…scrolling through his social media again, searching for anything—an ex-girlfriend post, a suspicious comment, a tag from someone I could question. But there was nothing. Aaron’s profile was clean. Too clean. Like it had been curated.

That’s when I had an idea.

I reached out to a friend from college who worked in HR at a major hotel chain. “Hey,” I texted. “Do you still have access to the employee background database?”

It took some convincing, but eventually, she agreed to run a basic check using the info I had: Aaron’s full name, birthdate, and the bakery where he supposedly worked.

The next evening, she called me.

“You’re right. Something’s off,” she said.
My stomach dropped. “What did you find?”

“He’s never worked at the bakery he claimed. In fact, he’s had three different jobs in the past two years, none of which lasted more than a few months. There’s also a small-claims court record—he was sued by a former roommate for unpaid rent last year.”

I was stunned. “Why would he lie?”

“I don’t know. But someone hiding that much probably doesn’t have good intentions.”

I thanked her and hung up. My hands were shaking.

This was the proof I needed.

The next morning, I went to Mom’s house. She was in the kitchen, humming as she arranged flowers for the wedding.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she smiled. “You’re just in time to help with the seating chart.”

I sat down across from her. “Mom, I need to talk to you. Please just listen. I looked into Aaron.”

Her face darkened. “Casey…”