Chapter 2: What His Mother Never Told Him
Vanessa found her voice after eleven seconds.
Marcus counted every one of them.
“You’re threatening me.””
He stared at her.
“Threatening you with what?””
“With ruining my life.””
A bitter sound came from Aunt Lorraine.
Vanessa whipped around.
“You stay out of this.””
Lorraine took another step into the aisle.
“No, sweetheart. You brought everybody into it when you kicked Evelyn’s chair like it was luggage sitting in your way.””
“I said stay out of this!””
Marcus raised one hand.
“Vanessa.””
She turned back.
Something in his face finally frightened her.
Not rage.
Disappointment.
“You need to stop talking.””
Her eyes filled.
“So that’s it? Your family gangs up on me, and I’m supposed to stand here quietly?””
Marcus crouched beside his mother.
“Ma, are you sure you’re okay?””
Evelyn nodded.
Marcus examined the side of her chair.
The metal rim was scratched.
His fingers touched the mark.
Vanessa saw it.
“Oh, come on. Now we’re inspecting the chair?””
Marcus looked up.
Evelyn reached for his wrist.
“Marcus.””
He turned toward her.
“Not here,” she whispered.
He frowned.
“What?””
Her eyes moved toward Vanessa.
“Not here.””
Marcus knew his mother well enough to recognize the sentence for what it was.
There was something else.
He stood slowly.
“Darnell.””
His best man approached.
“Yeah.””
“Take Ma into the pastor’s office.””
Evelyn shook her head.
“No.””
“Please.””
She looked at her son.
Marcus’s expression softened.
“Just for five minutes.””
Aunt Lorraine took the wheelchair handles.
“I’m coming too.””
Vanessa scoffed.
“Of course you are.””
Marcus ignored her.
Then he faced the congregation.
“I’m sorry.””
The room went quiet.
“I need everybody to remain seated.””
The pastor stepped forward.
“We can take a short pause.””
“No,” Vanessa said immediately.
Every head turned.
She looked at Marcus.
“We don’t need a pause.””
“We do.””
“We have a reception venue booked until midnight. The caterers are waiting. The photographer is being paid by the hour. People flew here.””
Marcus stared.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“You cannot throw away sixty thousand dollars because of one bad moment.””
Marcus’s face tightened.
“One bad moment?””
“Yes.””
He looked toward the door through which Lorraine had pushed Evelyn.
Then back at Vanessa.
“How many have there been?””
Vanessa froze.
Marcus saw it.
“What does that mean?”” she asked.
“You tell me.””
“Marcus—”
“My mother looked scared when I asked if you hurt her.””
“That’s ridiculous.””
“Is it?””
“Yes.””
“Then why wouldn’t she talk in front of you?””
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“I don’t know. Because she likes drama?””
That was the sentence that changed the room.
Marcus stared at her for a long moment.
Then he removed the white rose boutonniere from his lapel.
Vanessa’s eyes dropped to his hand.
“No.””
Marcus placed the flower on the end of the front pew.
“Marcus.””
He walked toward the side hallway.
“Marcus!””
She gathered her dress and went after him.
Darnell stepped into her path.
“Give him a minute.””
“That is my fiancé.””
Darnell did not move.
“For the moment.””
Vanessa slapped him.
The crack echoed through the church.
Gasps erupted again.
Darnell’s head turned from the impact.
He slowly faced her.
Vanessa’s hand flew to her mouth.
“I—”
Marcus had stopped at the hallway entrance.
He had seen it.
Nobody spoke.
Darnell touched his cheek.
Marcus asked, “You good?””
Darnell nodded once.
Marcus looked at Vanessa.
She started crying.
This time the tears came easily.
“Everybody is pushing me!””
Nobody answered.
Vanessa’s mother rushed from her pew.
“Baby, come sit down.””
“No!””
“Vanessa.””
“No, Mama!””
She pointed toward Marcus.
“He doesn’t get to abandon me because his mother decided to make me look evil.””
Marcus disappeared into the hallway.
