When we arrived at the house, Peggy demanded another million as a "name-change fee" for calling my parents Mom and Dad.
I was done. This was highway robbery.
But my father stepped in. He said a wedding was a happy occasion, and we shouldn't let money ruin it. He paid.
Thank God my father saw through them. He'd kept our family's multi-billion-dollar fortune a secret.
He'd even held the ceremony at the old house from before the family made its money. In the end, they walked away with three million and finally stopped pushing.
Peggy didn't give Adeline a single cent as a dowry. Said our family "wasn't worth the effort."
I found out later that every dollar of that three million went straight to Tim Harding, who blew through it all.
My father had specifically reminded me back then to keep hiding the family's wealth. "Time reveals a person's true character," he'd said.
Now, it was clear just how right he was.
I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone, and called Tim Harding. "Fine, I'll agree to the divorce. But Tim's debts are not mine. I'm calling him right now to settle this."
I dialed again and again. Tim never picked up.