Chapter 6: The Price of a Wedding
The monitor's rhythm steadied after several agonizing minutes.
Dr. Patel explained that my daughter had experienced a temporary heart-rate deceleration, possibly associated with contractions and changes in my position. The team would continue monitoring her closely and reassess if anything changed.
I nodded at every instruction, but my eyes kept drifting toward my phone.
Your father paid for Lucas's first wedding.
Ask him what he was buying.
What could a man buy at a wedding?
A marriage certificate?
A promise?
A person's silence?
Or something far worse?
“Emily,” Dr. Patel said gently, “I need you to stay calm. Stress won't help either of you, and we need you to rest.””
“I understand.””
“Good. We'll keep a close eye on the baby.””
When he left, I turned to Samantha.
“Find out who sent that message.””
“I've forwarded the number to the investigator. He'll request whatever information can lawfully be obtained.””
“What about the wedding records?””
“We'll contact the county clerk for the complete file, including payment receipts if they're retained. We'll also examine the Northbridge records and the documents from the box.””
I shook my head.
“Someone has already stolen the box from Lucas's old house. How do we know the records from the nursery are safe?””
“The police have them secured.””
“And the letters?””
“Copies are in my office safe. The originals are being handled according to the investigator's instructions.””
I watched her carefully.
“You've known more than you've told me.””
Samantha accepted the accusation without protest.
“Yes. I've known that Lucas was investigating financial irregularities. I've known he was afraid someone close to the family might be involved. But I didn't know about the first marriage until we found the certificate.””
“Did he ever mention Charles?””
“Not directly. He asked me whether a person could use a forged signature to obtain control over an estate. He wanted to know how quickly suspicious transfers could be frozen.””
“And you didn't think that was important enough to tell me?””
“I didn't know who he suspected, and I didn't want to give you an unfounded fear.””
I looked down at my wedding ring.
“Everyone keeps deciding what I can handle.””
Samantha leaned forward.
“Then let me be clear. From this point on, you receive every document, every update, and every question we ask. You can decide what to do with that information. But I will continue to tell you when something is unverified.””
I nodded slowly.
“That's all I want.””
At noon, Daniel called.
His voice sounded strained.
“Emily, I found something at the Briar Glen house.””
“What?””
“Not the box. That was gone before I arrived. But there was an envelope taped beneath a drawer in the old workbench.””
“What's inside?””
“A receipt and a letter.””
My heart raced.
“Read the letter.””
“It's addressed to Lucas. The handwriting looks like Evelyn's.””
“Read it, Daniel.””
He paused, then began.
“Lucas, the money was never a gift. Charles made that clear from the beginning. He paid for the ceremony, arranged the apartment, and promised to make our financial problems disappear. In return, he expected us to follow his instructions.
“You believed the agreement was temporary. I knew better. He wanted something from you, and he knew marriage would make you vulnerable.
“If you refuse to cooperate, he will destroy everything you've built. If I leave, he will make sure I have nothing.
“I don't know what he wants from your company, but I know what he wants from you.
“Please don't let him use me against you again.
“Evelyn.”””
I closed my eyes.
Charles had paid for the wedding.
But the letter still didn't explain why.
“What does the receipt say?”” I asked.
Daniel rustled the paper.
“It's from a private financial firm. There's a payment of eighty-five thousand dollars to the wedding venue, the apartment lease, and something listed as an administrative service.””
“What's the date?””
“Nine years ago. Three days before the wedding.””
“Who paid?””
“Charles Carter.””
Samantha was taking notes beside me.
“Ask Daniel whether the letter includes an address or a company name,” she said.
I relayed the question.
“There is a name at the bottom of the receipt,” Daniel replied.
“Northbridge Holdings.””
The room seemed to grow smaller.
Lucas had hidden financial records in the nursery, documents in his old house, and a letter explaining that Charles paid for his first wedding through a company connected to the suspicious transactions.
“Daniel, photograph everything and send it to the investigator. Don't remove anything else.””
“Already done. The investigator is on his way.””
“Thank you.””
After we hung up, Samantha stared at her notes.
“Northbridge may have been involved in financing the marriage.””
“Why would a company pay for a wedding?””
“There are legitimate reasons for third parties to pay expenses, but this letter suggests the payment came with conditions. We need to determine what those conditions were.””
“What did my father want from Lucas?””
“I don't know yet.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“Could he have used Evelyn to pressure Lucas into doing something illegal?””
