Chapter 5 - The Bank Accounts Vanish
""You're bluffing,"" Ryan stammered, stepping away from the mantel. His hand trembled as he reached for his phone on the end table. ""You don't know anything about my business accounts. You're an emotional mess, Sarah. You're pregnant and hysterical!""
""Am I?"" I asked coolly. ""Ask Amelia what’s in her purple folder, Ryan. Ask her about the flight confirmations from August when you told me you were at a supply chain summit while I was hooked to an IV line at St. Jude’s Hospital. Ask her about the receipts from the hotel where you took my sister while our children were eating boxed macaroni and cheese.""
My father turned his head toward Ryan, his heavy brows furrowing with the first glimmer of genuine shock. ""What is she talking about, Ryan? You told us this started last month after your marriage broke down!""
Ryan didn't answer. He was furiously tapping the screen of his phone, his thumb shaking violently. He brought the phone to his ear, listening to the automated bank prompt.
I watched his eyes widen in sheer panic.
Your account has been restricted by court order. Please contact your local branch or legal counsel.
""What did you do?"" Ryan roared, taking an aggressive step toward me, his polished facade completely disintegrating into raw, cornered rage. ""I have payroll clearing tomorrow! I have a vendor payment of fifteen thousand dollars due at midnight! If that account is frozen, my company defaults on its prime logistics contract!""
""Then I suggest you ask Claire for a loan,"" I replied, looking directly at my sister. ""Maybe she can pawn that four-thousand-dollar diamond bracelet you bought her for Christmas while giving me an Amazon foot massager.""
Claire gasped, her hand flying up to cover the jewelry on her wrist. ""You... you spied on us?""
""My nine-year-old daughter found your dirty secrets because you were too sloppy and too arrogant to even lock your iPad, Claire,"" I said, the disgust in my voice cutting her like a whip. ""You looked me in the eye at Thanksgiving. You touched my belly and told me how excited you were to meet your niece. And all the while, you were sleeping with her father and planning how to steal our house.""
""Sarah, please!"" my mother cried, rushing over to clutch Ryan’s arm. ""You can't ruin his business! If Ryan loses his company, how will he pay child support? You’re cutting off your nose to spite your face! Call the lawyer and unfreeze the money! We can settle this as a family!""
""We aren't a family,"" I said, stepping backward toward the front door. ""You stopped being my family the moment you invited them to Sunday dinner to celebrate their betrayal. You picked your side, Mom. You chose the golden child who can do no wrong, even when she destroys her sister's home. You wanted a clean slate? Here it is.""
I took Amelia’s hand in my left, held Ben on my hip with my right, and nodded to Noah and Lucy. ""Come on, kids. We're going home to have pizza.""
""Sarah! Don't you walk out that door!"" my father shouted, struggling to get out of his recliner.
""Watch me,"" I whispered.
May you like
As the heavy front door clicked shut behind us, I heard the muffled sound of Ryan screaming at Claire inside the house, blaming her for leaving her devices unlocked, while my mother sobbed hysterically in the background. The perfect, polished facade of the Bennett family had just shattered into a thousand irrecoverable shards.
And for the first time in six months, I felt like I could breathe.
