Chapter 4 - The Attorney's Secret
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Before Daniel could grab the rings, I pushed my chair back and stood up. The massive skirt of my Vera Wang dress rustled loudly in the quiet room.
I scanned the crowd and locked eyes with Linda, my corporate attorney and close family friend, who was sitting at table four.
"Linda," I called out, my voice projecting across the ballroom.
Linda stood up, her expression a mix of professional stoicism and deep sympathy. She already knew what I was going to ask.
"Did he really call you yesterday?" I asked, pointing a shaking finger at Daniel. "Did he ask you if our prenuptial agreement could be legally challenged after the wedding?"
The entire room collectively sucked in a breath. My mother covered her mouth with her hand.
Linda nodded slowly, her voice clear and authoritative. "Yes, Emma. Yesterday afternoon. He wanted to know if a judge would nullify the clause protecting your pre-marital real estate if he was listed as the primary breadwinner."
A chaotic wave of whispers swept across the ballroom. Daniel’s cousins started whispering aggressively to each other. My bridesmaids looked like they were ready to jump across the table and strangle him.
Daniel’s face flushed a deep, humiliating crimson. He finally looked up at me, his eyes wide and pleading.
"Emma, please, you don't understand," he stammered, holding his hands up defensively. "I was just worried. That’s all. It was just a hypothetical question."
"Worried about what, Daniel?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my lace bodice.
He swallowed hard, looking desperately at his mother for help. "About what would happen if things didn’t work out. I needed to know I wouldn't be left with nothing."
I stared at him, feeling a strange sense of clarity pierce through the intense pain.
"So, less than twenty-four hours before our wedding, you were already planning for our marriage to fail?" I asked coldly.
"No!" he pleaded.
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"You weren't planning a life with me," I realized aloud. "You were planning an exit strategy to take my money."
He had no answer. He just stared at the tablecloth, defeated.
