PART 3: The Broken Contract
My mother gripped my wrist hard, trying to keep me from exploding in the middle of the bridal suite. “Ethan, don’t… the guests are already sitting down.”
“No, Mom,” I said, reaching into the heavy leather folder I had dropped on the floor when she fell. “She didn’t trip you by accident. She needed you off your feet before the ceremony.”
Claire’s face suddenly lost its composure for the first time all morning. Her gaze snapped straight to the blue manila envelope sticking out of my folder.
“Ethan, give me that,” Claire demanded, stepping forward with her hand outstretched, completely abandoning her gentle bride persona. “That’s private business correspondence for my father’s estate.”
“It was,” I replied, pulling out the notarized bank transfers. “Until I realized whose name was signed at the bottom of my late father’s liquidated pension accounts.” Was Claire after more than just a wedding title? Continue reading Part 4 below to see the confrontation unfold.
