Chapter 6: The Wedding Planner Knew the Truth

[ { "number": 6, "title": "The Wedding I Was No Longer Going to Have", "content": [ "I sat in the café across from the wedding planning company and read through the agreement again.", "My skirt was still dripping. The shoe box sagged against the leg of my chair. The server came by twice before I finally ordered a black coffee.", "Just as it arrived, Eli walked in.", "His hair was damp from the rain, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He had clearly rushed over.", "“Mara, Grant can’t make it.”", "I kept my eyes on the property address in the agreement.", "“He’s with Sloane?”", "Eli paused, his hand on the back of the chair he was pulling out.", "“She saw your reply to the lawyer. She’s not doing well. Grant’s worried she might do something stupid.”", "I slid my phone across the table to him.", "“What about you? Were you worried she wouldn’t get my cottage, so you agreed for me in advance?”", "The moment he saw the email, his face changed.", "“How did you—”", "“The lawyer sent it to me by mistake.”", "He was silent for a few seconds, then lowered himself into the chair, his tone softening.", "“Mara, it’s not what you think. Sloane has been feeling like she doesn’t have a home lately. Her doctor said stable housing would help with her anxiety.”", "“So you picked my home.”", "“It’s just the back cottage. It sits empty most of the time anyway. She won’t interfere with your lives.”", "“Lifetime, rent-free. Utilities, repairs, taxes—all paid by me.” I read the words aloud to him, one by one. “That’s your idea of not interfering?”", "Eli rubbed his brow, as though I were the one making things difficult.", "“The agreement hasn’t been signed. Grant was planning to discuss it with you after the wedding.”", "After the wedding.", "Once I was Mrs. Mercer, they would ask me to be generous for the sake of the family name.", "I looked up at him.", "“What about my stability?”", "Eli frowned.", "“Mara, stop keeping score. You’re not like her. You’ve always been stronger.”", "“So because I’m stronger, you get to make decisions about my property without my consent?”", "“No one is making decisions about your property.” He lowered his voice, slipping into that familiar, soothing tone. “You’re going to have a beautiful wedding. You’ll be Mrs. Mercer. The entire Mercer family will be your home.”", "He paused.", "“What does Sloane have? Just us.”", "So in their eyes, as long as I got a title in the end, I should have been willing to trade my time, my room, even the house my mother left me.", "I shut my laptop, put the agreement in my bag, and got to my feet.", "Eli caught my wrist.", "“Where are you going?”", "I pulled free and looked across the street at the wedding planning company.", "“To see the wedding planner.”", "He visibly relaxed.", "“To confirm the rehearsal and tomorrow’s timeline?”", "“Mm-hm.”", "His expression finally eased, and he even picked up the soggy, collapsing shoe box for me.", "“That’s more like it. Don’t make a mess of things. In the end, you’ll only be the one who looks bad.”", "I took the shoe box from him and gave a faint nod.", "He had no idea I wasn’t going there to confirm the timeline." ], "locked": false, "hidden": false } ]