The room went quiet. Alyssa laughed nervously along with them. Later that night I found her crying in the bridal suite while staring at a prenuptial agreement that gave Bradley control over nearly every aspect of her life.
“You have to sign it,” she whispered desperately. “If I refuse the wedding will be cancelled and everyone will laugh at me.”
I wanted to tear the document apart but instead I said quietly, “Just remember I warned you.”
As I left the hallway I overheard Bradley and his father talking inside a study.
“Did she send the money,” Charles asked.
“Yes,” Bradley replied with a laugh. “Half a million dollars this morning. She thinks it is for our house in the hills. She believes anything I tell her.”
I recorded every word on my phone. The next day during the wedding ceremony I was pushed to the last row near the catering tent while a paid actor walked Alyssa down the aisle pretending to be a relative.
When Bradley proudly claimed he had worked hard to buy their dream house I felt the final piece of patience inside me break.
At the reception Charles Montgomery stepped onto the stage to give a speech and finished by placing a cheap takeout box on my table.