Julian: Wait a minute. Mom... where is Dad today?
Evelyn: He... he was delayed at the corporate headquarters in New York.
Julian: Delayed? On his son's wedding day?
Clara: He never came to any of our dinner invitations either.
Julian: Mom, tell me the truth. Did Dad know about the private investigator's final report twenty-two years ago?
Evelyn: Of course he did. He handled the entire lawsuit with the insurance company and the state police.
Julian: Did he get a life insurance settlement for my missing baby sister?
Evelyn fell silent, her eyes darting nervously toward the church doors.
Clara: Answer him, Evelyn. Did your husband profit off my disappearance?
Evelyn: It was a standard corporate life insurance policy through the firm!
Julian: How much was the settlement, Mom?
Evelyn: Five... five million dollars.
Clara: Five million dollars... you took a payout while I was wearing hand-me-downs in state care!
Julian: You used that cash to launch the real estate empire, didn't you?
Evelyn: We were struggling after the market crash! We had to preserve the family name for you, Julian!
Julian: Don't put this on me! You built our wealth on blood money from your lost child!
Clara: That's why you hated me from the moment Julian brought me home. Deep down, you knew.
Evelyn: I didn't know! I swear on my life I didn't know it was you!
Clara: But you hated any girl who didn't come from money because money is all you care about.
Julian: I'm calling Dad right now.
Evelyn: No! Don't call him! He's signing the corporate merger papers in Manhattan!
Julian: I don't give a damn about his merger!
Julian pulled out his phone, his hands shaking as he dialed his father's direct line. He put the phone on speaker mode. The ring echo bounced off the tall cathedral ceilings.