Chapter 5 - The Choice He Could No Longer Avoid
Isaiah returned to the sitting room.
Evelyn had removed the cold compress. The swelling had diminished slightly, though her cheek remained tender.
His aunt Renee sat beside her.
Renee had witnessed the slap from the second row.
She was furious.
"I have been holding my tongue for the last hour," she announced when Isaiah entered, "and I'm running out of patience."
Evelyn touched her sister-in-law's hand.
"Renee."
"No. We don't have to make excuses for somebody striking you in public."
Isaiah set the framed photograph on the table.
"I spoke to Camille."
Both women looked at him.
"She says she'll apologize."
Evelyn watched his face.
"But?"
"She wants you to admit you were wrong to approach her."
Renee threw up her hands.
"Lord, give me strength."
Evelyn was quiet.
Then she asked, "Did she say she was wrong to hit me?"
Isaiah looked down.
"No."
"Then she's not ready to apologize."
There was no bitterness in Evelyn's voice.
Only disappointment.
Isaiah sat beside her.
"Mom, I don't know what to do."
Evelyn studied him.
"Yes, you do. You're just afraid of what it will cost."
He looked at his mother.
She had taught him to cook when he was nine.
She had taught him how to tie a necktie using one of Howard's old ties.
She had spent years telling him to be accountable for his mistakes, even when admitting them was uncomfortable.
Now he was asking her to make another sacrifice so he would not have to face the consequences of his choices.
"I'm ashamed I didn't see what was happening," he said.
Evelyn shook her head gently.
"You saw pieces of it."
He looked up.
"You heard me say I felt unwelcome. You told me Camille was stressed."
He remembered.
"You heard me ask whether I should attend the rehearsal. You told me not to make a fuss."
Isaiah closed his eyes.
"I did."
"I kept thinking if I stayed quiet enough, you'd both be happy."
Her voice trembled.
"But when she hit me today, I realized being quiet wasn't protecting anyone. It was just making me smaller."
Isaiah reached for her hand.
"I'm sorry."
Evelyn squeezed his fingers.
"I believe you."
He swallowed.
"I love Camille."
"I know."
"We built a life together."
"I know that too."
He leaned forward.
"What if walking away destroys everything?"
Evelyn took a long breath.
"Baby, I don't want you to abandon someone because you're angry on my behalf. And I don't want you staying because you're afraid people will talk."
She paused.
"Whatever you choose, make sure it's a life you can respect when the wedding flowers are gone."
Isaiah sat with those words.
His mother wasn't telling him to choose her.
She was asking him to make his own decision.
For years, he had avoided difficult conversations by telling himself he was protecting the people he loved.
But avoiding conflict had never made conflict disappear.
It had only allowed other people to carry its weight.
He looked at the red rose resting beside his father's photograph.
Then he stood.
"I need to finish something."
He went to find Marisol.
She met him near the banquet office with the venue manager.
They explained the financial consequences of canceling after the event had begun.
Some services had already been delivered.
Others could no longer be refunded.
Isaiah listened carefully and asked for the contracts and outstanding balances.
He did not demand special treatment.
Whatever happened next would carry real costs.
He understood that.
He also knew money could not restore what had happened.
When Marisol asked whether she should prepare to resume the ceremony, Isaiah answered:
"No. Please keep everything paused. I need to speak to Camille once more."
He returned to the bridal suite.
Camille looked up hopefully.
"Are we ready?"
Isaiah stood near the door.
"Not yet."
She frowned.
"Then what?"
"I need you to answer one question honestly."
Camille said nothing.
"If something like this happened again after we were married, if my mother disagreed with you or someone embarrassed you, would you believe you had the right to put your hands on them?"
Her eyes widened.
"Isaiah, that's ridiculous."
"Would you?"
"You're treating me like a monster."
"I'm asking whether you understand what you did."
Camille paced toward him.
"I lost my temper. I shouldn't have slapped her. Is that what you want to hear?"
He waited.
She looked away.
"But she knew how important today was to me."
There it was again.
An acknowledgment immediately followed by an excuse.
Isaiah felt something inside him become painfully clear.
"I cannot marry you while you still believe she helped cause what you did."
Camille stared at him.
"You don't mean that."
"I wish I didn't have to say it."
She moved closer.
"Think about our families. The money. Everything we've planned."
"I am thinking about all of it."
"And you're really going to throw away four years for your mother?"
Isaiah's voice stayed quiet.
"No. I'm refusing to pretend this was acceptable."
Camille's eyes filled.
"You're choosing her over me."
Isaiah looked at her for a long moment.
He thought of the woman he had loved.
He thought of the cruelty he had witnessed.
He thought of every warning he had dismissed.
Then he turned toward the door.
Camille caught his wrist.
"Isaiah. If you walk out there and embarrass me, there is no coming back."
He looked down at her hand.
Then at her face.
"I understand."
May you like
She slowly released him.
And Isaiah walked toward the ballroom, knowing there was no painless way to tell the truth.
