Chapter 7
Something inside Beatrice seemed to snap completely in that moment. For months, she had genuinely believed that Chloe was the devoted daughter-in-law who truly cared for her, the one who took her side against me, and the one who constantly advocated for her to receive more money from Gabriel. Suddenly, the harsh reality dawned on her that behind every piece of comforting advice lay a greedy ulterior motive.
Lucas could no longer maintain his aggressive swagger either. He eventually admitted to pushing the escrow worker, apologized nervously, and agreed to cover the full repair cost of the shattered phone on the spot. Chloe returned the stolen items, and the officers filed an official incident report, sternly warning both of them that any further attempts to trespass or interfere with the property transfer would result in immediate arrest.
When the police cruiser finally drove away, Beatrice slumped down into a porch chair, looking as if she had aged ten full years in a single morning.
Gabriel walked over and handed her a fresh bottle of water. She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes.
“After all of this nightmare… are you really still willing to help me with that rental apartment?”
“Yes, Mom, we are,” Gabriel answered softly.
Beatrice began to weep quietly, but this time there was no anger or dramatic screaming in her tears.
“Why would you still do that for me?”
Gabriel took a long pause before speaking from the heart.
“Because you are my mother, and setting firm boundaries with you does not mean I ever stopped loving you.”
She glanced over toward the driveway where Lucas and Chloe were standing in bitter silence.
“I genuinely believed they were fighting to protect me.”
Gabriel replied with quiet sadness.
“They were only protecting you as long as they believed they could extract something valuable for themselves in the end.”
Beatrice covered her face with her hands.
I did not feel any sense of vindication watching her break down. For days, I had imagined that watching her discover the truth about her younger son’s greed would bring me immense satisfaction, but it did not. I simply saw a lonely woman who had confused genuine love with total obedience, and who had ultimately hurt the only people who actually cared for her well-being by listening to those who fed her resentment.
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The buyers finally completed their walkthrough and received the keys. Gabriel shook their hands warmly, and I walked one final time through the hallway where Mateo had taken his very first steps as a toddler. I recalled our first Christmas in that living room, the late nights spent calculating budgets to pay our bills, and the day my mother handed us the funds from her land sale.
When I closed the front door behind us, I did not feel like I had lost a precious home. I felt like I was finally reclaiming my peace.
