Chapter 9 - Stripped of the Lie"Ethan, get up!" Linda hissed, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him off his knees. "Don't beg to this ungrateful woman! She’s nothing without our family name! We can sue her for custody! We can take half of this house!"
"Mom, shut up!" Ethan suddenly screamed, turning on her with a rage that shocked even me. He shoved her hand away, his face red with tears. "Just shut up! Look at what you did! You told me she was dramatic! You told me to lock the door! And now... now I’ve lost my son! I’ve lost everything!"
"You lost it because you are a coward, Ethan," I said, my voice cutting through his outburst. "You let your mother run your life, and you let her treat me like an ATM. You never loved me. You loved the security I provided. But that security is officially gone."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, tapping the screen to activate the live feed of my corporate bank account.
"The fifty-four thousand dollars you spent in Miami has been officially reversed," I said. "The bank has already initiated a chargeback against the hotel and the luxury boutiques. Because the card was used without my authorization while I was hospitalized, they are opening a criminal fraud investigation against you, Linda, and Ashley."
"No!" Ashley screamed, dropping her designer bags onto the dirt. "I didn't do anything! It was Mom's idea!"
"And you, Ethan," I continued, "your employment at my firm has been officially terminated for cause. The company car has been reported as stolen since you failed to return the keys by noon today. The police are currently tracking the GPS on the vehicle."
As if on cue, the distant, unmistakable wail of police sirens began to echo up the winding mountain road.
Ethan looked down the road, his eyes wide with panic. He looked back at me, his face a mask of absolute ruin. "Vanessa... please. Don't do this to me. I have nowhere to go."
"You have your mother, Ethan," I said, stepping back inside the warm, safe stone entryway. "She wanted you all to ourselves. Now, you have each other. Enjoy your trip."
With a firm, deliberate motion, I pulled the heavy oak door closed.
The sound of the lock sliding into place was quiet, but it was the most satisfying sound I had ever heard. Through the thick glass panes of the high window, I watched the police cruisers pull up the gravel driveway, their red and blue lights painting the stone walls of my villa.
May you like
The officers stepped out, their faces serious. They spoke to Ethan, Linda, and Ashley, pointing to the suitcases and the luxury car parked in the driveway. Within minutes, the three of them were being led away, their faces pale, their pride entirely shattered.
I turned away from the window and walked back into the living room, where a warm fire was crackling in the hearth.
