Chapter 8: The Night My Mother Begged Him to Stay
I couldn't move.
The ballroom, the workers, the half-empty buckets of roses—all of it seemed to disappear behind Marcus's face.
"What did Darius do?"" I asked.
Marcus closed his eyes.
Darius folded his arms, watching us.
"Go ahead, Marcus," he said.
"Tell her the truth for once.""
Marcus turned toward him.
"Not another word.""
"Why? Afraid she'll find out what kind of man you really are?""
Eleanor stepped forward.
"Mr. Cole, you need to leave.""
Darius gave a short laugh.
"This is my family.""
"No," I said.
He looked at me.
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
"You don't get to call us your family when it's convenient. Leave.""
For a moment, I thought he might argue.
Instead, he grabbed his jacket from a chair and walked toward the exit.
At the doorway, he stopped.
"You'll hear from my lawyer.""
Eleanor didn't blink.
"Please direct all correspondence to my office.""
Darius left.
The door swung shut behind him.
I turned to Marcus.
"Tell me what happened.""
He pulled out a chair and sat down heavily.
For the first time in my life, he looked old.
Not the man who could fix anything. Not the man who had spent twenty years making sure I never felt the absence of my biological father.
Just a tired man who had carried a painful memory for too long.
"It was six years ago," he began.
"Your mother had been sick for months. The doctors had changed her medication, and she was exhausted. But she was still determined to manage everything herself.""
I sat across from him.
"That night, Darius called her.""
Marcus stared at his hands.
"I didn't know he'd contacted her until I heard her arguing with someone in the kitchen. When I came downstairs, she was standing by the counter with the phone pressed to her ear.""
"What was he saying?""
"He wanted her to sign a document.""
"What document?""
"An authorization connected to your trust. He said he needed her signature to correct a problem with the account.""
My stomach tightened.
"She refused?""
"Yes. She told him she'd already spoken to Eleanor and that the trust wasn't his to manage.""
Marcus looked toward the windows.
"Then he threatened to tell you things about your childhood that she had kept private.""
I felt cold.
"What things?""
"Things he thought would make you blame her for his absence.""
My throat tightened.
"What did he say?""
Marcus shook his head.
"I don't remember every word. I remember Evelyn asking him why he couldn't simply be honest with you. I remember him telling her that honesty was a luxury people could afford when they had nothing to lose.""
I looked down at my hands.
That sounded like Darius.
"What happened next?""
"Your mother hung up. She was shaking. I asked if she wanted me to call Eleanor or the doctor.
She said no. She wanted to speak to you.""
I swallowed.
"Why didn't she call me?""
"She did. You were at Lauren's apartment that night, celebrating your promotion. You didn't hear your phone.""
I remembered that evening.
Lauren and I had ordered pizza and watched an old romantic comedy. I'd been twenty years old, working my first serious job, and thrilled that my manager had finally noticed my efforts.
I remembered checking my phone the next morning and seeing a missed call from Mom.
I'd called her back immediately.
She had told me she was tired and that we'd talk later.
I had never known there was anything more to it.
Marcus continued.
"After you didn't answer, she asked me to drive her to the hospital. She said her chest hurt and she was having trouble breathing.""
My hands began to shake.
"Why didn't you call an ambulance?""
"I wanted to. She insisted we go in my car because she didn't want to frighten you if the hospital called. I should have ignored her and called emergency services. I've thought about that decision every day since.""
He stopped, struggling to breathe.
I reached across the table, but he kept speaking.
"Halfway there, she asked me to pull over. She wanted to talk.""
"What did she say?""
Marcus's eyes filled with tears.
"She asked me to promise that I would never let Darius convince you that his absence was your fault.""
I covered my mouth.
"She said you were old enough to start making decisions about your future, and she was afraid you'd spend the rest of your life chasing someone who had already chosen to leave.""
His voice cracked.
"Then she asked me to promise that if Darius ever returned, I wouldn't use what I knew to turn you against him.""
I stared at him.
"That's why you never told me.""
"Yes.""
"Even when I started seeing him?""
"Yes.""
"Even when I chose him to walk me down the aisle?""
Marcus looked at me.
"Especially then.""
Tears rolled down my face.
"Why?""
"Because Evelyn believed that love meant giving you the freedom to make your own choices, even if those choices hurt the people who loved you.""
I shook my head.
"She shouldn't have asked that of you.""
"Maybe not.""
He gave a small, sad smile.
"But she was afraid. She was dying, and she wanted to know that someone would still be there to catch you if you fell.""
I couldn't speak.
Marcus reached into his jacket and removed a folded piece of paper.
"There's something else.""
He placed it on the table.
It was a hospital visitor record dated the night my mother died.
Her name was printed at the top.
Beneath it were two entries.
The first listed Marcus as the person who had brought her to the hospital.
The second listed a visitor who had arrived shortly before midnight.
Darius Cole.
I stared at the page.
"He came to the hospital?""
Marcus nodded.
"Yes.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because your mother asked me not to.""
