Roxanne agreed to sign an affidavit. I had a lawyer in Nashville prepare it. Roxanne had it notarized within seventy-two hours. She sent it to me by FedEx. I also, via that same lawyer, got a certified copy of the Nevada marriage certificate. Armed with both documents, I drove to Meredith's parents' house in Savannah the following Saturday. I sat in their living room. I showed her father — a man named Ben who I had met twice before — the file. Ben looked at it for twenty minutes in silence.

He asked a lot of questions. At the end, he said to me, calmly, "Gerald. I believe you. But I need to tell you something. Meredith has been engaged to Hunter for fourteen months. She has told me, repeatedly, that she has never been happier. I am going to show her the file. And if she decides to still marry him, I will respect her decision. And I am going to need to ask you not to come to the wedding." I said, "Ben. I understand." We shook hands. I drove home. I waited. And five days later, Paige called Tish. She said, weeping, "Ben showed Meredith. Meredith thinks it's a jealous ex-girlfriend spinning a story. She's going ahead with the wedding. She is not listening."