“That's one possibility. But we can't assume the letter tells the whole story.””
I glanced at the photograph of the young couple.
Lucas looked almost painfully hopeful.
I wondered whether he had loved Evelyn as much as he loved me. Whether he had stood at the altar believing he was building a future, only to discover that someone had arranged the entire thing around a hidden agreement.
And I wondered why he had never told me.
At 2:30 p.m., the investigator arrived at the hospital.
His name was Detective Michael Hayes. He was in his early forties, with tired eyes and a notebook he kept tucked into his jacket.
He introduced himself and asked whether I felt well enough to speak.
“I need answers,” I told him.
“I understand. I'll share what we can confirm, but some details may remain confidential while the investigation is active.””
He placed several printed photographs on the tray beside my bed.
The first showed Lucas and Charles outside the office building.
The second showed a dark sedan parked behind Lucas's car on the afternoon before the accident.
The third showed a service bay at a garage.
“What's this?”” I asked.
“Your husband's vehicle was serviced two days before the crash. We're reviewing the work order and interviewing the mechanic.””
“Do you believe someone tampered with his car?””
“We have not established that. The records contain an inconsistency, and we are investigating it. The photographs show a vehicle that may be relevant, but we haven't confirmed who was driving it.””
He pointed to the first image.
“Did your husband and father have a relationship outside family gatherings?””
“Not that I knew of.””
“Did your father ever discuss Lucas's business?””
“He said Lucas was irresponsible. He claimed there were debts.””
“Did you see any original financial statements?””
“No. He brought summaries and told me the house had to be sold.””
Hayes made a note.
“Did he explain how he intended to sell a property he didn't own?””
“No.””
The detective exchanged a glance with Samantha.
“We've confirmed that Charles submitted documents claiming authority over some of Lucas's estate assets. Those claims are being challenged. We're also examining whether any signatures were forged.””
I swallowed.
“Can you arrest him?””
“Not simply because we suspect something. We need evidence supporting a specific offense. Right now, our priority is securing the records and identifying everyone involved.””
“What about the woman named Evelyn?””
Hayes paused.
“We located a current address associated with Evelyn Shaw. An officer has gone there to request an interview.””
“Is she alive?””
“As far as we can establish, yes.””
I felt a strange mixture of relief and dread.
“Will she talk to us?””
“I can't promise that.””
I stared at the wedding photograph.
“Please tell her I need to know why my father paid for her wedding to my husband.””
Hayes closed his notebook.
“I'll pass that along.””
After he left, Samantha received a call from her office. She listened for a minute, then covered the phone.
“Emily, the bank has temporarily frozen the pending estate transfers.””
I exhaled.
“So he can't take the money?””
“He can't complete the transfers currently under review. That doesn't resolve the ownership questions, but it gives us time to investigate.””
“And the house?””
“We've filed a formal objection to the attempted transfer. We'll need the county to review the deed and the relevant estate documents.””
For the first time in days, I felt a little room open inside my chest.
My father had not won everything.
He had not taken the money.
He had not erased Lucas.
Then Samantha's expression changed as she listened to the person on the other end of the call.
“What do you mean she isn't there?””
She stood.
“Did the neighbors see her leave?””
A pause.
“All right. Don't approach anyone. Send me the report.””
She ended the call.
I gripped the blanket.
“What happened?””
“The investigator went to Evelyn's address. Her apartment was empty. The landlord says she moved out two days ago.””
“Two days?””
“Yes.””
“Before the photograph appeared?””
Samantha nodded.
“Before the message, too.””
I felt sick.
Someone had known we would start looking for Evelyn.
Someone had warned her—or forced her to disappear.
“Did she leave a forwarding address?””
“No.””
I stared at the wedding photograph.
“Then how do we find her?””
Samantha gathered the papers.
“We follow the money. We identify who paid the wedding expenses, trace the company accounts, and establish where the payments went afterward.””
I looked at the receipt again.
Eighty-five thousand dollars.
A company called Northbridge Holdings.
My father's signature.
There had to be a reason he had spent that much money arranging Lucas's first marriage.
And there had to be a reason Lucas had kept the evidence for nearly a decade.
At 5:12 p.m., my phone rang.
The caller ID showed a private number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
For several seconds, there was only breathing.
Then a woman whispered, “Emily?””
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Evelyn?””
“I don't have much time.””
“Where are you? I've been trying to find you.””
