Chapter 3 - THE RULES OF THE WEDDING
The next morning, I called Julian.
He answered after the fourth ring.
"What?"
No hello.
No greeting.
Just irritation.
"We need to talk."
"If this is about the wedding—"
"It is."
Silence.
Then:
"What's wrong?"
"Who was with Noah at your office last Saturday?"
Another silence.
"What are you talking about?"
"He told me someone gave him something."
Julian's voice changed.
"What did he get?"
I noticed the question immediately.
Not What are you talking about?
Not Who gave him something?
He asked:
What did he get?
"You tell me."
"Claire, don't start."
My name sounded like an accusation.
"You invited us to your wedding."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Noah is my son."
"And me?"
"You are his mother."
"That's not an answer."
Julian sighed.
"The invitation is a courtesy."
"A courtesy?"
"Don't make a scene."
I laughed.
"You've known me for twelve years. When have I ever made a scene?"
He didn't answer.
"Who was the man at your office?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then why did you ask what Noah got?"
"I didn't."
"You did."
"You're twisting my words."
"No. I'm listening to them."
Julian became quiet.
Then he said:
"Claire, listen carefully."
Something about his voice made my stomach tighten.
"Don't bring the box to the wedding."
I froze.
He knew.
"How do you know about the box?"
Silence.
"Julian?"
He hung up.
I stared at the phone.
Then I looked at Noah.
He was standing in the doorway.
"Mom?"
"Your dad knows."
Noah nodded.
"I knew he would."
I crouched beside him.
"What is going on?"
"I don't know."
"Then who does?"
He thought for a moment.
"Maybe Grandma."
My mother had died two years earlier.
"Your grandmother?"
He nodded.
"She told me something before she died."
I stared at him.
"What?"
Noah lowered his voice.
"She said Dad was afraid of the past."
---
The wedding was scheduled for Saturday.
Three days away.
I considered not going.
Then I remembered the note.
PLAY THIS AT THE WEDDING.
I didn't know what was on the USB.
I didn't know who had written the message.
But I knew one thing.
Someone wanted the truth heard in front of Julian's friends.
His colleagues.
His clients.
His new wife.
And nearly two hundred guests.
So I made a decision.
We would go.
But I wasn't going to walk into that ballroom unprepared.
I copied the USB.
Then I copied it again.
I gave one copy to a friend.
I put another in a safety deposit box.
The original stayed with me.
I didn't open it.
Not yet.
Because the note had told us to play it at the wedding.
I wanted to know why.
On Friday evening, an email arrived from Julian.
A few rules for tomorrow.
I opened it.
1. Do not discuss the divorce.
2. Do not speak to Victoria privately.
3. Do not approach my colleagues.
4. Do not make accusations.
5. Leave Noah with the assigned family attendant during the reception.
6. Do not bring recording devices.
7. Do not embarrass me.
I read the list twice.
Then I laughed.
Julian had spent three years humiliating me.
Now he was worried about embarrassment.
I replied with one sentence.
I'll see you tomorrow.
He responded immediately.
Please don't ruin this for me.
I stared at the screen.
Then I deleted the message.
---
Saturday afternoon, Noah came downstairs wearing a small navy suit.
He looked older than ten.
I fixed his collar.
"You look handsome."
"Do I have to smile?"
"No."
"Good."
I smiled.
"Just be yourself."
He looked at me.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"If Dad says something mean, don't cry."
My chest tightened.
"I won't."
"I mean it."
"I know."
He touched the pocket of his jacket.
The USB was inside.
I had wanted to keep it.
He refused.
"It belongs to me."
I had finally agreed.
Now I wondered if that had been a mistake.
Before we left, I noticed something on the kitchen counter.
The brown box.
It was empty.
I picked it up.
There was a sentence written underneath the lid that I hadn't noticed before.
THE FIRST PERSON WHO OPENS THIS MUST TELL THE TRUTH.
I felt a chill.
I turned to Noah.
"Did you write this?"
"No."
"Who did?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
Then the doorbell rang.
A woman stood outside.
She was in her sixties.
Gray hair.
Dark coat.
She looked directly at Noah.
Then at me.
"You're Claire Vance?"
"Yes."
She swallowed.
"My name is Evelyn Mercer."
The name meant nothing to me.
Until she added:
"I used to work with Julian."
She looked at the empty brown box in my hand.
Then her face changed.
"Where is the drive?"
I didn't answer.
She whispered:
May you like
"Then you have no idea what you're walking into tonight."
---
