The Ring She Stole Before the Wedding

I turned toward Loretta.

“Mom?””

Loretta nodded slowly.

“I did call her. I wanted to ask why the bank had sent me a notice about changing the account details.””

My stomach tightened.

“What did Simone tell you?””

“She said it was a mistake. She asked me not to worry you on your wedding day.””

“And you believed her?””

Loretta looked ashamed.

“I wanted to.””

Simone seized the moment.

“Exactly! I was trying to keep everyone calm.””

“You stole her ring to silence her,” I said.

“I didn’t steal it to silence her!””

“Then why?””

Simone’s eyes darted around the room.

“I needed her to stop asking questions long enough for the wedding to happen.””

The guests reacted all at once.

A man near the entrance muttered, “Unbelievable.””

Danielle shook her head.

“You planned to marry him while trying to take his mother’s money.””

Simone rounded on her.

“You have no idea what I’ve sacrificed!””

Danielle didn’t flinch.

“Apparently, not your conscience.””

Simone reached for the ring on the security table, perhaps hoping to grab it before anyone could stop her.

I blocked her.

“Where is my mother’s ring?””

She froze.

“I don’t have it.””

“The footage shows you putting it in your purse.””

“I left it in the bridal suite.””

Marcus immediately contacted another security employee and asked him to preserve the suite’s entry records and remain outside until we could establish what was inside.

I turned to my mother.

“Do you want to make a formal report?””

Loretta looked at Simone for a long moment.

Then she nodded.

“Yes.””

Simone’s face crumpled.

“Loretta, please. You know me.””

My mother wiped her cheeks.

“I thought I did.””

That was the first time she had spoken to Simone without calling her by name.

The distinction seemed to frighten my bride more than anything else.

I asked Marcus to contact the venue manager and arrange for the relevant recordings to be retained. I also told my mother we would have an independent attorney review every document before she signed anything else.

For the first time all morning, Loretta’s shoulders relaxed slightly.

Then Patricia stepped forward.

“Before anyone makes a terrible mistake, there’s something you should know about the account.””

I turned toward her.

“What now?””

She looked directly at me.

“Your mother wasn’t the only person whose signature appears on those documents.””

I frowned.

“What are you talking about?””

Patricia reached into her handbag and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.

She placed it on the table beside my wedding band.

At the top was the name of my mother’s bank.

Below it were two signatures.

One belonged to Loretta.

The other was mine.

I stared at it.

I had never seen the document before.

But the signature looked exactly like mine.