MY WEDDING IS OVER BEFORE IT EVEN BEGINS!

My mother's handwriting blurred as tears filled my eyes.

Camille, if you're reading this, it means someone has finally discovered what Derek's family did to us.

I read the sentence again, hoping I had misunderstood it.

Derek Whitmore's family?

The same family whose son had promised to love me until death? The same family whose expensive gifts and generous smiles had convinced me they welcomed me as one of their own?

I looked at Derek.

“What did your family do to my mother?””

He forced a laugh, but his eyes kept darting toward the letter.

“Your father has been feeding you lies for years. Now he's dragging my family into his personal problems.””

“Then explain the letter.””

“It's seven years old. People write ridiculous things when they're upset.””

“My mother was killed in a car accident.””

“Exactly,” Derek snapped.

“An accident. Unless you're suddenly accusing my parents of murdering her?””

The word murdering struck the hallway like a gunshot.

My father staggered backward and grabbed the back of a chair.

“Don't twist her words,” he said.

Derek pointed at him.

“You need to stop talking before you make things worse for yourself.””

I moved between them.

“Say one more threatening word to my father, and I'll make sure everyone downstairs hears what you've done today.””

Derek looked toward the ballroom. The music had stopped, and curious guests were beginning to gather near the corridor.

He lowered his voice.

“Camille, listen to me. I love you. We've spent three years building a future together. You're going to throw that away because of one letter written by a woman who isn't here to explain herself?””

I stared at him.

“You held my father's head while Vanessa shaved his hair.””

“That was a mistake.””

“You threatened to take his house.””

“That was business.””

“And now you're trying to convince me my dead mother was confused?””

His expression hardened.

“You're making a terrible mistake.””

“No,” I said.

“I made it when I agreed to marry you.””

I turned away from him and unfolded the letter completely.

The paper smelled faintly of the cedar chest where Dad had kept my mother's belongings. Her handwriting was hurried, with several words crossed out.

Camille, seven years ago, your father and I discovered that money had disappeared from the Brooks Foundation, the charitable organization my family established to help struggling families in our county.

I stopped reading.

The Brooks Foundation had been my mother's pride. She'd created it after watching families struggle to pay hospital bills and keep their homes during difficult times.

Dad had volunteered there for years.

We discovered irregularities in the accounts. Someone had been transferring money through several companies connected to the Whitmore family. Robert wanted to report it immediately, but I was afraid. The people involved had influence, money, and friends in places where ordinary people like us would never be heard.

My fingers tightened around the paper.

The foundation's missing money. The property documents. Derek's sudden interest in Dad's workshop.

They weren't separate problems.

They were pieces of the same puzzle.

I continued reading.

I have made copies of the records and hidden them somewhere safe. If anything happens to me, please trust your father. He knows more than he has told you, but he has spent his life trying to protect you.

The final paragraph was written in darker ink.

One more thing, sweetheart. If the Whitmores ever come into your life again, remember that a kind smile can hide a dangerous intention. Do not let anyone use our love for you as a weapon.

My knees nearly gave out.

Derek had not entered my life by chance.

He had known my last name from the beginning. He'd met my father at a charity fundraiser before we started dating. He'd known about the workshop, the house, and the foundation.

And he'd spent three years becoming someone I trusted.

“Did you know?”” I asked him.

He said nothing.

“Derek, did you know who my mother was when you approached me?””

His jaw flexed.

“That's an absurd question.””

“Answer it!””

“I met you at a charity event. You were standing beside the refreshments, complaining that the coffee tasted like burnt cardboard. I thought you were funny. That's how we met.””

“You knew about the foundation.””

“Everyone in town knew about the foundation.””

“You knew about the missing money.””

His silence answered me.

Vanessa, still clutching her stained dress, suddenly spoke.

“Derek, maybe you should tell her.””

He whipped around.

“Not another word.””

She took a step backward.

For the first time, her face held no trace of amusement.

I looked at her.

“What do you know?””

“Nothing.””

“Then why are you afraid?””

“I'm not afraid of anything.””

“Your hands are shaking.””

Vanessa looked down. She was clutching her phone so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

Daniel Price moved closer.

“Miss Reed, if you possess information relevant to a suspected fraudulent property transaction or the foundation's missing funds, now would be a good time to disclose it.””

Vanessa laughed nervously.

“I'm a guest at a wedding. I'm not involved in any financial dealings.””

“Then you won't mind if the authorities review the relevant records.””

Her eyes flicked toward Derek.

He stared at her with an expression I had never seen before.

It wasn't anger alone.

It was a warning.

Vanessa swallowed.

“I need to use the restroom.””

She hurried away.

Derek tried to follow, but Daniel stepped into his path.

“Please remain here.””

“You cannot detain me.””

“No one's detaining you. But security has been informed of the disturbance, and I'd advise you not to escalate matters.””

Derek looked at me.

“Camille, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into.””

I held up my mother's letter.

“Then tell me.””

He stared at it for several seconds.

Finally, he leaned close enough for only me to hear.

“Your mother wasn't the innocent woman you think she was.””

My chest tightened.

“What does that mean?””

Derek straightened.

“Ask your father why he destroyed the original foundation records.””

I turned.

Dad's face had gone ashen.

Before I could question him, Daniel's phone rang. He answered, listened, and slowly lowered it.

“Camille,” he said, “I've just received confirmation from the county property office. The attempted transfer of your house was submitted under a power of attorney bearing your father's signature.””

“But Dad says he never signed it.””

Daniel nodded.

“There's another problem. The person who submitted it used a company registered to Vanessa Reed.””

I stared at the empty hallway where she'd disappeared.

Derek's expression changed.