Inside the pastor’s office, Evelyn was crying.
Quietly.
Lorraine stood beside her.
When Marcus entered, Evelyn wiped her cheeks.
“Close the door.””
He did.
Then he knelt in front of her.
“What didn’t you tell me?””
Evelyn avoided his eyes.
“Ma.””
“I didn’t want this.””
“What?””
“All this.””
She gestured weakly toward the sanctuary.
“This fighting. This embarrassment.””
Marcus leaned closer.
“What did she do?””
Evelyn shook her head.
Lorraine answered.
“Tell him.””
“Lorraine.””
“He deserves to know.””
“Know what?””
Evelyn closed her eyes.
“Three weeks ago, Vanessa came to my house.””
Marcus frowned.
“You told me she was bringing you flowers.””
“She brought flowers.””
“And?””
“She also brought papers.””
His stomach tightened.
“What papers?””
Evelyn opened her purse.
Her hands shook as she removed a folded document.
Marcus took it.
He recognized the logo immediately.
It belonged to his attorney.
The one handling the family property trust.
Marcus unfolded the pages.
A power-of-attorney amendment.
His eyes moved rapidly across the document.
“What is this?””
Evelyn whispered, “She said you wanted me to sign it.””
Marcus looked at her.
“I never asked you to sign this.””
“I know that now.””
His heart began hammering.
The document would have granted broad authority over Evelyn’s financial accounts if she became medically incapacitated.
The proposed agent listed on the second page was not Marcus.
It was Vanessa.
Marcus read the name twice.
Then a third time.
“She said this came from me?””
“Yes.””
“Did you sign it?””
“No.””
Lorraine spoke from behind him.
“I happened to arrive while Vanessa was there.””
Marcus turned toward her.
“She told me Marcus wanted this done before the wedding,” Lorraine said.
“I asked why your lawyer hadn’t called Evelyn directly.””
“And?””
“She got mad.””
Evelyn reached for Marcus’s hand.
“I didn’t tell you because I thought maybe she was confused. Maybe there had been some misunderstanding.””
Marcus stared at the paper.
“Ma, this is not a misunderstanding.””
“I know.””
“What else?””
Silence.
Marcus looked from his mother to Lorraine.
“What else happened?””
Evelyn’s lips trembled.
“Last month she told me that after the wedding, you and she had decided I should move.””
Marcus slowly stood.
“Move where?””
“A care facility.””
He felt something inside him go cold.
“I never said that.””
“I know.””
“She said I told her?””
“Yes.””
Marcus paced once across the small office.
“Why would she do that?””
Lorraine folded her arms.
“Because Vanessa doesn’t think Evelyn is your mother.””
Marcus stopped.
Lorraine continued.
“She thinks Evelyn is an asset with a house.””
“Lorraine.””
“It’s true.””
Marcus looked down at the document again.
His mother owned the old Carter house outright.
A restored four-bedroom property on twelve acres outside Atlanta.
His father had bought the land when it was almost worthless.
Developers had begun making offers two years ago.
The latest offer had been $1.8 million.
Marcus suddenly remembered Vanessa asking questions.
How much land did Evelyn own?
Had Marcus inherited anything yet?
Would the property become his eventually?
He had thought they were conversations about their future.
Now they sounded different.
A knock hit the door.
Then Vanessa’s voice.
“Marcus?””
He looked at the paper in his hand.
“Please open the door.””
Evelyn whispered, “Don’t do anything angry.””
Marcus looked at his mother.
“What exactly do you think I’m about to do?””
Her eyes filled again.
Outside, Vanessa knocked harder.
“Marcus, we need to get married.””
Lorraine’s eyebrows rose.
Not talk.
Not fix this.
Get married.
Marcus walked toward the door.
His mother caught his sleeve.
“Baby.””
He turned.
Evelyn said softly, “Before you make any decision, ask her about the house.””
Marcus went still.
“What about the house?””
May you like
Evelyn’s voice dropped.
“She already found a buyer.””
