Chapter 5 - THE WEDDING COLLAPSES
The officiant looked uncomfortable.
Connor stepped forward.
"Give me that."
I stopped him.
"No."
Betsy shouted.
"This is ridiculous!"
I turned toward her.
"Then you have nothing to worry about."
Silence.
Alyssa's face had gone pale.
Connor looked at her.
"What did she put in there?"
Alyssa whispered:
"I don't know."
That was the first lie.
Everyone heard it.
Parker entered the room.
He carried another folder.
Connor recognized him immediately.
His expression changed.
"Parker."
Parker smiled.
"Hello, Connor."
"You can't be here."
"I'm here representing my sister."
Connor looked at me.
"You hired him?"
"He volunteered."
Parker placed the folder on a nearby table.
"Before this wedding continues, there are several legal matters everyone should understand."
Connor's father stepped forward.
"This is a private family event."
Parker looked at him.
"Then perhaps your family should have behaved privately."
A murmur moved through the guests.
Parker opened the folder.
"The apartment Connor offered his wife as a three-month concession isn't his."
Betsy scoffed.
"Of course it is."
"No."
Parker placed a document on the table.
"It belongs to the Bennett Family Trust."
Connor's face changed.
Parker continued.
"The lake house is also trust property."
Another document.
"Certain corporate shares are trust property."
Another.
"And the original capital used to build Hale Industries came from the same trust."
The room erupted.
Connor stared at me.
"You knew?"
"I always knew."
"You lied to me."
"No."
I stepped closer.
"You assumed."
He looked as if I'd slapped him.
Alyssa suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Connor, what's happening?"
He pulled away.
"Not now."
Parker opened the final folder.
"And there's one more matter."
He removed the fertility records.
"According to Connor's medical records, he underwent a vasectomy fourteen months ago."
Everyone went silent.
Alyssa whispered:
"That's impossible."
Parker looked at her.
"That's exactly what we thought."
Connor turned toward her.
"You said the baby was mine."
"I believed it was!"
"You knew about the procedure!"
"No!"
Their argument exploded in front of everyone.
I stood quietly.
Brinley slept against my chest.
Then Parker opened the final document.
"The clinic has also confirmed that the consent form used to support Alyssa's pregnancy claim appears to be fraudulent."
Connor looked at Alyssa.
Alyssa looked at Betsy.
Betsy looked at the floor.
And suddenly everyone understood.
Someone had lied.
The only question was who.
Then the wedding doors opened.
A detective walked inside.
"Mr. Hale?"
Connor turned.
May you like
"We need to speak with you."
His face went white.
