Chapter 14 - The Family That Chose Her Side
I used to believe family meant loyalty.
I was wrong.
Sometimes family meant people who knew exactly how to hurt you.
Betsy came to my house the next morning.
She didn’t look angry.
She looked nervous.
That told me everything.
“You know.”
I didn’t invite her to sit.
“You helped my mother.”
She looked away.
“I was trying to help Teresa.”
“No.”
My voice was calm.
“You were helping her hurt my wife.”
Betsy sighed.
“You don’t understand the situation.”
I almost smiled.
Everyone said the same thing.
Nobody wanted to admit what they did.
“I understand perfectly.”
I placed the documents on the table.
“Custody plans.”
“Financial control.”
“Property transfer.”
Betsy’s face changed.
“You found those?”
“Yes.”
She became quiet.
Then she said something unexpected.
“Your mother was afraid.”
I stared.
“Of what?”
“Of being forgotten.”
That answer surprised me.
But it didn’t excuse anything.
Betsy continued.
“After your father died, Teresa felt like everything disappeared.”
“She had you.”
“She thought she was protecting you.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“She was protecting herself.”
Betsy looked hurt.
But she didn’t argue.
Because she knew.
Then she admitted something.
“Teresa wasn’t the only one who benefited.”
I froze.
“What?”
She looked down.
“The money she gave us.”
My stomach tightened.
“What money?”
Betsy swallowed.
“She helped family members.”
“How?”
“Loans.”
“Gifts.”
“Payments.”
I stared.
My mother wasn’t just controlling me.
She was building a network.
Everyone who depended on her would defend her.
Because if Teresa fell…
they lost something too.
That explained the birthday party.
The relatives.
The silence.
They weren’t protecting Teresa because they believed her.
They were protecting themselves.
Then Betsy handed me a folder.
“I kept this because I knew one day you would need it.”
Inside were copies of bank transfers.
Payments from Teresa.
To relatives.
Including Mason.
Including Betsy.
But one payment stood out.
A large transfer.
A month before Frederick’s birthday.
To someone I didn’t recognize.
A private company.
I looked at Rachel.
“Who is this?”
She checked the name.
Then her expression changed.
“Connor…”
“What?”
“This company owns a property.”
“Where?”
She looked at me.
“Near your childhood home.”
I felt a chill.
The same place where we found my father’s documents.
The same place where Teresa kept secrets.
May you like
Someone else had access.
Someone else was involved.
