Chapter 13 - Amy’s Breaking Point
While I was uncovering my mother’s secrets, I almost lost the person who mattered most.
Amy.
Not because she stopped loving me.
Because she was exhausted.
One night, after Frederick fell asleep, I found her sitting alone in the kitchen.
The same kitchen where she had been humiliated.
But this time, she wasn’t afraid.
She was angry.
“I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”
I sat across from her.
“What do you mean?”
She wiped away tears.
“I married you, Connor.”
“I didn’t marry your family’s war.”
Her words hurt.
Because they were true.
For weeks, our marriage had been consumed by Teresa.
Court documents.
Investigations.
Arguments.
Fear.
I had been so focused on defeating my mother that I forgot Amy needed her husband.
Not a lawyer.
Not a fighter.
Her husband.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
She looked at me.
“I don’t need you to apologize.”
“What do you need?”
She took a deep breath.
“I need to know that after this is over, there is still an us.”
That night, I made a decision.
I would protect my family.
But I would stop allowing Teresa to control our lives.
Even when she wasn’t there.
The next morning, Daniel called.
“We found something about the property.”
“What?”
“The house deed.”
I waited.
“Your mother didn’t just try to fake ownership.”
“What did she do?”
“She discovered your father originally contributed money toward the purchase.”
I froze.
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“And Teresa used that information to create a false claim.”
My mind raced.
The house wasn’t just my home.
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It was connected to a secret from my parents’ past.
A secret Teresa had buried for decades.
