Chapter 13 - THE WEDDING ENDS
Nobody ever cut the cake.
Nobody threw the bouquet.
The band packed up before ten.
Police officers arrived through the same gold doors Julian and I had entered two hours earlier.
The difference was that this time, nobody stared at me.
They stared at Mason.
Detective Mills took statements.
Nora handed over copies of the loan records.
Julian forwarded his old messages.
Vanessa surrendered the second phone.
Peter Lang suddenly remembered several details he had apparently forgotten all evening.
Mason stood in the corner with his own attorney on speakerphone.
He looked small.
I had never seen him look small.
For years, Mason filled every room.
He was the loudest confidence.
The best suit.
The biggest plan.
The man everyone assumed had the answer.
Watching him realize charm couldn’t negotiate with evidence was strangely quiet.
He caught me looking.
“This is what you wanted?”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Revenge.”
“No.”
“Don’t lie.”
I walked closer.
“You think everything is about you.”
His jaw tightened.
“I wanted to come here looking happy enough that you regretted leaving me.”
I glanced at Julian.
“So yes. I wanted petty revenge.”
Mason gave a bitter smile.
“Finally, honesty.”
“But then I found out you forged my signature, stole from people, lied about me for years and invited me here to sign away more than a million dollars.”
His smile disappeared.
“So no, Mason. This isn’t revenge.”
I looked toward Detective Mills.
“This is consequences.”
He stared at me.
“You think they’re going to arrest me tonight?”
“I don’t care.”
“You should.”
“Why?”
“Because if Riverside falls apart, everybody loses.”
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The part where your survival becomes everybody’s responsibility.”
He shook his head.
“You don’t understand business.”
I smiled sadly.
“You spent seven years making sure I thought I didn’t understand anything.”
For the first time, his face cracked.
“Claire.”
“No.”
His voice softened.
“I did love you.”
I hated that those words still hurt.
Maybe they always would.
“You loved what I gave you.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You loved being trusted.”
He looked away.
I continued.
“You loved having someone who believed you before she believed herself.”
He swallowed.
“That isn’t love.”
Behind us, Vanessa removed her wedding ring.
Mason saw.
His face hardened.
“You’re really doing this?”
She placed it on the table.
“Yes.”
“After everything I did for you?”
She laughed.
“Exactly because of everything you did for me.”
She walked away.
Julian watched her go.
There was no victory in his face.
Just exhaustion.
I went to him.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Me neither.”
We stood together while officers took photographs of documents on what had once been the gift table.
After a moment, Julian said, “For what it’s worth, this was the worst fake date I’ve ever had.”
I laughed.
A real laugh.
It surprised me.
“Do you do many?”
“None involving felony allegations.”
“Good to know.”
He looked at me.
“I’m sorry I lied.”
“I know.”
“That doesn’t mean you forgive me.”
“No.”
He nodded.
“Fair.”
I looked toward the doors.
“I need to go home.”
“I’ll get you a car.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
That sentence stopped me.
No pressure.
No demand.
No manipulation.
Just choice.
I nodded.
“Okay.”
We walked toward the exit.
Then Detective Mills called my name.
“Ms. Bennett.”
I turned.
He held the second phone.
“There’s one more file you should see before you leave.”
My stomach sank.
“What?”
“A scheduled email.”
“To who?”
He looked at Mason.
Then back at me.
“To you.”
“When was it supposed to send?”
“Monday morning.”
I stared at him.
“What does it say?”
May you like
His expression turned grim.
“It says if you challenged the Riverside sale, your ex-husband planned to destroy you all over again.”
