
Daniel reached into his pocket.
He pulled out another photograph.
This one was older.
Much older.
My hands froze when I saw it.
It showed a young man.
A young woman.
And a baby.
The baby was Brielle.
But the man holding her wasn’t Daniel.
I looked at Daniel.
“Who is that?””
His face became serious.
“That’s the reason Claire wanted the house.””
I swallowed.
“Why?””
Daniel looked at me.
“Because that man is still alive.””
The next morning, James and I met with an attorney.
The documents were examined.
The signature was confirmed.
Not genuine.
The transfer papers were fraudulent.
The medical authorization was also fraudulent.
The lawyer placed the files down.
“Margaret, someone spent a lot of time building this.””
I stared at the papers.
“My own daughter.””
The attorney shook his head.
“Your daughter may have participated.””
The words were careful.
“But someone else guided her.””
James nodded.
“Claire.””
The attorney wrote down the name.
“We need evidence connecting her.””
Daniel had given us the recording.
But it wasn’t enough.
We needed more.
As we left the office, James received a call.
He answered.
“Hello?””
His expression changed.
“What?””
I looked at him.
“What is it?””
He covered the phone.
“It’s the hotel.””
“What hotel?””
“The wedding venue.””
My heart sank.
“Why are they calling?””
He listened again.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
“They found something in Claire’s office.””
“What?””
James looked at me.
“A file.””
“What kind of file?””
He stared at the ground.
“A file with your name on it.””
My stomach dropped.
“What does it say?””
James looked at me.
“They said there’s one sentence written across the top.””
“What sentence?””
May you like
He swallowed.
“‘Plan for Margaret Parker’s final transfer.’”
