Chapter 4
I turned my attention directly to Brandon. “You did not lose your wife today because of a financial dispute. You lost me every single time you chose to lie to my face, and you lost your daughter the moment you saw her being treated like an unwanted burden and chose to keep eating your dinner.”
“I am not the one who physically took that cash out of the purse!” Brandon shouted defensively, backing away.
The police officer pulled out his notepad. “We have clear security footage from the bank teller counter along with the signed withdrawal slips, Mr. Miller.”
Gertrude instantly whipped around and yelled at her son. “He forced me to do it!”
“You were the one who pulled the purse out of the drawer in the first place!” Brandon screamed back at his mother.
Hailey tried to slip out the side door, but one of the officers asked her to step back inside to provide a statement, as her name was mentioned in the recorded conversations regarding the planned expansion. The three of them stood in the center of the room, loudly tearing each other apart and trading bitter accusations.
For years, I had been told that family covers for each other no matter what, and that I was required to make endless sacrifices to keep everyone happy. But the moment real legal consequences arrived, not a single one of them was willing to stand by the other.
The officers took down their official statements, filed the paperwork, and served Brandon and Gertrude with formal court summonses. The entire scene dissolved into a cold, methodical legal process, exposing their lies as nothing more than court exhibits, bank statements, and sworn affidavits.
Uncle Walter walked over to where I was standing and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Charlotte, please forgive us for not stepping in sooner. We noticed things were off over the years, but we wrongly assumed it was not our place to interfere.”
Aunt Clara nodded softly in agreement. “If you and Skylar ever need financial help or a quiet place to stay, our doors are open to you.”
“Thank you both so much,” I said gently, “but we are going to start fresh on our own.”
The silence in the dining hall felt suffocating. Uncle Walter turned back toward Gertrude with a look of deep disappointment. “Sister, I spent years standing up for you because I believed you were just set in your ways, not heartless. But stealing from your own young granddaughter and hiding behind family loyalty is completely unforgivable.”
Clara shook her head at Brandon. “And do not ever dare to claim that your actions were driven by financial stress. Nobody forced you to lease an apartment for a mistress or gamble away your family’s security.”
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Gertrude rushed over to Walter, clutching his arm desperately. “Please lend me some cash, brother. Just enough to keep those private loan collectors off my back!”
Walter pulled his arm away firmly. “No, Gertrude. Handing you money right now would only enable the exact same behavior that brought you to this ruin.”
