Chapter 12 - The Gift
I stepped away from Julian.
Father Thomas faced the guests.
“Before we proceed, Mariana has an announcement.”
A microphone waited on the small table beside him.
I picked it up.
My hand was shaking.
I let it shake.
“Thank you for being here,” I said. “I know many of you traveled a long way.”
Julian smiled toward the crowd.
He still thought he could stand beside me and shape whatever came next.
“There will not be a wedding today.”
His head turned.
A ripple moved through the room.
My mother half rose from her seat.
“Mariana?”
I kept my eyes on the guests.
“Last night, I came home for my grandmother’s necklace. I overheard a conversation between Julian and my mother.”
Stella stood.
“This is not the place.”
I looked at her.
“You chose the night before my wedding. I chose the morning after.”
Julian reached toward the microphone.
Marcus moved into view.
Julian’s hand stopped.
“I was going to explain this privately,” he said.
“You had all morning.”
His voice dropped.
“Think carefully.”
“For once,” I said, “I did.”
I nodded to Lena.
The screen lit up.
The hallway appeared.
My mother opened her bedroom door.
Julian stepped toward her.
The kiss came first.
Someone gasped so sharply it sounded like pain.
Then the audio played.
“She’ll sign whatever I put in front of her.”
Stella made a strangled noise.
“Turn that off.”
The recording continued.
The company.
The divorce.
My desperate need to be chosen.
Every word clear.
Every excuse arriving too late.
I watched Julian while his own voice said he was tired of pretending to love me.
He wasn’t looking at me.
He was searching the room.
Counting witnesses.
Looking for exits.
That was the moment the last small, stupid hope inside me died.
The screen went dark.
Nobody moved.
Then Mom stepped into the aisle.
“That recording is misleading.”
Lena stood beside the projector with the original file preserved on a separate device.
Evelyn remained near the side door.
I wasn’t alone.
“What part?” I asked.
Mom opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Julian turned to the guests.
“This is a private disagreement. Mariana has been under a lot of stress.”
I looked at him.
“You were kissing my mother while discussing how to take control of my company.”
“Please lower your voice.”
I lifted the microphone slightly.
May you like
“No.”
And for the first time in my life, my mother looked afraid of what I might say next.
