Chapter 7 - The Freezing Out Of Mother Althia And Father Stellin
Two weeks after the aborted wedding, the reality of the scandal fully caught up with my parents in their suburban Ohio home.
Without the social standing they had meticulously faked for decades, and with their bank accounts temporarily frozen pending the federal investigation into Sutton’s wire fraud, the neighborhood cold-shouldered them completely. The country club suspended their memberships due to unpaid dues and mounting gossip, and my father’s old acquaintances suddenly stopped returning his calls.
I was back in my city apartment, sitting comfortably at my restored oak desk, watching the sunset through the floor-to-ceiling windows. My leg was still encased in the heavy medical brace, but the surgical follow-up report from yesterday had brought incredible news: the bone grafts were holding, and the new metal pins were securely fused. In four months, I would finally be able to walk without crutches.
My phone rang. The caller ID displayed my mother’s home number.
I let it ring three times before calmly swiping to answer.
“Fallon,” Althia’s voice sounded hollow, stripped of all its usual condescending authority. “We need to talk. Your father and I… we’re in a terrible position. The bank has locked our HELOC account because of Sutton’s legal fees, and the grocery delivery service won't take our checks. Can you… can you wire us some grocery money?”
I paused, spinning a pen between my fingers. The silence on the line stretched out for several agonizing seconds.
“No, Mom,” I said, my voice completely steady and calm.
A sharp gasp echoed through the receiver. “What do you mean, no?! I am your mother! We raised you! We put a roof over your head!”
“You put a roof over my head while teaching Sutton she had the right to kick me out from under it,” I replied evenly. “You enabled her stealing, her cruelty, and her abuse for thirty-four years. My money belongs to my business, my future, and my independence. You have two other capable adults living in that house. Let Sutton pay for groceries with her wedding dress refunds.”
“You’re punishing us!” Althia sobbed, her tough exterior completely crumbling. “You’re cutting us off entirely!”
May you like
“No, Mom,” I said softly. “I’m not cutting you off. I’m simply stepping out of the way, just like you always asked me to do so Sutton could shine.”
I tapped the screen and hung up, blocking the number without a second thought.
