Uncovering a horrifying web of lies, she discovered Cullen had told guests she was too sick to attend, convinced his new in-laws she had already signed the property over to him, and illegally borrowed $85,000 using the house as security—even though the deed remained entirely unsigned and intended as a wedding gift alongside a letter from Nile.
Waiting until twenty-nine guests gathered at her property for a welcome-home party organized by Cullen’s in-laws, she exposed the unsigned deed with her attorney’s confirmation, shattering Cullen’s deception and forcing his confession before he returned twelve days later to help her prep for a storm and finally read his father’s poignant words about people mattering more than wood.
Placing the beach house into a protective family trust rather than handing it over outright, she forged a new path where Cullen regularly returns to help with repairs, and she stands firmly below to hold his ladder steady—just as she once did for Nile.
