Chapter 6: The Betrayal Written in My Name
The first thing I did was check the sender.
Not because I doubted Cedar Grove.
Because I wanted to know how far this had gone.
The email was real.
The cancellation request was real.
And the name attached to it was mine.
I stared at the screen until the words blurred.
*Submitted under your name.*
Someone had not just tried to change the wedding.
Someone had tried to make me responsible for destroying it.
I forwarded the email to Victoria.
Three minutes later, my phone rang.
“Tell me you didn’t submit that request,” she said.
“I didn’t.””
“Good.””
There was no hesitation in her voice.
No doubt.
She believed me.
That alone felt strange.
“Can you find out who did?””
“I can find out where it came from.””
“How?””
“Every online request leaves a trail.””
I looked at the document on my screen.
The cancellation request.
The fake authorization.
The transfer agreement.
Everything was starting to connect.
“Victoria.””
“Yes?””
“Do you think they planned this?””
She didn’t answer immediately.
That worried me.
Finally, she said:
“I think someone wanted you to look like the person who ruined the wedding.””
I closed my eyes.
Because that was exactly what Julian would do.
Not destroy the wedding.
Destroy the person standing in his way.
By noon, Victoria had an update.
She came to my office with printed documents.
She never did that unless something was serious.
“Sit down,” she said.
I looked at her.
“That bad?””
She placed the papers in front of me.
“Someone accessed the wedding planning portal using your login credentials.””
I frowned.
“My login?””
“Yes.””
“That’s impossible.””
“Is it?””
I thought about it.
Then I remembered something.
Months earlier, Julian had asked me for help setting up vendor accounts.
“He said he couldn’t understand the system,” I said.
Victoria nodded.
“Did you ever share your password?””
“No.””
“Did he ever use your computer?””
I paused.
Once.
When he came to my apartment to review the venue options.
He had sat at my desk.
Used my laptop.
I felt something twist in my stomach.
“He had access.””
Victoria looked at me carefully.
“Ethan, I need you to understand something.””
“What?””
“This wasn’t a mistake.””
I looked at the papers.
Someone had logged in.
Changed information.
Submitted requests.
And used my identity.
Victoria tapped the document.
“This person knew exactly what they were doing.””
I picked up the page.
The cancellation request had been submitted at 2:17 a.m.
A time when I was asleep.
The attached signature looked almost identical to mine.
Almost.
But not quite.
My father’s words came back.
You’re willing to destroy your brother’s wedding?
No.
I wasn’t.
But someone was willing to make everyone believe I was.
That evening, I drove to Julian’s apartment.
I didn’t call.
I didn’t text.
I needed to see his reaction.
People could prepare lies over the phone.
They were harder to maintain when standing face-to-face.
He opened the door wearing expensive clothes and an annoyed expression.
“What are you doing here?””
I held up the printed cancellation request.
“Did you submit this?””
His face changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
Recognition.
Then it disappeared.
“What is that?””
“Don’t play stupid.””
“I’m not.””
“Someone used my account.””
He looked at the paper.
Then back at me.
“That’s not my problem.””
I almost smiled.
“Really?””
“Yes.””
“You’re getting married in three weeks.””
“So?””
“So someone tried to cancel your wedding.””
He shrugged.
“Maybe you did.””
The room went quiet.
I stared at him.
“You actually believe that?””
“You’ve been angry.””
“I’ve been hurt.””
“Same thing.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“They’re not the same.””
Julian looked away.
“You’re making this bigger than it needs to be.””
“Someone committed fraud using my name.””
“Fraud?””
“Yes.””
He laughed.
“You love dramatic words.””
I looked at him.
“And you love pretending consequences are drama.””
His expression hardened.
“You think you’re better than me.””
There it was.
The real wound.
Not the wedding.
Not the money.
This.
“You think I think I’m better than you?””
“Yes.””
“Julian, I never wanted to be better than you.””
He looked surprised.
“I wanted you to be okay.””
For a moment, something changed in his face.
Almost regret.
Almost.
Then his phone buzzed.
He glanced down.
Whatever he saw erased it.
He looked back at me.
“You need to fix this.””
I froze.
“Excuse me?””
“You’re the one who handles the contracts.””
I stared.
Even now.
After everything.
He still saw me as the solution.
Not the victim.
Not his brother.
The solution.
I laughed softly.
