“I was told to sit by the service doors because my face would ruin the photos,” I replied calmly. “I will not pay to be erased.”
The ceremony proceeded because Gregory scrambled to secure emergency transfers, but the atmosphere was fractured and everyone knew it. I left before the vows were exchanged and returned to my hotel in silence.
That night Matthew called, and his voice sounded strained and desperate. “Allison is devastated, and her family is saying you tried to humiliate them,” he said.
“I told the truth,” I answered. “If the truth humiliates someone, perhaps the behavior should be examined.”
He admitted he did not know how to fix it and confessed that he had tried to keep everyone comfortable for months instead of confronting the tension. I told him peace built on sacrificing one person always collapses eventually.
Two days later he came to my home in Raleigh with flowers in his hands and exhaustion in his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the empty mantel above my fireplace.