Chapter 14: The Last Person We Suspected
The lawsuit arrived three days later.
A thick envelope.
Official paperwork.
A name printed at the top.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
Because my brain refused to accept it.
The person suing us wasn’t Isabella.
It wasn’t Robert.
It wasn’t even someone from the wedding company.
It was Claire.
Nathan stared at the documents.
“Claire?””
I nodded slowly.
“She’s suing?””
He grabbed the papers.
“Why?””
The answer was hidden inside the claim.
She was accusing Isabella of forcing her to participate in the wedding sabotage.
And she was demanding compensation for “emotional distress.””
I stared.
“She’s blaming your mother?””
Nathan looked confused.
“Apparently.””
I felt something was wrong.
Not because Claire was innocent.
She had helped.
She had kept secrets.
But this felt different.
Calculated.
Nathan called her immediately.
She didn’t answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Finally, she sent a message.
*We need to talk in person.*
We met her at a quiet café.
The moment she arrived, I barely recognized her.
The confident woman who always stood beside Isabella was gone.
She looked exhausted.
“You hate me,” Claire said.
Nathan didn’t respond.
That was answer enough.
She looked down.
“I understand.””
“Then explain,” Nathan said.
Claire swallowed.
“I made a mistake.””
“You made several.””
She nodded.
“I know.””
She looked at me.
“I should have told you everything before the wedding.””
“Yes.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“But there’s something you don’t know.””
Nathan crossed his arms.
“What?””
Claire opened her bag.
She pulled out a flash drive.
“I found this after the wedding.””
I frowned.
“What is it?””
“A recording.””
Nathan looked suspicious.
“Of what?””
Claire looked at him.
“Your mother and someone else.””
My heart sank.
“Someone else?””
Claire nodded.
“I didn’t recognize the voice at first.””
She placed the drive on the table.
“But then I heard the name.””
Nathan picked it up.
“Whose name?””
Claire looked away.
“Your uncle.””
I frowned.
“Why would your uncle be involved?””
Nathan looked confused.
“My uncle has nothing to do with the wedding.””
Claire shook her head.
“That’s what I thought.””
We listened.
The audio was rough.
But the voices were clear enough.
Isabella was speaking.
“I need you to make sure he understands.””
A man answered.
“I already told you. He won’t like this.””
“He doesn’t have to like it.””
The man sighed.
“You’re risking your relationship with your son.””
There was a pause.
Then Isabella said:
“He will forgive me eventually.””
Nathan looked at me.
The recording continued.
The man spoke again.
“What about the money?””
My stomach tightened.
Money.
Isabella answered:
“If the marriage fails, everything changes.””
The recording ended.
Nobody moved.
Nathan stared at the table.
“What was that?””
Claire looked miserable.
“I think your mother was planning something bigger.””
“What?””
“I don’t know.””
Nathan stood.
“Then why sue her?””
Claire looked at him.
And finally said the thing she had been avoiding.
“Because I was scared.””
“Of what?””
She looked at me.
“Because after the wedding, I found out what they were really planning.””
My blood ran cold.
“What were they planning?””
May you like
Claire whispered:
“To make it look like your wife betrayed you.””
