The discovery
That evening, I supposedly stayed overnight to collect some things. In reality, I turned on the family computer. I stumbled upon an email exchange between my mother and Violet: Supplier payments, Naomi .
« Don’t worry about the deposits, » my mother wrote. « James and I have assured everyone that Naomi will cover the costs once the contracts are finalized. »
I click again. Quotes, menus, DJ options. Always the same message: the bride will pay.
Then an Amazon notification: a wedding dress. Not mine. A second one. Ordered three days earlier with… my bank card.
Robert confirms what I already know: « It’s fraud. » And that’s not all: withdrawals disguised as deposits, a spreadsheet titled » Final Budget . » Total: $63,000. At the bottom, in purple: « Naomi’s responsibility. »
I take screenshots. I dig deeper and find my mother’s journal: « Naomi is responsible. She’ll understand. » The same day, a receipt for my father’s golf club renewal: $5,000.
The next day, Jessica, my friend who’s an event planner, called me: Violet had tried to manage my wedding for me. « That’s not right, » she said. « It’s financial abuse. »
The pressure begins: allusions to my job, to help with a down payment on a property, to my grandmother’s health. I finally understand the pattern: Violet creates the crisis, my mother proposes the solution that requires my sacrifice, my father imposes it, and me… I accept.
Not this time.
Set the limit
At Rosewood Manor, a sumptuous place I never wanted, they handed me the contract. « I’ll sign, » I said calmly, « but only for $6,000. The rest is your responsibility. »
Total shock. Violet explodes. My father hesitates… then signs.
That same evening, we held the real wedding: a small chapel by a lake, surrounded by those who truly loved us. The 200 guests from Rosewood waited in vain. The contract, signed by my parents, made them solely responsible for the bill.
At noon, I turn off my phone and marry Robert under the trees, free for the first time
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