Chapter 3 - The Real Audit
Jason sneered, pulling out another stack of documents. "They show a pattern of financial dependency, Mom. If you think you can just cut us off after years of supporting our household, wait until I show these to our family lawyer. You’ll be paying our living expenses for the next decade just to avoid a lawsuit."
I let out a soft, low chuckle. It wasn't a laugh of amusement; it was the sound of a trap finally snapping shut.
"You really didn't read past the first few pages, did you, Jason?" I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "You saw numbers, dollar signs, and dates, and you assumed it was just a ledger of what I spent on you. But you forgot who spent thirty years working corporate accounting before your father walked out."
Jason’s sneer faltered slightly. The arrogant confidence in his eyes flickered. "What are you talking about?"
"Look at the bottom right corner of page four," I instructed, pointing a manicured finger at the document. "And page nine. And page fourteen."
Frowning, Jason snatched up the papers, his eyes scanning the fine print. As he read, the color rapidly drained from his face. His fingers began to tremble violently.
"This... this isn't just spending," he stammered, his voice dropping to a terrified whisper. "These are... these are promissory notes."
"Exacty," I said smoothly. "Every single car payment, grocery transfer, dental bill, and emergency loan over the last ten years was logged not as a gift, but as a formal, interest-bearing personal loan—complete with digital signatures, email confirmations where you explicitly promised repayment, and notarized affidavits acknowledging the debt."
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Jason backed away from the table as if the papers were burning coals. "No... no, you said you were helping us! You said family didn't keep score!"
"I stopped keeping score when you respected me, Jason," I said, standing up to my full height. "The moment you and Chloe decided I had 'no life' and turned me into an unpaid, unappreciated weekend slave, I stopped being your mother-in-house-servant and became your creditor."
