Chapter 7 - THE WEDDING CONTRACT VANESSA THOUGHT SHE COULD STEAL
I asked Vanessa to explain what she meant.
She refused to speak over the phone.
Instead, she insisted on meeting me in person, claiming she had information that could make everything worse.
Laura advised against meeting her alone.
So we arranged a meeting at her office, with Ethan present and our lawyer taking notes.
Vanessa arrived twenty minutes late.
She wore oversized sunglasses and a black sweater, and she looked as though she hadn't slept.
When she sat down, she avoided my eyes.
“Start talking,” I said.
She removed her sunglasses.
“I didn't change the venue contract.”
“Then what did you mean?”
She twisted her hands together.
“I changed the contact information on the wedding planning account.”
I stared at her.
Our wedding venue had an online portal where clients could review schedules, submit final guest counts, and communicate with the coordinator.
Vanessa had been given limited access months earlier because she was part of the wedding party and had offered to help with decorations.
She had used that access to change the contact email on the account.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to see the final invoices.”
“Why would you need to see our invoices?”
She looked down.
“I wanted to know how much you and Ethan were spending.”
The answer was so absurd that I almost laughed.
“You changed private account information because you were curious about our wedding budget?”
“No.”
She rubbed her forehead.
“I was looking for something else.”
“What?”
She swallowed.
“Proof that you had access to Grandma's money.”
The room became silent.
Vanessa admitted she had hoped to find financial documents attached to the venue account. She thought Ethan might have used part of my inheritance to pay for the wedding.
She had wanted evidence that I was spending money she believed should have been shared with the family.
“When I couldn't find anything, I got angry,” she said.
“So you poured dye on my dress?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I wanted to ruin the wedding.”
I stared at her.
“You wanted to ruin my wedding because I wouldn't give you my inheritance?”
She nodded faintly.
Laura interrupted.
“Did you submit the forged authorization form?”
Vanessa looked at her.
“I don't want to answer that without a lawyer.”
“That's your right,” Laura replied.
I felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment.
Vanessa was finally admitting some of what she'd done, but she was still choosing her words carefully.
She hadn't come because she suddenly understood the harm she'd caused.
She had come because the situation was becoming impossible to control.
“What happened to the original contract?” I asked.
Vanessa looked confused.
“What contract?”
“The wedding venue contract. You said you changed a name.”
She shook her head.
“I didn't change the contract itself. I changed the account contact. I thought I could use the information to make you look irresponsible.”
I leaned back.
“So there was no secret contract?”
“No.”
For a moment, I felt foolish for believing the anonymous email might point to something larger.
Then Vanessa said, “But I did something else.”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“What now?”
She glanced at him, then back at me.
“Before the wedding, I contacted the venue coordinator and told her you were considering canceling.”
I stared.
“You what?”
“I said you were overwhelmed and might not want to go through with it.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought if the coordinator called you, you'd argue with Ethan about the wedding plans.”
“You wanted us to fight?”
She nodded.
I felt a deep chill.
Vanessa had been deliberately creating problems, then watching to see whether I would blame Ethan or myself.
She hadn't simply wanted to stop the wedding.
She wanted to damage my confidence in the relationship.
“Why?” I asked again.
This time, her answer came quietly.
“Because I couldn't stand watching you get something I wanted.”
For the first time, she wasn't blaming hormones, stress, or a misunderstanding.
She was admitting jealousy.
“I wanted a husband who loved me. I wanted financial security. I wanted everyone to look at me the way they look at you.”
I almost interrupted.
Then I stopped myself.
I wanted to hear her finish.
“You always seem so calm,” she continued. “You save money. You have a job. You don't need Mom to rescue you. When Ethan proposed, everyone was happy for you. I couldn't stand it.”
I felt an ache in my chest.
“Vanessa, I worked for what I have.”
“I know.”
“I paid for my dress. I helped you when you were broke. I gave you money when you couldn't pay rent.”
“I know.”
“And you repaid me by trying to destroy my marriage before it began.”
She lowered her head.
“I know.”
Her apology, when it came, was barely audible.
“I'm sorry.”
I waited for the familiar rush of relief.
It didn't come.
Because an apology was not a magic key that opened every door she'd slammed shut.
“I hear you,” I said. “But I don't know whether I can forgive you.”
Vanessa began crying again.
“Please don't do this.”
“Do what?”
“Cut me out of your life.”
I looked at her.
“You tried to cut me out of my own wedding.”
She flinched.
I stood.
“I hope you get help. I hope you find work and pay your debts. I hope you build a life you're proud of. But I will not give you my money, and I will not pretend you haven't hurt me.”
She reached toward me.
I stepped back.
Laura ended the meeting.
Outside, Ethan put his arm around my shoulders.
“How do you feel?”
I looked at the gray November sky.
“Sad.”
“That's understandable.”
“I thought hearing her admit it would make me feel better.”
“Sometimes the truth doesn't erase the pain. It just stops you from questioning whether the pain was real.”
I leaned against him.
For years, I'd wondered whether I was too sensitive, too selfish, or too unwilling to compromise.
Now I knew the truth.
I hadn't imagined the mistreatment.
I hadn't caused Vanessa's jealousy.
And I didn't have to fix her.
But there was still one unresolved question.
Who had submitted the forged authorization form?
Vanessa had refused to answer.
And when Laura contacted the authorities, we learned that the form had been submitted from an internet connection registered at my mother's house.
That didn't prove who had used the computer.
But it meant Mom's involvement could no longer be dismissed as mere family gossip.
May you like
The investigation was about to reach the one person who had spent years insisting she was only trying to keep the peace.
My mother.
