After thirty minutes, Laura stood up abruptly, said something that made his jaw tighten, and walked away.
Without thinking, I followed her. If she was arguing with him, maybe she would tell me the truth about his “plan.”
She drove to a modest apartment complex across town.
Before I could change my mind, I knocked on her door.
She opened it halfway and froze. “You shouldn’t be here.”
She tried to close it.
I pressed my hand against the door. “I saw you with Jack. I know he’s planning something, and you’re involved.”
Laura grimaced. “I am not! I told him his plan is stupid, that he—” She stopped, then let out a sharp sigh. “Fine. Come in.”
Her apartment was small and bare.
I turned to her. “What is going on? What is he doing?”
Laura let out a short, bitter laugh. “Being Jack. Taking the easy way out.”
“What does that mean?”
“He owes me money. A lot. Debt from our marriage. I’ve been trying to collect for over a year. Lawyers, notices, payment plans—everything. His solution is you.”
“What?”
Laura looked me straight in the eye. “You have a good job. A nice house. Good credit. Stability. A life already built. He marries you, and that becomes his.”
My throat went dry.
“And just so you know,” she added, “I told him marrying money isn’t a solution. I told him to get a job and pay me back properly.”
“Excuse me?” I said. “He has a job.”
She looked at me with something close to pity. “No, he doesn’t. He was fired for misusing company funds when we were married. Since then, he’s just drifted.”
“That’s not true. He works—”
“Where? Doing what?” she asked. “What’s his boss’s name? Who does he work with? What’s the worst part of his day?”
I had no answers.
Laura walked to a drawer, pulled out a stack of papers, and handed me one.
“Final demand notice,” she said. “He met me today to ask for more time. He said, ‘Once I get married, things will be different.’”
I wanted to believe she was lying. But seeing his name printed on the document made everything fall into place.
After a long silence, I said, “Come to the wedding.”
“What? You’re still going to marry him?”
“Just come if you want your money.”
I walked out already knowing exactly how I would deal with Jack’s plan.
The church was full on the wedding day.
When the doors opened, every head turned to look at me.
At the altar, Jack took my hands.
“You look incredible,” he whispered.
I smiled. He looked confident—and that was exactly what I needed.
The officiant began, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today—”
“Wait, please.” I turned to my maid of honor.
She handed me the envelope. I opened it and pulled out the document.
Jack’s face drained of color.
“You don’t love me. You owe your ex-wife money, and you thought marrying me would solve that,” I said.
A gasp echoed through the room.
Jack shook his head. “That’s fake. Where did you get that?”
I looked toward the back. “Laura?”
Heads turned.
Laura stood.
Shock rippled through the guests.
“I saw you with her the day you asked for more time,” I continued. “I followed her. She told me everything.”
“It’s not—” he turned toward Laura. “You ruined everything.”
She stepped forward. “I told you to get a job, Jack. You thought this would be easier.”
I slipped the ring off my finger and placed it into his pocket.
Then I turned to face the room. “This wedding is off.”
I stepped down from the altar and picked up Diana.
“Mom? Was that the plan?”
I exhaled softly. “Yes, baby. But everything is okay now.”
And it truly was—because the only person who mattered was safe in my arms.
Maybe someday, I would find love again.
But next time, I wouldn’t be so easily charmed—or deceived.