“You shouldn't be looking for me.””
“I need to know what happened. My father paid for your wedding. Why?””
A sharp sound came through the line, as if a door had slammed.
Evelyn's voice grew hurried.
“Charles wasn't trying to help Lucas. He was buying control over him.””
“Control over what?””
“The company. The accounts. Everything Lucas had built.””
“Why did Lucas agree?””
“He didn't know what Charles was planning until after the wedding. By then, the paperwork was already in place.””
I sat frozen.
“What paperwork?””
“The company documents. The loans. The guarantees. Charles used the marriage to gain access to information Lucas had trusted him with.””
“Was Lucas forced to stay married to you?””
“No. We separated. But Charles made sure the financial agreement followed us long after the relationship ended.””
“Why didn't Lucas tell me?””
Evelyn went quiet.
When she spoke again, her voice was trembling.
“Because he thought he had finally escaped Charles. And because he believed the man who raised you had nothing to do with your father's old crimes.””
I couldn't breathe.
“What crimes?””
“Emily, your father has been using the same company for years. Northbridge wasn't created to help Lucas. It was created to hide money.””
“Where is the evidence?””
“In the original ledger. Lucas found it. He gave me a copy before he died.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Where is it now?””
“Hidden somewhere Charles won't think to look.””
“Tell me where.””
Evelyn inhaled sharply.
“I can't. Not over the phone. Someone has been following me.””
“Please. My husband is dead. I'm carrying his child.
My father threw me out of my house. I need to understand what happened.””
For a moment, the line was silent.
Then Evelyn whispered, “Your father didn't just pay for my wedding. He paid me to disappear from Lucas's life.””
I felt tears sting my eyes.
“And did you?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because he threatened to destroy my family if I stayed.””
I closed my eyes.
“Did Lucas know?””
“He found out years later. That's when he began investigating Northbridge.””
“Did you see him before he died?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The day before the accident.””
My breath stopped.
“You were with Lucas the day before he died?””
“He called me. He said he'd finally found the proof he needed. He told me that if anything happened to him, I should contact you.””
“Why didn't you contact me immediately?””
“Because Charles called me the night Lucas died.””
My blood ran cold.
“What did he say?””
Evelyn began to cry.
“He told me Lucas was dead. Then he said that if I ever spoke to you, your daughter would pay for what Lucas had done.””
I clutched my stomach.
“Where are you now?””
“I can't tell you.””
“Evelyn, please—”
A man's voice sounded in the background.
Evelyn gasped.
“He found me.””
“Who?””
She whispered a name.
Not Charles.
Not Courtney.
A name I had never heard before.
“Emily, listen to me. The ledger isn't the only evidence. Lucas recorded the meeting with your father. If you find that recording, you'll hear Charles admit why he arranged the marriage.””
“Where is it?””
Evelyn's voice dropped to almost nothing.
“Ask Courtney what she took from Lucas's office.””
Then the call disconnected.
I stared at the phone.
Samantha had heard every word.
“Courtney,” she said slowly.
I looked up.
“My father's wife?””
Samantha nodded.
“Why would Courtney have anything from Lucas's office?””
I thought about her standing in my living room, recording me as Charles dragged me across the floor. I remembered the designer handbag she had carried into the house, the way she had watched everything without appearing surprised.
Then I remembered something else.
The night before Lucas's funeral, Courtney had visited me at the house.
She had claimed she wanted to bring food and offer support.
While I sat crying in the living room, she had disappeared into the study.
When I asked what she was doing, she said she was looking for tissues.
At the time, I had believed her.
Now I wondered what she had really taken.
My phone vibrated again.
A message from Courtney.
*I heard you've been asking questions about Lucas's first wife. If you want to know what your husband was hiding, meet me tomorrow. Come alone.*
I showed Samantha.
She shook her head immediately.
“Absolutely not.””
I stared at the message.
“Then we won't go alone.””
Samantha picked up her phone and began contacting Detective Hayes.
But before she could finish, another message arrived.
This time, it contained a photograph of a small black digital recorder.
Beneath it were six words.
*Your husband confessed everything to me.*
I looked at Samantha.
Then at the image.
Because I recognized the recorder.
May you like
It was the same model the police had recovered from the metal box beneath the nursery.
And if Courtney had another copy, she might hold the one piece of evidence that could finally explain why my father had paid for Lucas's first wedding—and what he had done to keep that secret buried.
