Chapter 14 - Before I Walked Down the Aisle
The man entering the room was not Robert.
It was the police commissioner.
Behind him were federal agents.
Mateo immediately reached for his weapon.
The commissioner raised both hands.
“We're not here for you.”
He looked at me.
“Maeve Callahan?”
“Yes.”
“We have evidence against Robert Callahan, Victor Hayes, Brandon Hayes, and several financial partners.”
I stared.
“What about my mother?”
“She has agreed to cooperate.”
My mother began crying.
“I want to tell the truth.”
I didn't know how to feel.
For years, I had thought my family was simple.
My father.
My mother.
Me.
Now every memory had hidden shadows.
Mateo came to stand beside me.
“It's over.”
I looked at him.
“Is it?”
“Not yet.”
He pointed toward the ledger.
“That finishes the financial side.”
“And the rest?”
“The truth.”
The agents took the evidence.
Brandon surrendered.
Gemma gave her statement.
My mother confessed everything she knew.
Robert was arrested before sunrise.
Victor disappeared.
But his network collapsed within days.
The wedding was canceled.
The cathedral was empty.
The flowers were removed.
The guests were sent home.
And I finally breathed.
Three days later, I returned to my restoration studio.
The place was damaged.
Broken glass.
Scattered frames.
Ruined furniture.
But the paintings were still there.
I touched one.
Then I heard footsteps.
Mateo.
He stood in the doorway.
“You're working.”
“I don't know how to stop.”
He smiled.
“You don't have to.”
I looked at him.
“Why did you stay?”
He walked closer.
“Because your father asked me to protect you.”
I stared.
“And now?”
“Now I want to.”
My heart beat faster.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It probably is.”
I laughed.
For the first time in days, it felt real.
Then Gemma entered.
She held a small envelope.
“I found this in Brandon's apartment.”
She gave it to me.
Inside was a letter.
From my father.
I opened it.
Maeve,
If you ever read this, choose the life you want. Not the life someone else designed for you.
I cried.
Gemma hugged me.
Mateo stood quietly nearby.
Then I looked at him.
“What happens now?”
He smiled.
“Now you decide.”
I looked around my ruined studio.
At the broken pieces.
At the life I had nearly lost.
Then at Mateo.
“I want to rebuild.”
He nodded.
“Then I'll help.”
Weeks passed.
The investigation continued.
Brandon cooperated.
Gemma began preparing for her baby.
My mother entered a rehabilitation program and agreed to testify.
My restoration studio reopened.
And Mateo kept appearing at the door.
Sometimes with coffee.
Sometimes with silence.
Sometimes just to make sure I was okay.
One evening, I found him standing beside my father's old chair.
He held a small box.
“What is that?”
He looked nervous.
For the first time, I saw something besides control in his eyes.
“I want to give you something.”
He opened the box.
Inside was my engagement ring.
The same ring I had removed that night.
I stared.
“I thought Brandon had it.”
“He didn't.”
Mateo held it out.
“But I'm not asking you to wear it.”
I looked at him.
“Then why give it to me?”
“So you can decide what it means.”
I took the ring.
For several seconds, I said nothing.
Then Mateo reached for my hand.
Before I could answer, my phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
Your father left one final instruction.
May you like
Beneath it was a photograph of a place I had never seen.
And the address belonged to...
