Chapter 7 - The House of Cards
Three months passed in absolute peace.
The lawsuit was officially dismissed by a judge with prejudice.
My mother and sister were ordered to pay my legal fees, though I doubted I would ever see that money.
Through the local grapevine, I heard rumors about Olivia’s upcoming wedding.
Because the settlement money never materialized, Carter’s promised funds mysteriously vanished as well.
He claimed his assets were temporarily frozen due to a complex international merger.
My mother, desperate to maintain appearances, took out a massive second mortgage on her house.
She funded the lavish wedding herself, plunging deep into financial ruin just to prove a point.
They rented an expensive country club, hired a massive band, and invited hundreds of high-society guests.
I, of course, was not invited.
Mark and I spent that Saturday evening sitting on our porch, drinking our own award-winning Pinot Noir.
The sun set over the rolling hills of the vineyard, casting a beautiful golden glow over our property.
I felt entirely detached from the drama unfolding across town.
However, the drama did not stay contained to the country club.
Later that night, my phone rang with a frantic call from a mutual family friend who had attended the wedding.
The ceremony had gone smoothly, but the reception was an absolute disaster.
Right as they were cutting the cake, two aggressive men in dark suits entered the ballroom.
They were debt collectors who had tracked Carter down.
They did not care about the wedding; they wanted the money he owed to some very dangerous people.
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Carter panicked, abandoned his new bride on the dance floor, and literally ran out the back door.
He fled the venue in a stolen catering van, leaving Olivia standing alone in her extravagant white dress.
