“You kept all this?”
“Of course. I’m not irresponsible.”
I almost couldn’t believe the irony.
She had just handed me the evidence herself.
What Vivian and Derek didn’t know was that while they were dreaming about my million dollars, I had already hired an attorney and an accountant.
The money I had sent was being traced.
Every transfer.
Every major purchase.
Every document.
And there was another detail I had never told them.
The settlement was real.
But the money was already legally protected.
Neither Vivian nor Derek could touch a cent of it.
Three days later, I asked them both to meet me at the house.
Vivian arrived dressed beautifully.
Derek wore a new watch.
My mother looked around the living room and smiled.
“So. Have you decided what we’re doing with the money?”
“Yes,” I said.
I placed several folders on the table.
Derek leaned forward.
“What’s that?”
“Four years.”
His smile faded.
I opened the first folder.
Almost one hundred thousand dollars sent from Canada.
The second contained records showing how little had gone toward Clara.
The third contained their own receipts.
The fourth was from my lawyer.
Vivian’s face slowly changed.
“What is this?”
I looked directly at her.
“You wanted to know what I’m doing with the settlement.”
Nobody spoke.
“First, Clara’s treatment is being fully covered.”
My mother nodded quickly.
“Of course. We all want that.”
“Second, I’m moving Clara somewhere you will never control again.”
Derek sat back.
“Michael—”
“And third…”
I slid the legal papers toward them.
“…every dollar I sent home is being reviewed.”
Vivian went pale.
“You can’t do this to your own mother.”
I stared at her.
“You took money meant for my sick wife.”
“I used it for the family!”
“Clara was my family.”
Silence.
Derek finally stood.
