He Wanted Me to Pay for His Daughters Wedding, I Said No!

Sarah remained calm, a cold clarity settling over her that only a mother protecting her cub can know. She looked at Greg—a man she thought she knew—and realized he saw David’s sacrifice as an inconvenient obstacle to his own daughter’s social status. He assumed that Sarah, who often played the role of the peacemaker to keep the household harmonious, would eventually sigh and acquiesce. He mistook her patience for weakness. When she told him she would “think about it,” Greg flashed a confident, triumphant smile, believing he had already won. He had no idea that Sarah was not thinking about the money; she was thinking about the exit.

The next forty-eight hours were a masterclass in quiet determination. Sarah didn’t argue, and she didn’t scream. Instead, she visited her attorney and her bank. She realized that the threat to Ava’s future wasn’t just the wedding; it was the man sitting at her table who believed he had a right to a dead man’s labor. If he was willing to suggest this now, what would he suggest when Ava was mid-degree? The safety of her daughter required a scorched-earth policy.

Two days later, Sarah called a meeting in the living room. Greg and Becca sat on the sofa, looking expectant, likely imagining they were about to receive a check. Instead, Sarah placed two documents on the coffee table with the precision of a surgeon. The first was a legally binding repayment contract. It stated that if a single cent was withdrawn from Ava’s trust, Greg would be personally liable to pay it back in full, with interest, within twelve months, secured against his own retirement assets.

The second document was a set of divorce papers.

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