Chapter 5 - The Family Members Who Helped Her
The next morning, I made a decision.
No more waiting.
No more hoping my mother would explain herself.
I needed answers.
I started with the relatives who attended the birthday party.
The same people who watched Amy work.
The same people who laughed.
The same people who said nothing.
The first person I called was Aunt Betsy.
She answered immediately.
“Connor, I heard there was some misunderstanding.”
A misunderstanding.
That word almost made me laugh.
“My wife was forced to work while taking care of a sick baby.”
“She probably exaggerated.”
I froze.
“What?”
Betsy sighed.
“You know how emotional new mothers can be.”
I felt my anger rise.
“No.”
My voice became cold.
“She was exhausted because your sister treated her like a servant.”
A pause.
Then Betsy said something that confirmed everything.
“Teresa told us this was temporary.”
“What was temporary?”
“The arrangement.”
My stomach tightened.
“What arrangement?”
Silence.
“Betsy.”
Finally, she answered.
“Connor…”
Her voice lowered.
“Your mother said Amy would eventually leave.”
I froze.
“What?”
“She said you were going to realize Amy wasn’t right for you.”
The room went silent.
My own family had been discussing the destruction of my marriage.
“How long has she been saying this?”
Betsy didn’t answer.
That was the answer.
I ended the call.
Then I called another relative.
Same story.
Everyone had heard something.
Everyone had been told a version of reality where Amy was the problem.
She was lazy.
Ungrateful.
A burden.
And my mother was the victim.
But nobody had asked Amy.
Nobody had asked me.
They only believed the story Teresa created.
Then I found something worse.
A group message.
A family chat.
Someone accidentally sent me screenshots.
My mother had been discussing us for months.
Messages appeared.
Teresa: Connor needs to understand Amy is too dependent.
Teresa: Once she sees she has no control, she’ll stop fighting me.
Betsy: The birthday party will help everyone see who really runs the house.
I stared at the screen.
My hands were shaking.
The party.
The humiliation.
The relatives.
Everything was planned.
It wasn’t spontaneous cruelty.
It was a demonstration.
My mother wanted Amy to feel powerless in front of everyone.
She wanted everyone to believe Teresa was the authority in my home.
Then another message appeared.
From Mason.
The deed transfer is ready.
My heart stopped.
Mason wasn’t just helping.
He was involved.
I immediately saved every screenshot.
Because now I understood.
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This wasn’t a family argument.
It was a conspiracy.