I looked at the timestamp.
"He was there when she died?""
"No. She was still alive when he arrived.""
"Then what happened?""
Marcus rubbed his eyes.
"He asked to speak to her alone. She agreed. I waited outside the room.""
"What did they say?""
"I don't know.""
"You're telling me he visited her, and you don't know what they talked about?""
"I heard them arguing.""
Marcus's voice grew quieter.
"Then I heard your mother crying. A few minutes later, Darius came out. He looked angry. He told me Evelyn had refused to sign the document.""
I felt sick.
"And you let him leave?""
"What was I supposed to do, Nia? I couldn't force him to stay. Your mother was conscious, and she asked me to respect her wishes.""
I stared at the visitor record.
"What happened after he left?""
"Her condition deteriorated. The doctors tried to stabilize her, but she suffered a complication. She died just before dawn.""
The room blurred.
I remembered the call from the hospital.
Marcus had been the one who answered when I couldn't stop crying.
He had driven to my apartment, picked me up, and held me while the doctor explained what had happened.
He had been grieving, too.
Yet he'd spent the next six years helping me survive the loss of the woman he had loved.
And all that time, he had kept the promise she had asked him to make.
I wiped my face.
"Did Mom blame Darius for what happened?""
Marcus shook his head.
"No. She blamed him for the choices he made, but she never said he caused her death. The doctors explained her condition. It would be wrong to suggest otherwise.""
I appreciated that he wouldn't turn my grief into another weapon against Darius.
"But why did Darius bring up that night?"" I asked.
"Because he knows I kept my promise. He thinks the truth will make you question me.""
I looked at the visitor record again.
"Maybe there is something we still don't know.""
"Of course there is. I can't tell you what happened in that room. Only your mother and Darius knew.""
I stood and walked toward the windows.
Outside, cars moved through the afternoon traffic. People crossed the street carrying shopping bags, talking on phones, living ordinary lives.
I envied them.
Their problems probably didn't involve dead mothers, missing inheritances, or fathers who charged for affection.
"I don't know who to trust anymore," I whispered.
Marcus came to stand beside me.
"Then don't rush to trust anyone.""
I looked at him.
"Not even you?""
His eyes filled again.
"Especially not because you feel you owe me.""
He placed his hand on the windowsill.
"I love you, Nia. That hasn't changed. But I won't ask you to believe me simply because I've been here longer.""
I thought of Darius's invoice.
Of the $48,000 he claimed to have spent on rebuilding our relationship.
Then I thought of Marcus's old sedan, the overtime shifts, the lunches packed before sunrise, and the nights he'd spent sleeping in an uncomfortable hospital chair because he refused to leave my side.
He had never asked me to repay him.
Not once.
I stepped closer and rested my forehead against his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
He put an arm around me.
For a moment, we stood there without speaking.
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
"Eleanor.""
He answered.
"Hello?""
I watched his expression change.
"What do you mean, another filing?""
He listened.
"Yes. Send it to me.""
He ended the call and looked at me.
"What's happened?"" I asked.
"Eleanor found a new document in the trust records.""
"What document?""
"An application to redirect the remaining inheritance into a private account.""
My stomach tightened.
"Who filed it?""
Marcus looked at me.
"Darius.""
"When?""
"Yesterday morning.""
The day of my wedding.
I stared at him.
"Why would he file it then?""
Marcus hesitated.
"Because he knew the trust might be frozen if anyone questioned the withdrawals. He was trying to move the remaining money before that happened.""
I felt my hands go cold.
"How much?""
"All of it.""
My knees nearly gave way.
"He was trying to take the last forty thousand dollars?""
Marcus nodded.
Then he handed me his phone.
Eleanor had sent a copy of the filing.
I scrolled to the final page.
There was a statement signed by Darius under penalty of perjury.
I certify that the beneficiary has knowingly authorized the transfer and understands that the funds will be held for her benefit.
Beneath it was my name.
My signature.
And the date of the document was three weeks before the wedding.
I stared at it.
I recognized the signature.
I had signed something at that dinner with Darius.
But I had never authorized the transfer of my entire inheritance.
I looked up at Marcus.
"He forged it.""
Marcus didn't answer.
Eleanor called again.
I put her on speaker.
"Nia," she said, "I need you to come to my office tomorrow morning. The bank has agreed to preserve the remaining funds while we investigate, but we have a more immediate concern.""
"What is it?""
"The document appears to include an acknowledgment of your understanding of the transfer. If Darius claims you knowingly approved it, we'll need to establish exactly what you signed and what was presented to you.""
I closed my eyes.
"Can he get away with this?""
"We won't know until we examine the original documents and the bank's records. But we have enough to challenge the transfer and investigate the discrepancies.""
After the call ended, Marcus stood quietly beside me.
I looked at the signature on the screen.
For months, I had wanted Darius to prove that he could be my father.
May you like
Now he was trying to prove that I had given him permission to take my future.
And if I couldn't establish what had happened at that dinner, he might use my own signature to make the lie look like the truth.
