Chapter 2 - The Secret Ledger
David’s face drained of what little color it had left. ""You... you checked our records?""
""I loved you enough to trust your words at first,"" I replied, setting my cup down with a soft clink against the saucer. ""I wanted to believe my son was merely experiencing a string of bad luck. So when you told me you were completely broke, I took over your car payments. I paid the insurance on both your vehicles. I filled your tanks. I bought your organic groceries, paid the utility surges, and paid the Wi-Fi you used to trade stocks and shop online.""
Thomas extracted a second folder from his briefcase, thicker than the first, bound with heavy plastic clasps. He flipped it open to reveal neat spreadsheets, photocopied bank statements, and highlighted credit reports.
""For the past six months,"" Thomas explained, his tone completely clinical, ""Mrs. Williams has expended forty-two thousand six hundred and fifty dollars supporting your household. Meanwhile, David, your personal brokerage account at Charles Schwab received deposits totaling twenty-eight thousand dollars over that exact same timeline. Your wife’s boutique online storefront generated approximately nineteen thousand in untaxed gross receipts.""
Jessica snatched her hands back from the table as if the paper were red-hot. ""That is private financial data! That's illegal! You hacked our accounts!""
""No, dear,"" I answered gently. ""You asked me to retrieve your tax documentation from the desktop in the home office two weeks ago when you were applying for a retail credit card. You forgot that the family computer automatically syncs with Arthur’s old cloud drive. The passwords were saved in my browser. You weren't broke. You were accumulating wealth on my pension while treating me like an unpaid live-in maid.""
David slumped into a chair, running both hands over his face. ""Mom, listen... we were saving for a down payment on a house in Oakridge. The market is insane right now. We needed every single dollar liquid. We were going to tell you once we closed! We were going to surprise you!""
""Surprise me?"" I asked, feeling an ironic smile touch my lips. ""By telling me last night that your father left me because I was rigid? By letting your wife step into my face, spit her venom at me, and treat me like dirt on the floor? You knew your father died holding my hand in an ICU unit after a massive stroke. You sat by his hospital bed with me. And you sat there at my counter last night and allowed this woman to weaponize his death to demean me, then told me I deserved it.""
""Mom, she was just stressed!"" David pleaded, his voice rising in panic. ""We were fighting! People say things they don't mean when they're angry!""
""When someone tells you who they are, David, you believe them,"" I said. ""Last night, both of you told me exactly who you are. And today, I am showing you who I am.""
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Thomas checked his watch. ""The formal notice is served as of eight-fifteen a.m. today. You have exactly thirty calendar days to vacate the premises. However, there are conditions. Starting at noon today, the master guest suite will be the only area of this residence you are permitted to occupy, with limited access to the kitchen for food preparation between the hours of six and seven in the evening. Furthermore, Mrs. Williams will no longer cover your automotive insurance, cell phone plans, or groceries. Those services have been terminated as of six o'clock this morning.""
Jessica looked at David, her jaw trembling with fury. ""Do something, David! Tell her she can't do this! This is your childhood home! You have rights here!""
