Chapter 5 - The Ultimatum
“Mom? You think you’re so smart, don't you?” Sarah’s voice blasted through the speaker, frantic and hysterical. “We saw the locksmith at the house! You think you can just lock us out like stray dogs?”
“Sarah, you broke into my property and put an illegal padlock on my door,” I said, keeping my voice terrifyingly calm. “That is a criminal offense.”
“We are your family!” she shrieked, the sound of Greg yelling something unintelligible in the background. “You have two houses, and we are living in a roach-infested motel room! If you don't sign over the cottage deed by tomorrow morning, we are going to file an elder-exploitation petition claiming you’re mentally unfit to manage your own assets!”
The silence in the cottage suddenly felt deafening.
May you like
I stared down at the kitchen counter where their fast-food wrappers lay scattered. The final shred of maternal guilt I had carried vanished entirely, replaced by a cold, hardened resolve.
“File whatever you want, Sarah,” I whispered into the phone. “Because starting tomorrow morning, my attorney and the county sheriff will be waiting for you.”
