Daniel went pale.
He had known the wedding was expensive. He had not realized that his mother had contributed so much of her retirement savings.
“Mom, I thought we were splitting the costs.”
“You were paying for what you could. I offered to help with the rest.”
“And Victoria knew?”
Eleanor nodded.
Daniel stood up slowly.
“I need to speak to her.”
The Wedding Falls Apart
By the time Daniel returned to the bridal suite, the atmosphere had changed.
Victoria was pacing in front of the mirror, still in her wedding gown. Her father was arguing with the wedding planner, while two bridesmaids whispered near the window.
“Daniel!” Victoria rushed toward him. “Thank goodness. Tell them your mother can’t just do this.”
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he asked, “Did you tell my mother she was embarrassing you?”
Victoria crossed her arms.
“She was.”
“Did you tell her she didn’t deserve a place in the wedding?”
“I told her to stop interfering.”
“My mother covered the venue, the flowers, the catering, and the celebration you insisted we have.”
Victoria’s expression shifted.
“That’s what parents do.”
“No,” Daniel replied. “That’s what my mother offered to do because she wanted us to have a good start. It wasn’t permission for you to treat her however you wanted.”
Victoria glanced toward the wedding planner, then back at Daniel.
“Fine. I’ll apologize to her. Can we please stop making this into a huge thing?”
Daniel shook his head.
“An apology doesn’t erase what you did.”
“So what do you want me to do? Get down on my knees?”
“I want you to understand that the person you humiliated today is the woman who worked two jobs to raise me. She’s the reason I had the life that made it possible for me to stand here and marry you.”
