Chapter 5: The Execution<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said, my voice echoing loudly through the microphone on Marcus\u2019s lapel. \u201cI don\u2019t think my hand is steady enough to sign away two million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan\u2019s perfectly constructed smile faltered. His eyebrows knitted together in sudden, frantic confusion. \u201cBabe? What are you talking about? It\u2019s just the adoption papers\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it?\u201d I asked, taking a step back from him.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t wait for his response. I looked past him to the AV technician stationed at the back of the garden. I gave him a curt, sharp nod.<\/p>\n
Instantly, the massive, state-of-the-art LED screen we had supposedly rented for a \u201cromantic photo slideshow\u201d flickered to life directly behind the altar.<\/p>\n
There was no music. There were no photos of our vacations.<\/p>\n
Instead, a deafening audio recording blasted through the surround-sound concert speakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you get the old hag to sign it yet?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s voice echoed off the trees.<\/p>\n
Gasps erupted from the crowd. The guests jerked in their seats, looking around in utter confusion.<\/p>\n
On the giant screen behind us, massive, bold white subtitles appeared against a stark black background, ensuring that even the deafest great-aunt in the back row would know exactly what was being said.<\/p>\n
Nathan physically recoiled. All the blood drained from his face, leaving him a ghastly shade of gray. \u201cSharon\u2026 what is this? Turn this off!\u201d he hissed, lunging toward the podium.<\/p>\n
Marcus stepped smoothly in his way, subtly blocking him.<\/p>\n
The audio continued, ruthless and unyielding.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s practically eating out of my hand\u2026 She is completely desperate for a man to play savior.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crowd began to murmur. I saw my brother-in-law stand up in the second row, his fists clenching.<\/p>\n
Then came Linda\u2019s voice, crystal clear. \u201cYou need to make sure she signs the actual document, Nathan. The trust fund transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda shrieked from the front row. \u201cLies! This is AI! This is a deepfake!\u201d she screamed, her face turning a violent shade of purple. She scrambled to her feet, trying to rush the altar.<\/p>\n
Two large men in dark suits\u2014off-duty police officers I had hired as \u201cushers\u201d\u2014stepped smoothly out of the shadows and flanked Linda, gently but firmly forcing her back into her seat.<\/p>\n
Then came the kill shot. The speakers rattled with Nathan\u2019s cruel laughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI swapped the pages yesterday\u2026 Once she signs it, I get full discretionary control over the twins\u2019 medical trust. Two million dollars\u2026 Once the money is drained into our offshore accounts, I\u2019m filing for divorce. I\u2019ll take her house\u2026 Touching her disgusts me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The silence that followed the recording was heavier than gravity. It was the sound of complete, total social annihilation.<\/p>\n
Jessica, the mistress, had already grabbed her purse and was practically sprinting down the side aisle toward the parking lot, her head ducked in shame as guests glared at her.<\/p>\n
Nathan was shaking. His carefully constructed facade had shattered into a million irreparable pieces. He dropped to his knees, not out of remorse, but because his legs could literally no longer support him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSharon, please,\u201d he whimpered, holding his hands up. \u201cIt\u2019s taken out of context\u2026 I can explain\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSave your breath, Nathan,\u201d I said. I reached under the altar and pulled out a manila folder Marcus had placed there earlier. I threw it, letting the documents scatter across the grass at Nathan\u2019s knees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a legally binding eviction notice,\u201d I stated, my voice ringing out over the silent crowd. \u201cYou have until 5:00 PM today to remove your belongings from my property. The other document is a temporary restraining order. If you come within five hundred feet of me or my children, you will be arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned in closer to the microphone.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, as you are the sole signatory on the contracts for this beautiful event,\u201d I continued, gesturing to the lavish surroundings, \u201cthe final invoice of fifty-five thousand dollars will be mailed directly to your mother\u2019s estate. I hope you enjoy the catering. I hear the salmon is excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned my back on him. I didn\u2019t look at Linda. I didn\u2019t look at the shocked, whispering guests.<\/p>\n
I looked at my children, who were waiting for me. And for the first time in two years, I saw my future clearly.
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 5: The Execution \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said, my voice echoing loudly through the microphone on Marcus\u2019s lapel. \u201cI don\u2019t think my hand is steady enough to sign away two … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-drama-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13260,"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13250\/revisions\/13260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redditlovers.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}