She stepped closer.
“You owe us your life. If we need forty thousand dollars to solve a minor financial problem, you will give it to us.”
Her voice dropped.
“Otherwise, I will make sure you are removed from this family forever.”
For the first time, her threat meant nothing to me.
The desperate need I had carried for decades—to earn her approval, to make her proud, to prove I was worthy of being loved—had died beside Ethan and Chloe.
“You cannot remove me from something that was never real,” I said.
“And I do not owe you anything.”
I tapped the folder.
“But all three of you owe the federal government a great deal.”
My mother’s breathing changed.
“What does that mean?”
“Before Ethan died, he prepared this evidence for the forensic division at his law firm. He intended to file an official identity-theft report.”
I paused.
