Chapter 9: The Family That Lied
For a moment, I thought I had heard wrong.
Nathan’s father.
Again.
The same man who looked ashamed.
The same man who claimed he never wanted any of this.
The same man who signed the cancellation request.
Nathan pressed the phone closer.
“Claire, say that again.””
Her voice trembled.
“Your father knew more than he admitted.””
Nathan looked furious.
“Where are you?””
“At home.””
“Stay there.””
He ended the call.
I watched him.
“Do you believe her?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
That was the answer.
He did.
The drive to Claire’s house was silent.
When we arrived, she was waiting outside.
She looked terrified.
Not guilty.
Terrified.
“Nathan.””
He stepped out of the car.
“You have five minutes to explain why my entire family has been lying to me.””
Claire looked down.
“I deserve that.””
She led us inside.
The moment the door closed, she started talking.
“Your mom was obsessed with controlling the wedding.””
Nathan crossed his arms.
“I know.””
“No, you don’t know everything.””
She opened a drawer and pulled out a notebook.
“I kept copies.””
I frowned.
“Why?””
“Because I knew eventually someone would need proof.””
Nathan looked at the notebook.
“You helped her.””
Claire’s eyes filled with tears.
“At first.””
The confession hurt.
“I thought she was just venting. I thought she was being dramatic.””
She opened the notebook.
“I wrote down everything because I started realizing she wasn’t stopping.””
She showed us pages.
Dates.
Conversations.
Plans.
Then she pointed to one entry.
*Robert agreed to talk to venue.*
Nathan stared.
“What does that mean?””
Claire swallowed.
“Your father knew.””
“About the dress?””
She shook her head.
“About everything.””
My heart sank.
“What do you mean?””
Claire looked at Nathan.
“Your father believed your mother would calm down if she felt like she had some control.””
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“So he helped her.””
“He thought he was preventing a bigger fight.””
I shook my head.
“That’s how people excuse enabling.””
Claire nodded.
“You’re right.””
Nathan walked away from the table.
For a few seconds, he just stood there.
Then he whispered:
“My whole family knew.””
I reached for him.
But he stepped back.
Not from me.
From the pain.
“I spent my entire life believing my mom was difficult but my dad was reasonable.””
He looked at the notebook.
“Turns out they were just different kinds of cowards.””
Claire wiped her eyes.
“There’s one more thing.””
Nathan looked at her.
“What?””
She hesitated.
“Your mother didn’t want the dress torn.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Claire looked at me.
“She wanted it ruined another way.””
Nathan’s expression changed.
“What are you talking about?””
Claire opened the notebook to the final page.
“She originally planned to spill red wine on it during the reception.””
I felt sick.
“But then?””
Claire looked at Nathan.
“Then she saw the train.””
A cold silence filled the room.
Nathan slowly understood.
“She changed the plan.””
Claire nodded.
“Because she wanted you to see it happen.””
I remembered Isabella’s face.
The fake shock.
The cruel comment.
The way she sighed afterward.
She didn’t just want to damage my dress.
She wanted to humiliate me.
Nathan looked at the notebook.
Then at Claire.
“Why are you telling us now?””
Claire looked down.
“Because I saw what happened when you walked away from your mother at the wedding.””
“What happened?””
Claire whispered:
“She smiled.””
My blood ran cold.
Nathan stared.
“She smiled because she thought she won.””
A notification suddenly appeared on Nathan’s phone.
A new message.
From Isabella.
He opened it.
Only one sentence was written.
*If you think you know the whole story, ask your father why he was really afraid of your wedding.*
Nathan looked at me.
Then at Claire.
And I knew.
May you like
The truth we found wasn’t the end.
It was only the beginning.
