Of course, I did some snooping around. She seemed to be an ordinary girl: she drove an old, relatively cheap car and took public transportation when it eventually broke down, didn’t ask my son for expensive surprises, and her own gifts to us, though tasteful, never amounted to large sums. I knew she would sometimes treat herself to a spa weekend or a meal in a high-end place but attributed that to her being good at saving money. After all, every girl deserves to indulge herself once in a while, don’t you think? Imagine my surprise when we arranged to meet her parents, and a luxury car picked us up! Turns out, her father owned a renowned building company, so their family could spend money left, right, and center. When I asked them how come their daughter lived so modestly, her mother explained their agreement. They refused to fund her day-to-day expenses but would support her if she ever decided to start her own business. And, of course, they would pay for their daughter’s dream wedding. While Carrie explained that she didn’t have a business plan in mind yet,

I saw Connor’s eyes light up. You see, he dreamed of starting a technology company since diapers, but we never had that kind of money, and he had no luck with grants, so naturally, he saw this as a perfect opportunity. When he explained his idea to Carrie on our way back, she was immediately on board. They discussed it non-stop, and I was excited to see them planning their business as a soon-to-be family. Carrie even suggested meeting with investors immediately after their wedding. I wish I’d known that it all soon would be over. As the wedding approached, I noticed Carrie acting differently. She tried her best to meet my son’s expectations for their business, but I could see that deep inside, she was struggling. When I asked her if there was a problem, she politely dismissed my concerns. While I gravitated towards suspecting some family issues or a small fight with Connor, I’ve gotta be honest, the thought of her possible pregnancy has also crossed my mind. However, I decided to keep my mouth shut for a while and let the kids sort things out on their own. On the day of the wedding, Carrie seemed particularly anxious, but I brushed it off. She was the bride, after all, and her father invited a lot of influential people—who wouldn’t be nervous? As she walked to her seat at the table, nodding and accepting the compliments, I noticed her maid of honor, Susan, discussing something with Connor. They were obviously having a heated argument, which startled me, but at that point, I knew I’d better not intervene. Deep in my heart, I felt that there was a disaster cooking. When time for the speeches came, the room fell silent as the maid of honor raised her glass. The look on her face was that of a person who knows their death is coming. She began her speech with standard thank-yous and pleasantries, and then she dropped the bombshell. “Carrie. You’ve been my best friend for years and years. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about myself. This whole thing… it has to stop. Connor and I have been having an affair for months!” Silence fell, with eyes turned to the bride. To everyone’s surprise, she erupted in a loud, almost diabolical laugh. “Wow, Susie,” she managed. “Thank God you had it in you to confess. I thought I’d have to do the talking myself!” “You see,” she stood up and started walking towards Susan, “I knew you two couldn’t be trusted from the way you looked at each other. So, I installed hidden cameras in the house. And what do you think I saw? Two lovebirds in my love nest!” She snatched the microphone from Susan’s hands. “Thanks to my dad, we were able to draft a nice prenup agreement, that my soon-to-be hubby signed without reading. Well, in case you’re curious about what you signed, infidelity will leave you with nothing to your name! “But don’t worry guys! I laced your pieces of cake with a slow-acting laxative! Enjoy your first night together, bastards!” The chaos this caused can only be described as a tidal wave. People were running to the toilet, spitting out the cake, with the bride and her side of the family watching from afar. Seeing my confusion, Carrie walked up to me and took my hand. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Green. You’ve always been kind to me. You’re safe to enjoy the cake.” That day, I walked out of the wedding hall feeling completely shattered. I was only sure of one thing: I didn’t think I knew the man I raised.