Chapter 2: The Message That Broke a Family
The music continued for another three seconds before Quentin lifted his free hand toward the DJ.
"Stop the music.""
The song ended abruptly.
Lena stood in the middle of the dance floor, still holding her son's hand.
Around them, two hundred guests waited.
Quentin looked down at her.
"Mom, I need you to hear me out.""
"Of course, baby.""
"Three weeks ago, I got a text from your number.""
Lena frowned.
"What did it say?""
Quentin hesitated.
He looked toward the head table, where Russell was suddenly very interested in adjusting his cufflinks.
Celeste stood beside him, her expression carefully composed.
Quentin pulled his phone from his jacket pocket.
"I saved it because I couldn't believe it.""
He opened the message.
His voice shook slightly as he read.
"Quentin, I've spent enough years pretending I want a relationship with you. From now on, stop calling me Mom. Celeste has been more of a mother to you than I ever wanted to be. Please respect my wishes and don't contact me again.""
A murmur traveled through the ballroom.
Lena's face went pale.
"No.""
Quentin looked at her.
"That's what I thought at first.""
"No, sweetheart. I never wrote that.""
He turned the phone so she could see the screen.
The message was there.
Her name.
Her phone number.
Her profile photograph.
And a timestamp from three weeks earlier.
Lena stared at it as though someone had placed a stranger's face on her own body.
"Quentin, I would never tell you to stop calling me your mother.""
He nodded, but his eyes were wet.
"I know you wouldn't want to hurt me.""
"Baby, listen to me. I have never stopped wanting to be your mother.""
Celeste stepped forward.
"Quentin, this is not the time.""
He didn't look at her.
"Stay out of this.""
"You're upsetting your wedding guests.""
"Then they can be upset.""
Russell moved closer.
"Son, your mother and I discussed this privately. There were things you didn't understand.""
Lena turned sharply.
"Discussed what?""
Russell avoided her eyes.
Celeste immediately answered.
"Lena, perhaps you should let Quentin enjoy his wedding instead of dragging old family problems into it.""
Lena looked at her.
"Old family problems?""
Her voice was quiet, but something in it made Russell stop moving.
"You just pulled me away from my own son in front of two hundred people. Now you're telling me not to discuss family?""
Celeste folded her arms.
"I was simply trying to prevent an uncomfortable situation.""
"By taking my place?""
"By doing what was best for Quentin.""
Quentin stepped between them.
"Enough.""
He looked at Lena again.
"Mom, when I got that message, I called you.""
"I remember you calling.""
"What did you tell me?""
"I told you I was working.""
"And you sounded strange.""
Lena shook her head.
"I had just finished a twelve-hour shift. My phone was almost dead. I told you I'd call the next morning.""
Quentin nodded slowly.
"Then I called again the next day. No answer.""
"I was sleeping, baby.""
"And when I came by your apartment, you weren't there.""
"I was at work.""
Quentin looked down at his phone.
"That was when I started believing the message.""
Lena's eyes filled.
"Oh, Quentin.""
He took a breath.
"I didn't want to believe you were rejecting me. But the message was so specific. It mentioned Celeste. It said you were tired of being my mother.""
Lena touched his cheek.
"Look at me.""
He did.
"Do you remember when you were seven and you had that fever that wouldn't come down?""
Quentin nodded.
"You stayed awake all night," he whispered.
"I sat beside your bed until morning. And when the doctor said you were okay, I went straight to work because I couldn't afford to miss another shift.""
She brushed a tear from his cheek.
"Do you remember your first school concert? You couldn't see me in the audience because I was standing at the back in my work uniform.""
He nodded again.
"Do you remember your high school graduation? I had worked the night before, but I came anyway. I was so tired I nearly fell asleep in the parking lot.""
"Mom...""
"Baby, I have never been ashamed of being your mother. Not one day. Not one minute.""
Quentin lowered his head.
He pressed her hand against his forehead.
For the first time that night, he looked like the little boy who used to wait at the apartment window for her to come home.
Then Lena asked something.
"Why did you think I would say something like that?""
Quentin opened his mouth.
But Russell answered first.
"Because things had become complicated.""
Lena turned toward him.
"What things?""
Russell glanced at Celeste.
She immediately stepped closer.
"Russell, don't.""
The warning was quiet.
But Quentin heard it.
He looked at his father.
"Why did you just tell him not to talk?""
Russell rubbed his forehead.
"Your wedding is not the place for this.""
"You keep saying that.""
"Because it's true!""
Russell's voice rose.
Several guests turned toward the head table.
Quentin's bride, Simone, approached from the side of the dance floor.
She had been watching silently, her ivory dress gathered in one hand.
"Quentin," she said gently, "do you want me to ask everyone to give us a few minutes?""
He looked at her.
"Not yet.""
Simone nodded.
Then she turned to Celeste.
"Why did you pull Lena away?""
Celeste blinked.
"Excuse me?""
"I saw you grab her.""
"I was trying to keep things organized.""
Simone looked at the guests.
"She was already walking toward Quentin. There was nothing to organize.""
Celeste's lips tightened.
"You don't understand the history of this family.""
"Then perhaps you should explain it.""
Celeste stared at her.
For the first time, she didn't have an immediate answer.
Quentin unlocked his phone again.
He opened the message details.
"I want to know something.""
Russell's eyes shifted toward the screen.
"What?""
Quentin looked at him.
"Who had access to Mom's phone three weeks ago?""
Lena frowned.
"No one should have.""
Quentin looked between his parents.
"She called me from her regular number the day before I got this message. But when I checked the details, something didn't make sense.""
He enlarged the screen.
"The message came through while Mom was supposedly at work.""
Lena nodded.
"I was at the hospital that night.""
"Exactly.""
Quentin looked at his father.
"Where were you?""
Russell went still.
Celeste's hand moved toward his sleeve.
"Quentin, stop digging.""
But Quentin had already noticed something.
The message had been sent at 10:43 p.m.
And beneath it was a notification he hadn't paid attention to before.
A second device had been linked to the account.
Quentin stared at the screen.
"Mom, did you ever give Dad permission to access your phone account?""
Lena slowly turned toward Russell.
"No.""
Russell's face lost its color.
May you like
Celeste grabbed his arm.
And Quentin realized that the person who had sent the message might have been much closer to the family than he had ever imagined.
