Emily looked directly at her.
“And that meant introducing him to me.”
“We thought you two had more in common.”
“More money,” Emily said evenly.
Daniel’s father shifted again.
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?”
The older man sighed heavily.
“Emily, your family is well established. Daniel has worked very hard to build his career. We believed a partnership like this would provide stability.”
Emily’s voice stayed quiet.
“And Sarah didn’t offer that stability.”
Daniel finally spoke again.
“Emily, please. This isn’t how I wanted things to happen.”
“How did you want them to happen?”
“I thought the past was behind us.”
Emily gave a short, sad laugh.
“The past has a funny way of walking into the room when you least expect it.”
She turned toward me again.
“Ma’am, did you know Daniel and I were dating when you saved my life?”
“No.”
“And when did you find out?”
“Three days ago.”
Emily studied my face carefully.
“You could have stayed home tonight.”
“Yes.”
“But you came anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I looked around the room for a moment. Every guest was watching.
“I came because I thought you deserved honesty before making a lifelong promise.”
Emily nodded slowly.
“Thank you.”
Daniel’s voice rose slightly now, frustration creeping in.
“Emily, this is getting out of hand. Sarah made her point. Everyone understands there were mistakes in the past, but we’re here to celebrate our future.”
Emily turned toward him.
“Are we?”
“Of course we are.”
“You never told me the truth about how your last engagement ended.”
“That was over a year ago.”
“That doesn’t make it irrelevant.”
Daniel ran his hand through his hair.
“I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Emily’s eyes softened slightly.
“Daniel, do you understand something?”
“What?”
“If you could walk away from a woman the night before your wedding because someone wealthier appeared, how do I know you wouldn’t do the same thing to me someday?”
The question hung heavily in the room. Daniel opened his mouth but didn’t answer. Emily continued quietly.
“You told me you respected my military service.”
