Chapter 4 - The Price of Silence

Marcus stopped beside the first row of gold chairs. He could hear the soft scrape of guests shifting behind him. Vanessa was still standing where he'd left her, looking both furious and unsure.

"What did you pay?" he asked.

"We can discuss it outside the room," Evelyn said.

"Mom."

Her fingers tightened on his arm. "The final balance for the wedding. Twelve thousand dollars."

It took a moment for the number to reach him. "You didn't have twelve thousand dollars."

"I had savings."

"The roof fund?"

She couldn't meet his eyes.

For two years, Marcus had been putting aside money to replace the leaking roof on her small house. Evelyn had insisted on contributing what she could. Every heavy rain sent him up to the attic with towels and a flashlight. The roof had become a family joke because the alternative was panic.

"Vanessa said the venue would cancel," Evelyn whispered. "She said you'd be devastated, and she couldn't ask you for help without making you feel like you'd failed."

Marcus looked toward Vanessa. "Is that true?"

"She offered," Vanessa called back.

"Did you ask her?"

"We were short, Marcus. Things got more expensive."

"You told me every vendor was paid."

Vanessa swallowed. "I was trying to protect you from stress."

"You protected me by taking my mother's emergency money?"

A guest murmured something he couldn't make out. Vanessa's gaze flickered toward the rows of witnesses.

"Lower your voice," she said.

Marcus almost laughed. "You weren't worried about volume when you were yelling at her."

Evelyn touched his chest, just below the white rose. "I made the choice to help. Don't carry all of it as anger."

"I can respect your choice and still hate that someone cornered you."

Vanessa took a step forward. "It wasn't like that."

"Then tell me exactly how it was."

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Her mouth opened, but no answer came. From Evelyn's purse, a phone chimed with a new message. The preview flashed across the screen: PLEASE DELETE OUR TEXTS. MARCUS CAN'T SEE THEM.

Marcus read the words before his mother could turn the phone away.