“What’s your name?”
“Oliver.”
The waitress rushed toward him.
“Oliver, stop.”
But the boy pulled an old photograph from his pocket.
“My mom keeps this beside her bed.”
Ethan took it.
His hands began trembling.
The photograph showed Ethan six years earlier, holding the waitress in his arms.
The bride ripped the picture from his hand.
“You told me you’d never seen this woman before.”
Ethan couldn’t speak.
Then Vanessa suddenly shouted:
“She was supposed to leave town!”
Everyone turned toward her.
The waitress stared at Vanessa.
“You paid me to disappear.”
The bride whispered:
“What?”
Vanessa backed away.
But Oliver wasn’t finished.
“My mom didn’t come here for money.”
He reached into his backpack and placed a sealed envelope on the table.
“She came because Grandma lied about who my father really is.”
Ethan stared at Vanessa.
“What is he talking about?”
Vanessa’s lips began shaking.
The waitress finally looked Ethan directly in the eyes.
“Ask your mother what happened the night your brother died.”
And suddenly…
the groom stopped breathing.
