“Hi, Carol. Coffee.”
She froze at my tone.
“Don’t get smart with me. A is in tears. The guests are leaving. Do you realize what this has done to her reputation?”
“Her reputation?” I repeated. “You mean the one she shredded herself?”
“She was stressed,” Carol snapped. “You know how weddings are. And you? Oh, you just had to make a scene.”
“I didn’t make a scene. I left quietly.”
“You humiliated her.”
“I humiliated her?” I asked, my voice rising just slightly. “She put a sign with photos of my kids telling people to keep them out. Who does that, Carol?”
She hesitated, then said something that almost made me laugh from sheer disbelief.
“Maybe she overdid it, but you should have known better than to bring them. Weddings are for adults.”
Emily set her coffee cup down so hard the spoon clattered.
“We were invited. You saw the RSVPs. The kids’ names were on the cards.”
Carol waved her hand dismissively.
“Ava changed her mind.”
“Oh, she changed her mind after I paid for everything, right?” I said.
Carol’s face tightened.
“Don’t make this about money, Daniel. That’s petty.”
That was the moment something inside me finally cracked.
“You know what’s petty? Asking me to fund a wedding and then turning it into a circus. You both begged me to help. I handled every invoice, every booking. You didn’t even thank me. And now you’re standing in my house blaming me for her tantrum.”
She crossed her arms.
“We’re family. You’re supposed to help without expecting recognition.”
“Helping doesn’t mean being a doormat,” I said.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
“I see. So that’s how it is now. You’re cutting us off.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“If by cutting off you mean I won’t be financing any more nonsense, then yes. Consider it official.”
Carol went pale like I’d slapped her.
“You can’t. Daniel, this family has always relied on you.”
“That’s the problem,” I interrupted quietly. “You rely on me, but you never respect me.”
There was silence.
You could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen.
Finally, Carol muttered, “Ava’s devastated. She lost her fianceé because of you, and when she picks herself up, she’ll remember who turned her own family against her.”
I met her gaze, unblinking.
“If she thinks she lost her fiance because I refused to lie for her, maybe she doesn’t deserve him.”
Carol opened her mouth, but no words came out.
After a moment, she just shook her head, turned around, and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the frame rattled.
For a while, the house was quiet.
Emily leaned against the counter, exhaling slowly.
“You handled that better than I would have,” she said softly.