Chapter 3 - The Canceled Wedding
Two weeks later, Mara received a confused call from her cousin Claire.
“I’m sorry about the wedding,” Claire said.
Mara looked across her office.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your mother said you canceled.”
Mara’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“She said what?”
Claire explained that Evelyn had contacted several relatives and claimed Mara and Daniel were having serious relationship problems. According to Evelyn, they had decided to postpone the wedding indefinitely.
However, because travel arrangements had already been made, Evelyn and Richard would host their anniversary celebration at the same venue.
Mara immediately called her mother.
Evelyn answered cheerfully.
“Hello, darling.”
“Why are you telling people my wedding is canceled?”
There was a pause.
“I am protecting you from embarrassment.”
“My wedding is not canceled.”
“Not officially.”
“Not in any way.”
Evelyn sighed.
“Mara, Daniel is separating you from your family. You are stressed, emotional, and unable to make responsible decisions.”
Mara could barely speak.
“You invented a breakup.”
“I created a reasonable explanation.”
“For stealing my venue?”
“Do not be dramatic. The deposits cannot be refunded. Your father and I are simply preventing waste.”
Mara ended the call before her voice broke.
Within an hour, she and Daniel discovered the scale of Evelyn’s plan.
The florist had been told to keep the white arrangements but replace the bridal ribbons with silver ones. The band had received a new list of anniversary songs. The bakery had been instructed to remove Mara and Daniel’s initials from the cake.
Evelyn had even called the wedding coordinator and claimed Mara was too devastated to communicate.
Fortunately, the coordinator had not approved the changes because Mara was the legal contract holder.
But Evelyn had convinced many guests.
Some had already changed their gifts. Others had canceled hotel rooms because they did not want to attend an anniversary party.
Daniel watched Mara sit silently beside their dining table.
“We can move the wedding,” he said gently.
Mara shook her head.
“That is exactly what she expects.”
“We could choose another date that belongs only to us.”
“No date will belong to us if she believes she can take it whenever she wants.”
Daniel sat beside her.
“What do you want to do?”
For the first time, Mara did not ask what would keep the peace.
May you like
She asked what would protect the truth.
“I want my wedding back.”
