Chapter 5: The Wedding Day Disaster
The morning of Julian's wedding arrived with gray skies.
Almost like the world itself knew something was wrong.
I stayed home.
For the first time in months, I wasn't rushing around making sure everyone else had what they wanted.
No calls to vendors.
No emergency payments.
No last-minute changes.
No fixing problems that weren't mine.
My phone, however, never stopped.
Messages from relatives.
Calls from family members.
Everyone suddenly remembered my name.
My aunt called first.
"Claire, you need to be reasonable.""
I looked at the coffee in my hand.
"Reasonable?""
"Yes. This has gone too far.""
I almost smiled.
"Interesting. Nobody said that when Julian removed me from my own event.""
She became quiet.
Then she changed tactics.
"Think about your parents.""
I looked around my quiet apartment.
"I have.""
"And?""
"I think they should have stopped this before it happened.""
She had nothing to say.
Because everyone knew the truth.
They had watched.
They had approved.
Now they wanted me to clean up the mess.
At 10 a.m., Rachel from Cedar Grove called.
"Claire.""
Her voice sounded exhausted.
"What happened?""
"Almost every major vendor arrived this morning.""
"Okay.""
"And they discovered Julian wasn't the person paying them.""
I closed my eyes.
"How did they react?""
"They were confused.""
A small silence.
"Then they asked who the contract holder was.""
I knew the answer.
"Me.""
"Yes.""
I sat down.
"What did Julian do?""
Rachel sighed.
"He told everyone there was a misunderstanding.""
Of course.
My brother had always been good at making problems sound smaller.
A disaster was a misunderstanding.
A betrayal was a mistake.
A lie was just a misunderstanding.
"Claire, there is something else.""
"What?""
"Chloe's family arrived.""
I waited.
"And?""
"They are not happy.""
I almost felt sorry for Chloe.
Almost.
Because I knew what it felt like to be caught in the middle.
But then I remembered the way she stood beside Julian while he told me I wasn't welcome.
"Did Chloe know?""
Rachel paused.
"Know what?""
"That I paid for everything.""
Another pause.
Then she answered honestly.
"I think she knew.""
That hurt more than I expected.
Not because Chloe betrayed me.
But because I realized they all knew.
Every single one of them.
They accepted my help.
They enjoyed my generosity.
Then they erased me when it became inconvenient.
At noon, I received a message from Julian.
*You are ruining everything.*
I stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
*Mom and Dad are embarrassed because of you.*
I placed the phone down.
The old Claire would have apologized.
The old Claire would have rushed there.
The old Claire would have begged them to understand.
But that woman was gone.
I replied:
*You made your choices.*
Three minutes later:
*You think you're better than us because you have money.*
I read the sentence twice.
Then I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was unbelievable.
They had taken my money.
They had taken my time.
They had taken my loyalty.
And somehow, they still believed I was the problem.
That afternoon, Victoria called.
"Claire, I have an update.""
I straightened.
"What happened?""
"The authorization document Julian submitted was sent from an email account connected to him.""
I frowned.
"Meaning?""
"Meaning we can prove he was involved.""
I looked out the window.
The city was moving below me.
People were living normal lives.
Meanwhile, my family had turned my kindness into a weapon.
"Do we need to take action now?""
Victoria was quiet.
"That depends.""
"On what?""
"Whether Julian admits what he did.""
I thought about my brother.
The little boy who used to follow me around.
The teenager who asked me for advice.
The man who once told me I was the only person who believed in him.
Then I remembered his message.
You're not invited.
Goodbye, loser.
"No," I said.
"Claire?""
"I want to see what he does when nobody saves him.""
Victoria understood.
"Okay.""
That evening, another message appeared.
This time from my father.
*Your brother made a mistake. Family should forgive.*
I stared at those words.
Then I typed:
*Did you say that when he humiliated me?*
The typing bubble appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally:
*You are making this worse.*
I placed my phone down.
Because I finally understood.
My father wasn't asking for forgiveness.
He was asking for silence.
The next morning, Rachel called me before sunrise.
Her voice was shaking.
"Claire, something happened.""
I sat up.
"What?""
"The wedding ceremony was supposed to begin in an hour.""
"Yes.""
She swallowed.
"Julian just found out something.""
"What?""
A long pause.
Then she said:
"The venue received a legal notice.""
My heart stopped.
"From who?""
Rachel lowered her voice.
"From Julian's own lawyer.""
I frowned.
"Why would his lawyer send a notice against him?""
The answer came quietly.
"Because they discovered the contract was never transferred.""
I held my breath.
May you like
Then Rachel said the words I never expected.
"Claire, Julian is trying to sue you.""
