Chapter 15
Richard tried to save himself.
Of course.
He sent me a long message claiming Dad had always been bitter.
Claiming Mom had been trapped.
Claiming money between relatives was private.
Then he made one mistake.
He wrote:
Your father signed the papers. He knew what he was doing.
I forwarded that to Dad.
Dad forwarded it to his old attorney.
Within days, a legal review began.
Not because Dad wanted revenge.
Because I insisted.
“You protected them once,” I told him. “Never again.”
The attorney found that Richard had violated the old settlement terms by publicly humiliating Dad and misrepresenting the debt.
There were also unpaid obligations tied to the original agreement.
Richard had never finished repaying the money Dad absorbed.
Dad could reopen part of the claim.
He hesitated.
I said, “Dad.”
He looked at me.
“Let justice buy your new suit.”
He laughed then.
May you like
A real laugh.
The first one since graduation.
