Chapter 4
The next few days were chaos.
Barbara didn't waste any time. She called every family member she could reach, painting herself as the victim of an ungrateful son-in-law who'd abandoned her in her time of need.
My phone blew up.
Calls from aunts and uncles I hadn't spoken to in years. Texts from cousins I barely knew. All of them asking how I could do this to poor Barbara.
I didn't answer any of them.
Tom called me twice. I let it go to voicemail both times.
Then Jennifer texted.
Can we talk? Not as Barbara's daughter-in-law. As someone who's been watching this for years.
I hesitated, then replied.
Sure.
We met at a coffee shop near my office. Jennifer was already there when I arrived, looking tired and anxious.
"Thanks for meeting me," she said as I sat down.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Jennifer looked around like she was afraid Barbara might be hiding behind a potted plant.
"She's been calling everyone," she said. "Saying you're cruel. Saying you're keeping Ellie away from her out of spite."
I nodded. "I figured."
"Tom's caught in the middle," she continued. "He doesn't know what to believe. His mom's always been good at making herself look like the victim."
"And what do you believe?" I asked.
Jennifer looked me straight in the eye.
"I believe what I saw that night. I heard what she said to Ellie. And I've seen the way she uses you. I've seen the 'emergencies' that always seem to coincide with something she wants."
She paused, taking a breath.
"She does it to Tom too, you know. Not as much, because Tom doesn't have as much money as you. But she's always asking for something. Always making him feel guilty if he doesn't give it."
I leaned forward.
"Do you have proof?"
Jennifer hesitated, then reached into her bag and pulled out a small notebook.
"I started writing things down," she said quietly. "Dates. Amounts. What she said she needed versus what I actually saw her buy. I didn't know why I was doing it at the time. I guess I just knew something was wrong."
She slid the notebook across the table to me.
I opened it.
Page after page of meticulous notes.
March 14: Asked Tom for $800 for "new water heater." Bought $750 designer bag three days later (saw receipt in her purse).
June 2: Cried about "expensive medication" that wasn't covered by insurance. Got $1,500 from Derek. Booked cruise for $1,489 that same week.
September 27: "Car needs new transmission"—$2,200 from Derek. New TV delivered October 1: $2,100.
My blood ran cold as I read.
"She's been doing this the entire time," Jennifer said. "Long before Leah died. She's always been like this. Tom's just never been able to see it. Or maybe he doesn't want to."
I closed the notebook and handed it back to her.
"Thank you," I said.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I'm going to make sure the truth comes out," I told her. "She's trying to turn the whole family against me. I'm not going to let her get away with it."
Jennifer nodded.
"I'll help you," she said. "If you need me to tell people what I saw that night, what I know... I will. She shouldn't get away with talking to Ellie like that. Nobody should."
I appreciated it more than I could say.
That evening, I sat Ellie down and told her what was happening.
"Some people are going to say mean things about Daddy," I warned her. "They're going to believe Barbara's side of the story because they don't know the truth."
Ellie nodded solemnly.
"Will they hate you?"
"No, baby," I said. "They might be confused for a while. But the truth has a way of coming out. And even if some people choose to believe her, that's their problem. Not ours."
She leaned against me.
"I believe you."
I kissed the top of her head.
"That's all that matters."
Later that night, my phone rang again.
This time it was Aunt Martha—Leah's aunt, the one person in the family who'd always been kind to me.
"Derek," she said, her voice gentle. "I need you to tell me what's going on. Barbara's been calling everyone, but something about her story doesn't add up."
May you like
I took a deep breath.
And I told her everything.
