Chapter 6 - The Bridal Shower Ultimatum
Julian and I spent the following weeks increasing our security measures. We informed the wedding venue coordinator that my parents were not permitted near any financial registry items or gift tables without explicit verification. We hoped that would be the end of it, but desperation makes people dangerous.
A week before the ceremony, Mom ambushed me in the parking lot outside my architectural firm. She didn't hug me; she grabbed my arm with fingernails that dug sharply into my skin. "Listen to me, Chloe," she hissed, her eyes wild with stress. "Jake’s physical therapy starts next month, and the clinic demands payment upfront. Your father is losing his mind. If you don't announce a cash transfer of seventy-five thousand dollars during the wedding reception toast, or hand over the equivalent in certified checks, we will make sure your big day is a living nightmare."
"Mom, let go of me," I yanked my arm away, staring at her in horror. "You're threatening me? Over money you think you're entitled to? I am not your ATM, and I am certainly not funding Jake’s lifestyle while you treat me like garbage!"
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"You ungrateful bitch!" Mom screamed, her mask of suburban perfection slipping entirely. "If you humiliate us by refusing, we will stand up in front of all your high-society friends and Julian’s family and tell everyone the disgusting lies about what kind of person you really are! We will ruin your marriage before it even starts!"
She climbed back into her car and sped off into traffic, leaving me shaking in the cold afternoon air. When I told Julian, his expression turned granite-hard. "They won't get a single penny, Chloe. And if they try anything at the wedding, security will throw them out before they can finish a sentence." Little did we know, security wouldn't be fast enough to stop the explosion.
