“Your father saved my life.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Twenty years ago, my company collapsed. I was bankrupt. Your father invested everything he could to help me rebuild. He refused repayment.”
I looked at the photo again.
My father had always helped people.
That part sounded exactly like him.
Michael continued.
“Years later, the company became extremely successful.”
My confusion only grew.
“Okay…”
“He passed away before I could repay him.”
The room became silent.
Then Michael looked directly at Aaron.
“And that’s where your husband comes in.”
I turned toward Aaron.
“What are you talking about?”
Aaron swallowed hard.
“I met Michael years ago.”
“What?”
“During college.”
I blinked.
None of this made sense.
Aaron continued.
“He’d been searching for you.”
“What?”
Michael nodded.
“I wanted to honor my debt to your father.”
I stared at both men.
Aaron smiled sadly.
“The problem was that you hated accepting help.”
That was true.
Painfully true.
For illustrative purposes only
After my father died, my mother and I struggled financially.
I’d worked multiple jobs through college.
I’d always insisted on earning everything myself.
Aaron knew that.
Michael knew it too.
“I tried contacting you several times,” Michael explained.
“You ignored every letter.”
I suddenly remembered.
Years ago, mysterious letters had arrived.
I’d assumed they were scams.
I never opened most of them.
My jaw dropped.
Aaron laughed softly.
“Then Michael had a ridiculous idea.”
Michael smiled.
“It was Aaron’s idea.”
Aaron pointed at him.
“Definitely yours.”
For the first time, both men seemed genuinely embarrassed.
“Tell me,” I demanded.
Aaron took my hands.
“Michael created a trust.”
“A trust?”
“Your father’s share of the company had grown over twenty years.”
My eyes widened.
Aaron nodded.
“Significantly.”
“How significantly?”
Michael cleared his throat.
“Enough to change your life.”
I sat down heavily.
Aaron squeezed my hands.
“The plan was to tell you after we got married.”
“Then why wait?”
Aaron smiled.
“Because every time I tried, you said the same thing.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“‘I don’t want anyone taking care of me. I want to build something myself.’”
I had said that.
Many times.
Aaron nodded.
“So I waited until our first anniversary.”
My head spun.
Then realization hit me.
The phone call.
The secret.
The deception.
I looked at him.
“Pulling the wool over my eyes?”
Aaron groaned.
“Oh no.”
Michael burst out laughing.
Aaron covered his face.
