I hoped Beth would call each passing day, but she never called me or sent me an invitation to the wedding. The day before the wedding was set to occur, I called and told Mom and Dad I wasn't going, and if she wanted me there, she would've called or sent the invitation. They apologized for how things had turned out and promised to take pictures for me to see later.

Early the following morning, I boarded the jet with Jack, and we took off. Having a private plane had its advantages; when you needed to get into a city unnoticed. Jack and I took separate rental cars, so we...