The Last Vow

PART 2 — The Truth Behind the $45,000

I stared at Daniel Reed’s message for almost a minute before finally replying.

Me: What documents are you talking about?

His response came almost immediately.

Daniel: Camille didn’t use that money to open a photography studio. She used it to purchase a property. And Everett signed the loan agreement with her.

My stomach tightened.

Me: What property?

Daniel: A house in Fredericksburg. The same property Everett told you he was considering buying for your future together.

I stopped breathing for a moment.

The limestone house.

The one with the white porch, the oak trees, and the beautiful backyard.

Everett had shown me pictures of it six months ago. He had even told me he wanted to surprise me by making an offer before our wedding.

I quickly typed another message.

Me: Are you sure?

Daniel sent a photograph of a document.

It was a loan agreement.

Everett Cross’s signature appeared at the bottom.

Beside it was Camille Porter’s name.

But the final page made my hands go cold.

The property had been purchased under a company registered to both of them.

And the $45,000 I had saved for our future home had been used as part of the down payment.

My mother noticed my expression.

“Madison, what is it?”

I handed her the phone.

She read the document twice before looking up.

“Oh, sweetheart…”

Kelsey took the phone next.

“What kind of sick joke is this?”

I shook my head.

“I don’t understand. Everett told me he was negotiating to buy that house for us.”

Daniel sent another message.

Daniel: There’s more. Camille told people Everett was going to marry her eventually. She said the wedding was only happening because he couldn’t afford to disappoint his family.

My heart gave a painful thud.

Then Daniel called.

I answered immediately.

“Mr. Reed?”

“Please, call me Daniel. I know this is difficult, but you deserve the truth.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I was Camille’s business partner. She and Everett used company funds to cover personal expenses. When I questioned them, they pushed me out. I have copies of everything.”

“Why did she come to my wedding?”

He hesitated.

“Because she discovered that Everett had been planning to transfer the property into his name after the wedding. She was afraid he would leave her with nothing.”

I closed my eyes.

So the crying.

The dramatic entrance.

The folded paper she had carried.

It hadn’t been a coincidence.

“Daniel, what was in that paper?”

“A notice from the lender. The loan was about to be reviewed. Camille needed Everett to sign another document before the wedding.”

I remembered Everett leaving the altar to comfort her.

He hadn’t simply been comforting an old girlfriend.

He had been responding to a woman who knew exactly how to control him.

“Can you send me everything?”

“I already have. Check your email.”

When the call ended, I sat silently.

My wedding dress suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

Kelsey knelt in front of me.

“Listen to me. You are not going to blame yourself for this.”

“I gave him four years.”

“You gave him love. He gave you lies. Those are not the same thing.”

My father entered the room a few minutes later.

He had heard enough from my mother to understand what was happening.

“Madison, I want you to know something. Whatever he has done, you won’t face it alone.”

I nodded.

Then I opened my email.

There were seventeen attachments.

Bank transfers. Loan agreements. Property records. Messages between Everett and Camille.

And one message dated three weeks before the wedding.

Everett: Once Madison and I are married, everything becomes easier. She trusts me. I’ll handle the financial paperwork after the honeymoon.

Camille: And what happens to me?

Everett: You’re the one I promised I’d never abandon. Just be patient.

I read the words twice.

Then I put my phone down.

For the first time, I wasn’t wondering why Everett had chosen Camille.

I was wondering how much of my life he had planned to steal.

And I intended to find out.