Chapter 4

The next day, Sarah' s mother called. Her tone was gentle, concerned.

"Sarah, honey, Carol Johnson called us this morning."

Sarah' s heart sank. "Oh?"

"Yes, she sounded quite worried about you. She said you were feeling a bit overwhelmed with the wedding planning and the condo money."

"Overwhelmed?" Sarah repeated, incredulous.

"She mentioned you might have misplaced some funds, or perhaps were a little confused about the balance," Mrs. Miller continued. "She even showed us a copy of the initial deposit slip. It clearly shows $28,000."

Sarah felt a wave of despair. Carol had gotten to her parents first, painting her as scatterbrained and unreliable.

"Mom, that' s not what happened! The money is missing. I didn' t misplace it."

"Honey, Carol seemed very sincere," her father added, his voice now on the line. "She' s just concerned. Maybe you should double-check everything. It' s a lot of money to be responsible for."

"I know it' s a lot of money!" Sarah exclaimed, frustrated that even her own parents were doubting her. "That' s why I' m so worried!"

"Just be careful, sweetheart," her mother said softly. "We don' t want any misunderstandings, especially not with Mark' s family before the wedding."

Sarah hung up, feeling utterly alone. The Best Buy cashier' s "insufficient funds" was a stark, external validation of the problem, but Carol' s manipulation was isolating her, even from her own family. The deposit slip was a clever move, making Sarah look like the one who was mistaken or, worse, lying.

She felt a cold dread. This wasn't just a mistake; it was something uglier.