PART 1
My fiancé screamed, “We’re about to become family, and you’re still selfish.” They expected tears and surrender. Instead, I looked him straight in the eye, raised my leg, and…
I was four months preg/nant, expecting my first child. My wedding to Julian was just six weeks away.
I had worked myself to the bone to build a successful digital marketing firm. I owned my home, paid my bills, and thought I had built a safe fortress. I made one blind mistake: I fell in love with Julian. He ran a failing tech startup, kept afloat only by his mother’s enabling and my quiet, constant financial bailouts. I believed love could fix him.
We sat in his mother Eleanor’s oppressive living room to discuss the wedding budget.
“The florist needs another $10,000 for imported white orchids today,” Eleanor demanded, tapping her acrylic nails on a stack of invoices. “And the caterer needs a 75% deposit for the lobster and Wagyu beef menu.”
My stomach knotted with a dull, throbbing exhaustion. “I’ve already paid $80,000, Eleanor. I paid for the venue and the band in full. I am not draining my personal savings and my company’s operating capital right before the baby is born. The orchids are unnecessary, and we’re serving chicken.”
Julian finally looked up from his phone, his handsome face pulling into a frown of petulant annoyance. “Babe, come on. It’s our special day. It’s a reflection on our brand. You have the cash sitting there. It’s an investment in our future.”
“An investment?” I asked, looking at the man I was supposed to marry, my heart aching as the illusion cracked. “Julian, you haven’t contributed a single dollar to this wedding! Your startup hasn’t turned a profit in two years! I am solely financing this circus. I am not paying another dime.”
I grabbed my purse and stood up to leave. I expected Eleanor to huff and play the victim. I didn’t expect the mask to violently slip, revealing a desperate predator.
“Sit down, Maya,” Eleanor commanded, her voice dropping the polite pretense, vibrating with a dark, lethal authority. “You are not leaving.”