“You know what’s incredible?””
“What?””
“You just accused me of ruining your wedding, and five minutes later you’re asking me to save it.””
He said nothing.
I stepped back.
“Find someone else.””
His eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?””
“It means I’m done.””
The words felt strange.
Not because they were difficult to say.
Because they were overdue.
The next morning, I received a message from Chloe.
Not Julian.
Chloe.
*We need to talk. Alone.*
I almost ignored it.
But curiosity won.
We met at a small café downtown.
She arrived ten minutes late.
Not rushed.
Not apologetic.
Just calm.
She sat across from me.
“I know you’re angry.””
I looked at her.
“That’s your opening?””
She sighed.
“I know this has been difficult.””
“Difficult?””
“Yes.””
I leaned back.
“Chloe, someone tried to cancel your wedding using my identity.””
She looked down.
“I heard.””
“And?””
“And I don’t think Julian did it.””
Interesting.
I studied her.
“You don’t think?””
She looked uncomfortable.
“I think he made mistakes.””
“Mistakes.””
“Yes.””
I nodded slowly.
“Like what?””
She avoided my eyes.
“Like letting things get out of hand.””
I almost laughed.
“You mean like letting me pay for everything?””
“Ethan—”
“No. Let’s be honest.””
People always wanted honesty after the damage was done.
“He wanted a wedding he couldn’t afford.””
“That’s not fair.””
“Isn’t it?””
She looked frustrated.
“You don’t understand what this wedding means.””
I stared at her.
“What does it mean?””
She hesitated.
“It’s important.””
“To who?””
She didn’t answer.
Because she knew.
I leaned forward.
“Chloe, did you know about the contracts?””
Her silence lasted too long.
That was my answer.
“How long?””
“What?””
“How long did you know?””
She looked away.
“Julian told me.””
“When?””
“After we got engaged.””
I felt something sink.
“So from the beginning.””
“Ethan, it wasn’t like that.””
“Wasn’t it?””
She lowered her voice.
“He was embarrassed.””
“Because he couldn’t pay?””
“Yes.””
“So instead of admitting that, he convinced everyone else I was the problem.””
She didn’t respond.
I looked at her.
“Did you ever plan to repay me?””
Her face changed.
A tiny movement.
But enough.
“I…”
That was all.
I stood up.
“Thank you.””
She looked surprised.
“For what?””
“For finally answering a question nobody else would.””
I walked away.
That night, Victoria called.
“Ethan.””
I could tell from her voice.
Something happened.
“What is it?””
“We found the source of the cancellation request.””
I sat down.
“Who?””
A pause.
Then:
“Your father.””
I closed my eyes.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“That’s impossible.””
“He used his own email to authorize the request.””
I looked at my phone.
My father.
The man who taught me honesty.
The man who signed away my control.
The man who said he wanted to protect his family.
“What was he trying to do?””
Victoria’s voice became quieter.
“He wasn’t trying to cancel the wedding.””
“Then what?””
“He was trying to cancel the contracts.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“He wanted to remove all obligations connected to your name.””
I stood.
“So the wedding could continue without me?””
“Yes.””
My hands tightened.
“He wanted to erase my responsibility.””
“No.””
Victoria paused.
“He wanted to erase your connection to it.””
I didn’t understand.
“Why?””
There was silence.
Then Victoria said:
“Because there’s something else in the contracts.””
My heart started beating faster.
“What?””
“A clause you haven’t mentioned.””
I looked toward the documents on my desk.
“What clause?””
“The one that says if the event is canceled or transferred without your approval…”
She stopped.
“Ethan.””
“What?””
“The sponsor retains ownership of all prepaid services and deposits.””
I stared.
The room went completely silent.
The money.
The contracts.
Everything I paid for.
It wasn’t just about control.
It was about what belonged to me.
Victoria continued.
“Your father wasn’t trying to save Julian’s wedding.””
“Then what was he trying to do?””
Her answer came slowly.
“He was trying to take control before you realized how valuable your position actually was.””
I looked at the wedding documents.
Then at the names.
Julian.
Chloe.
My father.
And finally mine.
For months, they thought my name was only useful when it appeared on a check.
They forgot something.
A name on a contract was not just a payment.
It was power.
And now I knew why they were so desperate to remove me.
Because they had discovered the same thing I had.
May you like
The wedding was never theirs.
It was mine.
