“Then explain.”
She stared at me.
“My parents lost our house when I was fifteen. My father spent years working two jobs. Every time I asked about money, he told me adults handled it.”
I knew they’d had financial difficulties, but she’d rarely discussed the details.
Ashley continued.
“When we got married, I wanted to know exactly what security I had. Your family owns all these assets, and I’m supposed to be grateful whenever somebody lets me near them.”
“You already have your own career and savings.”
“I know.”
“Then why does Mom’s trust have to become yours?”
She looked toward the wedding dress.
“Because I thought being your wife would mean becoming part of everything.”
I considered that.
“Being my wife means being part of my life. It doesn’t automatically make you an owner of my mother’s property.”
She wiped at her eyes.
“You make it sound so simple.”
“It’s not simple. But you still haven’t told me why you kept those questions from me.”
She sat down.
For a long time, she didn’t speak.
Then she said, “Because I knew you’d tell me no.”
I stared at her.
She continued quietly.
“I thought if I got the information first, I could explain why it made sense. I wasn’t going to make you sign anything without knowing.”
I nodded.
“But you were preparing an argument you didn’t trust me to hear.”
She lowered her eyes.
“Yes.”
I thought about our wedding.
The expression on Mom’s face.
Ashley’s contemptuous laughter with Melissa.
The long list of things she’d decided my mother owed her.
