This was genuine panic.
He turned toward me.
“Maya, come here.”
I stayed exactly where I was.
His expression hardened.
“I said come here.”
Ethan stepped away from the altar.
“Don’t speak to her like that.”
Dad curled his lip.
“You think wearing a rented suit makes you a man?”
Before Ethan could answer, Marcus calmly interrupted.
“Mr. Whitmore, I would be careful. There are cameras in this chapel.”
A brief twitch crossed Dad’s face.
Denise Walker nodded toward the officers.
“Richard Whitmore, you are not under arrest at this moment, but you are being served with a search and seizure warrant concerning suspected wire fraud, charitable fraud, and obstruction.”
Dad stared at the paperwork as though he couldn’t understand a single word.
From the back row, Caleb stood.
“Dad?”
Without even looking at him, Dad barked,
“Shut up.”
The command echoed across the silent chapel.
Caleb slowly lowered himself back into his seat, his face burning with humiliation. In that moment, my younger brother—who had defended Dad for years—looked like a frightened child.
