Chapter 5
The officers walked past me into the house.
Vanessa was standing exactly where I’d left her, her face a mask of fury and fear. When she saw the uniforms, she let out a sob and ran toward them.
“Thank God you’re here,” she cried. “He’s been holding me against my will. He threatened me. He made me say those terrible things—”
“Save it,” Marcus said, stepping past the officers. He opened his folder and pulled out a stack of papers. “Vanessa Marie Carter, you’re being served with a temporary restraining order prohibiting you from contacting Daniel Hale or Eleanor Hale, from coming within five hundred feet of this property or any of their places of business, and from disposing of any assets that may be subject to civil proceedings.”
He handed her the papers. She stared at them as if they were written in a foreign language.
“Civil proceedings?” she whispered.
“Embezzlement,” Marcus said. “Elder abuse. Fraud. Conspiracy. We’ll be filing criminal charges as well. The district attorney is already reviewing the evidence.”
One of the officers stepped forward. “Ma’am, I need you to come with us. We have questions about the allegations.”
Vanessa looked at me, her eyes blazing with hatred.
“You’ll regret this,” she said. “All of it. I’ll make sure you spend every penny you have fighting me. I’ll drag your name through the mud. I’ll tell every reporter who will listen what kind of monster you really are.”
I didn’t respond.
I just watched as the officers led her out of my house, past the place where she’d stood eight months ago and told me she loved me, past the hallway where we’d posed for engagement photos, past the door she’d walked through so many times pretending to be part of our family.
When the door closed behind them, the house went quiet.
Too quiet.
My mother let out a breath she’d been holding, and her legs gave out.
I caught her before she hit the floor, lifting her gently and carrying her to the living room couch. I sat beside her, holding her hand, and she cried—quiet, heaving sobs that shook her entire body.
“I’m so sorry, Mom,” I said, my own throat tight. “I’m so sorry I didn’t see it. I’m so sorry I left you alone with her.”
She shook her head, clutching my hand. “It’s not your fault, baby. She was so good at pretending. Even I didn’t see it at first. By the time I realized what she was, she already had control of everything. I was afraid if I told you, she’d make good on her threats. I was afraid I’d lose you.”
I pulled her into my arms, and for the first time in a long time, I let myself cry too.
I thought about all the signs I’d missed. The way my mother had stopped calling me every day. The way she’d seemed smaller, quieter, more withdrawn when I came home. The excuses Vanessa had made—she’s tired, she’s not feeling well, she’s just getting older.
I’d believed her.
May you like
I’d been so busy building my empire, so focused on the next deal, the next acquisition, that I’d missed the most important thing of all: my mother was suffering, right under my nose.
“I’ll never let anyone hurt you again,” I whispered into her hair. “I promise.”
