“I didn’t realize how much you paid.”
I looked at the paper.
The amount was exactly what I’d agreed to under the contract, with the final adjustments explained.
No unauthorized after-party charges.
No premium bar extension.
No morning brunch.
Daniel pushed the invoice toward me.
“I want to pay you back.”
I studied him.
“With what money?”
“I can make payments.”
“Daniel, I gave you the reception as a wedding gift. I’m not turning it into a debt because you hurt me.”
He swallowed.
“Then what can I do?”
I thought about the dress hanging at the cleaner’s shop.
The empty space where the mother-son dance should have been.
The laughter.
“I’d like you to stop trying to solve emotional problems with money,” I said.
He looked at me.
“I don’t want another expensive gift. I want you to understand why what happened was cruel.”
His eyes filled.
“I do.”
I shook my head.
“You understand that I’m upset. I’m not sure you understand why.”
He was quiet for a long time.
Then he said, “Because when Vanessa did something humiliating to you, I joined her instead of standing beside you.”
I nodded.
“That is part of it.”
He looked at the wedding invoice.
“And because I let you pay for a celebration where you weren’t even treated like family.”
