Chapter 2: The Price of a Perfect Wedding
The silence after the manager’s confession felt heavier than the marble floor beneath our feet.
No one moved.
No one knew what to say.
A room filled with hundreds of people suddenly felt smaller than a prison cell.
Malik stared at the glass doors where his mother had disappeared moments earlier. His face had lost all the confidence he carried when he ordered her to leave.
For the first time that night, I saw fear.
Not sadness.
Not regret.
Fear.
“Say that again,” Malik said.
His voice was low.
The wedding manager held the document tightly in his hands.
“Mr. Malik, your mother covered the entire payment for this venue, the decorations, the catering, security, and every additional service included in tonight’s event.””
A few guests gasped.
Someone near the back whispered, “His mother paid for all this?””
Another person replied, “Then why did he treat her like that?””
I looked at Malik.
The man standing in front of me was supposed to become my husband.
The man who promised to protect me.
The man who told me family meant everything.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about Harold’s face when she walked away.
The way she had tried to hide her tears.
The way she still wished him congratulations.
“Malik,” I said quietly.
He turned toward me.
For a second, I thought he might apologize.
Instead, his eyes narrowed.
“Don’t start.””
I blinked.
“Don’t start what?””
“This.””
He gestured around the room.
“The drama. The judgment. Everyone acting like I’m some kind of monster.””
I stared at him.
“You just threw your mother out of our wedding.””
His jaw tightened.
“She embarrassed me.””
The words came out so easily.
That was what hurt the most.
Not that he said them.
But that he believed them.
The manager looked uncomfortable.
“Sir, there is another issue.””
Malik snapped his attention back.
“What now?””
The manager swallowed.
“The payment wasn’t simply a gift.””
The room became quiet again.
“What do you mean?”” Malik asked.
The manager opened the folder.
“Mrs. Harold placed several conditions when she made the payment.””
Malik laughed bitterly.
“Conditions?””
“Yes.””
“What kind?””
The manager looked at me before answering.
“Her payment agreement included a clause stating that if she was publicly removed from the wedding or treated with disrespect by the groom, the payment would be immediately withdrawn.””
The guests reacted instantly.
A wave of shocked whispers traveled through the ballroom.
I looked at the manager.
“She knew this could happen?””
The manager nodded slowly.
“She was very specific.””
Malik’s face turned pale.
“No.””
He shook his head.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
The manager handed him the document.
“Your mother requested that the payment only support a marriage built on respect. She said she did not want her money used to create a celebration where she herself was considered unwanted.””
Nobody spoke.
I watched Malik read the paper.
His eyes moved quickly across the page.
Then slower.
Then stopped.
“What did she write?”” I asked.
Malik didn’t answer.
The manager did.
“She wrote, ‘I don’t need my son to be rich. I only need him to remember where he came from.’”
The room went completely silent.
I felt something twist inside me.
Because despite everything Malik had done, Harold had still protected him.
Even after being humiliated.
Even after being rejected.
She had still hoped he would become better.
Malik dropped the paper onto the table.
“This is ridiculous.””
The manager frowned.
“Sir?””
“My mother wouldn’t do this.””
“She already did.””
“No,” Malik said louder.
“She’s trying to manipulate me.””
I looked at him in disbelief.
“Manipulate you?””
He turned toward me.
“Yes.””
“She paid for our wedding.””
“So?””
I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“So she sacrificed a million dollars for you.””
Malik looked away.
“She has always wanted control.””
The words made my chest tighten.
I remembered all the conversations we had about his childhood.
The stories he told me.
The way he described growing up poor.
He once told me his mother used to cut one meal into two portions so he could have enough food.
He told me she walked miles to save bus money for his school supplies.
He told me she stayed awake sewing clothes for neighbors because she couldn’t afford heating bills.
At the time, those stories made me admire her.
But now I wondered why Malik told them.
Was he sharing his gratitude?
Or was he simply telling stories about someone he no longer respected?
A guest approached us carefully.
It was Daniel, one of Malik’s business friends.
“Man,” Daniel said awkwardly, “maybe you should talk to your mom.””
Malik glared at him.
“This is none of your business.””
Daniel raised his hands.
“I’m just saying…”
“No.””
Malik stepped closer.
“I built everything I have myself.””
The statement shocked me.
The manager looked down.
Even he seemed uncomfortable.
I slowly turned toward the exit.
“I need to find Harold.””
Malik grabbed my wrist.
“Wait.””
His fingers tightened.
Not enough to hurt.
But enough to stop me.
“Where are you going?””
“To talk to your mother.””
His expression changed.
“Why?””
I pulled my hand away.
“Because someone should.””
For a moment, we just stared at each other.
Then Malik lowered his voice.
“You’re choosing her over me?””
I couldn’t believe he asked that.
“This isn’t about choosing sides.””
“Of course it is.””
“No, Malik.””
My voice shook.
“This is about basic human decency.””
His face hardened.
“You don’t understand my relationship with her.””
“You’re right.””
I looked toward the door.
“I don’t.””
I paused.
“But tonight, I saw enough.””
I walked away before he could answer.
Outside the ballroom, the hallway was much colder.
The sounds of the wedding disappeared behind the thick doors.
I found Harold sitting alone near a small garden area beside the venue.
The city lights reflected against the glass walls.
She was still holding the gift bag.
She hadn’t opened it.
She hadn’t thrown it away.
She just sat there quietly.
When she heard my footsteps, she quickly wiped her face.
“Oh.””
She forced a smile.
“You should be inside.””
I sat beside her.
“Harold…”
She looked down.
“I’m sorry.””
The words surprised me.
“For what?””
“For making things difficult.””
I stared at her.
“You didn’t make things difficult.””
She gave a small, sad laugh.
“I suppose that depends on who you ask.””
I noticed the gift bag was slightly torn.
“What did you bring him?””
Her fingers touched the paper carefully.
“A watch.””
I smiled faintly.
“A watch?””
She nodded.
“It belonged to my husband.””
I froze.
“Malik’s father?””
“Yes.””
She looked through the glass wall toward the ballroom.
“He passed away when Malik was young.””
Her voice softened.
“Malik doesn’t remember much about him.””
She opened the bag slightly.
Inside was an old wooden box.
“I wanted him to have something that belonged to his father on the day he became a husband.””
My throat tightened.
“You saved that all these years?””
She nodded.
“I thought one day he would understand.””
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“I thought he would look at me and see his mother.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because there was nothing that could fix the pain in her voice.
After a moment, she closed the box.
“Please don’t be angry with him because of me.””
I looked at her.
“How can you still defend him?””
She smiled sadly.
“Because he is my son.””
That answer hurt more than anger would have.
Then her phone suddenly rang.
She looked down.
The screen showed an unknown number.
She hesitated before answering.
“Hello?””
Her face changed.
The color drained from it.
“What?””
I leaned closer.
“What happened?””
Harold listened silently.
Then she stood up.
“No, that’s impossible.””
Her hand began trembling.
“What do you mean the account was accessed?””
My heart stopped.
“What account?”” I asked.
She looked at me.
And for the first time that night, I saw something other than sadness in her eyes.
Fear.
“The money for the wedding…”
She swallowed.
“It wasn’t just my savings.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What are you saying?””
She looked back toward the ballroom.
Toward the man who had just humiliated her.
Then she whispered the words that changed everything.
“Malik wasn’t supposed to know where that money came from.””
The phone slipped lower in her hand.
May you like
Because the voice on the other end had just revealed something even worse.
Someone had tried to steal the million dollars before the wedding ever began.
