Chapter 15 - The Price of a Perfect Wedding
Natalie spread the wedding receipts over my dining room table.
The flowers were more expensive than my first car.
The reception package included upgrades she'd never requested.
There were custom invitations, an elaborate cake, a string quartet, and a photography contract with a final payment due the next week.
I didn't criticize her taste.
I asked one question.
“Whose money was supposed to pay for this?”
She sorted the invoices into piles.
Some were covered by her savings.
Some by Preston's contributions.
Some by money Charles had promised within a limited budget.
And some depended on a transfer from Deborah that had never arrived.
Then Natalie showed me a spreadsheet Preston had maintained.
In the last column, the planned source was labeled M. Ellis — anticipated gift.
I stared at my name.
I had never agreed to those numbers.
Natalie looked ashamed.
“Every time I asked him, he said you wouldn't let me down.”
I explained that I could love her deeply without paying for an event she and Preston had planned around imaginary money.
We called the vendors together to learn the actual cancellation and payment terms.
Some deposits were nonrefundable.
Others could be credited toward smaller events.
One photographer offered a modest reduction if they changed the package quickly.
The venue manager was kind but firm.
She had signed contracts, employees, and other clients to consider.
Consequences were becoming real, and no villainous speech could make them disappear.
Preston arrived while we were on the phone with the florist.
He stood on the porch and demanded to see Natalie.
She chose to speak through the door, with me nearby but silent.
“I need a few days,” she told him.
“We don't have a few days,” he snapped.
“The venue is going to cancel.”
“Then we'll have to discuss the wedding later.”
His expression darkened through the glass.
“Your mother is poisoning you against me.”
Natalie swallowed.
“Please leave.”
He stared at her, then pointed toward me.
“You think you're winning this?”
I did not answer.
After he drove away, Natalie sat at the kitchen island and sobbed.
“I thought getting married meant starting a family,” she said.
“It should mean building one honestly,” I replied.
The next day, Charles called and asked to speak with us.
He admitted he'd reviewed Preston's claims and had become deeply concerned.
He brought bank records showing that his promised wedding contribution was much smaller than Deborah had told Natalie.
“I'm sorry,” he said.
“I should've put this in writing from the beginning.”
Natalie studied the numbers.
“So Preston knew?”
Charles nodded sadly.
“He knew.”
That night, Deborah left a message on my answering machine.
“If the wedding falls apart, everyone will know whose fault it was.”
I didn't delete it.
I simply wrote down the date and went to bed.
The following morning, Natalie made a decision.
She called the venue herself.
May you like
And she asked to cancel the reception.
