We stepped inside, and I could see the weight of sadness in her eyes.
The house was tidy, but there was a strange heaviness in the air.
We sat down on the couch, and I took her hands in mine.
“Jinny, I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through,” I began. “I know it’s been hard since your father’s passing, and I hate that I couldn’t be there for your wedding. But I’m here now, and I promise you, we’re going to make things right.”
She looked at me sadly. “Mom, I didn’t know what to do. Nathan’s parents… they took the money, and I couldn’t confront him. I felt so alone.”
I squeezed her hands reassuringly. “You’re not alone anymore, Jinny. I’ll help you. We’ll figure this out together.”
Jinny nodded, wiping away her tears. “I’ve missed you so much, Mom.”
“I’ve missed you too, sweetheart. More than you can imagine,” I replied, feeling my own tears threaten to spill over. “But we need to be strong now. We can’t let them take advantage of you any longer.”
She nodded again. “I’m sorry for putting you through this. I don’t know how to tell Nathan about his parents. He loves them.”
“We’ll take it one step at a time,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry now that I’m here.”
Jinny took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay, Mom. With you here, I feel like I can do this.”
“That’s my girl,” I said, hugging her tightly. “We’ll get through this together. I promise.”
The next day, I found myself sitting in a private investigator’s office with my lawyer, Madison.
“Thank you both for meeting with me,” I said.
“I need your help to fix the mess Diane and Charles have made of my daughter’s wedding. They took the money I saved for her and used it for their own needs. My daughter’s a bit shy, and she couldn’t confront them. They took advantage of it.”
