Chapter 3 - The Broken Vow
Michael stared at Victoria, his jaw dropping open. "Is this true?"
"No! She's lying!" Victoria shrieked, tears finally smearing her heavy eyeliner. "She's an old woman who has always favored Emily! Michael, look at me! You know me!"
"Do I?" Michael asked softly. His voice lacked any warmth. "Because when my grandmother asked about the non-disclosure agreement on your resume six months ago, you told her it was from a corporate restructuring."
Grandma Rose unsealed the envelope and pulled out a stack of notarized bank transfers and an official forensic audit report bearing Victoria's original signature. She handed the top page directly to Michael.
Michael looked down at the paper. As his eyes scanned the dates, amounts, and account routing numbers, his hand began to shake.
"You didn't just steal," Michael whispered, looking up at Victoria with utter disgust. "You let your own sister take the fall for it. You watched her struggle to pay her rent while you used the stolen funds as a down payment for your apartment."
My mother stepped between them, her voice shrill. "Michael, it was a family matter! Victoria was young and made a mistake! We handled it privately!"
"You handled it by protecting the daughter who committed fraud and letting the innocent one suffer," Eleanor Vance declared coldly. She walked over to her grandson, took him by the elbow, and turned him away from the altar. "The Vance family will not be tied to this deceit. Michael, we are leaving."
"Michael, please!" Victoria cried out, reaching for his arm. "We just signed the register! We're married!"
Michael pulled his wrist free from her grasp. He took off his boutonnière, dropped it onto the white satin tablecloth, and looked at her with hollow eyes. "The marriage certificate hasn't been filed with the county clerk yet. My lawyer will make sure it never is."
May you like
With those words, Michael turned and walked out of the ballroom alongside his grandmother.
The remaining members of the groom's family followed in a quiet, unified line, leaving Victoria standing alone in her pristine white gown under the glittering chandeliers.
